Hello Latvian sub,

I can’t seem to translate this birth ceritifcate: [https://imgur.com/a/LLFgHYt](https://imgur.com/a/LLFgHYt)

It’s supposed to be latvian and the handwriting is understandable but the printed text is just some unknown language for google translate. Anybody know why?

Thanks

10 comments

  2. Because the lettering of that entire birth certificate looks weird, I’ve never seen anything like it. I kind of understand what it says, but the letters aren’t exactly Latvian. We don’t even have W in our alphabet..

  3. That’s def some relic there. Had a few books at home with the same typo. I mean germans made our alphabet after they conquered Latvia. So the influence is there. I think my mom can read it, ill ask her.

    Edit: it’s vecā druka. Google it. Apparently you can have even older version of it with proper gothic lettering.

  5. 6)nationality 7)religion 8) parents adress 9) no clue
    10) announcers(?) surname ane name, adress, relationship with newborn 11) aditional notes
    Under this: filled in by/where/when (depending on what was written by hand). To the right of that: announcers signature

  6. It’s written in [Fraktur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraktur), aka an old style typeface (alphabet ?) introduced by ze germans. Or, as someone else mentioned, “vecā druka”.

    Though after some replies on this thread I’m curious if it’s been removed from the school curriculum nowadays? I went to school quite a while ago, but I definitely remember we had to read and translate texts like these.

    Edit: Found [another link](http://www.celmina.com/genealogy/2014/05/struggling-with-german-script/) that might be of interest

  7. Latvian with German spelling, quite common in the 1920s

    Dzimšanas apliecība

    Izrakstīts iz ***(vieta) dzimšanas reģistra 1922. gadā.

    Izraksts nr. 2

    Jaunpiedzimušā uzvārds un vārds

    Dzimums (vīriešu vai sieviešu)

    Dzimšanas gads, mēnesis, diena un stunda

    Dzimšanas vieta

    Tēva, mātes vārds, uzvārds, vecums, nodarbošanās (arods), darba vieta, stāvoklis darbā.

    Tautība

    Ticība

    Vecāku dzīves vieta

    Vecāku pavalstniecība

    Paziņotāja vārds, uzvārds, dzīves vieta

    Attiecība pret jaunpiedzimušo

    Piezīmes (atzīmēt: kurš bērns, dvīnis vai trīnis, vai nedzīvs dzimis)

    Ieraksts izdarīts

    Paziņotāja paraksts

    Dzimtsrakstu nodaļas pārzinis

    Šis izraksts pilnīgi saietas ar ierakstra reģistru -un izdots-

    Birth certificate

    Issued by birth register of *** in 1922.

    Certificate nr. 2

    Surname and name of newborn

    Gender (male or female)

    Year, month, day and hour of birth

    Place of birth

    Name, surname, age, profession, workplace, employment status/work title(literally standing in work) of father and mother

    Nationality

    Religion

    Residence of parents

    Citizenship of parents

    Name, surname, residence of reporter/(issuer of certificate?)

    Relation to newborn

    Notes: (mark: which child, twin, triplet, stillborn)

    Certificate written: (time)

    Signature of reporter/(issuer of certificate?)

    Overseer of department of familial relations(?) dzimtsrakstu nodaļas pārzinis

    This certificate corresponds (antiquated form of the word) with register of familial relations (dzimtsrakstu nodaļa) -and issued-

  8. did you inherit this? I’m curious how to find a certificate around this age, to find my grandmother’s. But I live in the US

  9. WTF is wrong with people, this is an official document in standard Latvian, not dialect, from interwar period written with modern font, not gothic, in old ortography, which is influenced by German, not German, there are differences. For google translate purposes substitute w to v, v to f, z to c, s to z, sch to š, tsch to č, ee to ie, ch to ch, h following a vowel is a lenghtening mark, if you can’t type it, just drop it, Google doesn’t seem to take diacritics into account, for consonants they mostly tended to use modern diactritics or some similar indication, not extra letters.

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