Translation problem...

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

Can anyone help with this:

Исх. № 397 от 13.08.2008г

I'm having trouble understanding what the part in bold means / is referring to.
For context, it's part of an institution's official letter of recommendation for an individual, coming just after the address and contact details.

a bolshoE spasibo to anyone who can explain this one!

Comments

[mr-uef.livejournal.com]

A reg. No. of an outgoing memo (исходящий)
as opposed to incoming (входящий, Вх.)

[alex-mashin.livejournal.com]

Outgoing document number.

[definite.livejournal.com]

I will add that in business English it corresponds to "Our Ref." (meaning "our reference number").

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I was wondering what the equivilent was despite having seen it a million times on English documents - sometimes the most simple things can catch you out!

[firebottle.livejournal.com]

Exactly! But in Russian bureaucracy documents are numbered twice: at sending party "исходящий №123 от 30.09.2008" and at receiving "входящий №321 за 30.09.2008". Please note the prepositions: "от тридцатого сентября" and "за тридцатое сентября".

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

So the party that receives the document would apply their own reference number to it upon receipt?

[firebottle.livejournal.com]

Not necessaruly "would", but they "may" and usually do.

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

So would you say this is quite common practice for Russian business correspondence in general, not just government stuff?

[definite.livejournal.com]

Yes. In fact, such practice is also quite common for English business correspondance (I guess, it's global). "Входящий №" would be "Your Ref." This phrase is usually written by the sending party with nothing after it, and the receiving party fills it in according to its internal standards.

[quorax.livejournal.com]

Also, the receiving party could refer the number set by the sending one as "сторонний номер".

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

thanks everyone!

[oryx_and_crake]

it's большоЕ спасибо

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

which is why I don't like transliterating Russian...

[oryx_and_crake]

The rule is simple: you should transliterate words as they are written, not as they are pronounced.

[0-anglichanka-0.livejournal.com]

I understand the principle and even learned the three different transliteration systems years ago, but as I only really use or read transliterated Russian in very informal contexts I get used to it being quite incorrect and stop noticing it. Which is why I prefer not to use it!

[firebottle.livejournal.com]

Outgoing (исходящий) document reference number.