Transcription does not require roundtrip. It is intended in this case for the English speaker to be able to deliver an approximate pronunciation adapted to his native vocal capabilities.
Except when it doesn't. We write Tchaikovsky, not Chykoffskee.
But then, English spelling isn't really logical anyway, and the average English speaker will be able to produce something from Tchaikovsky that would be more or less recognizable by a Russian.
If we were starting from scratch today, we'd probably do better. (I hope we would retain the "v" sound in "ÐÐÐÐÐÐÑÐÐÐ" instead of converting it to "f".)
Except there is no "v sound", only an "f sound" in the Russian pronunciation of ÐÐÐÐÐÐÑÐÐÐ due to regressive assimilation. "Chykoffskee" is pretty accurate, actually. I'd say Tchaikovsky is just a spelling taken over from French at a time when French was pretty much the international common language at least in diplomacy and art.
Philipp -- "Nur Miele" schwÃrmt die Kuh Roswitha und gibt so manchen Extra-Liter. - Miele-Melkmaschinenwerbung, 70er
