Moscovitches？

Ok， Thank you all. I know that Moscovitch is a Russian surname.

Apparently Moscovitch is a real family name/last name according to Google. So you're context (not enough of it) may not exactly help with definition.

Either the author is referring to a Russian family with the name of Moscovitch or he is using a variation of the word Muscovites which is the term for citizen of the city Moscow.

Moskvitch is a spelling variation and it is a brand name for a Russian car manufacturer.

its Russian surname.........

"Vitch" as a combining form means "son of" . . . so it may very well be that someone is saying "a son of Moscow." So, as has been pointed out, lacking sufficient context, we can't say for sure. All Russians use (or once used) what is called a patronymic--a name taken from the father's name. So, if a man named Ivan had a son and named him Sergei, he would be called Sergei Ivanovitch. If he had a daughter and named her Sofia, she would be Sofia Ivanovna.

If the author is not actually referring to a family named Moskovitch, then it is likely a satrical use of the Russian patronymic form. Muskovite meaning someone from Moscow, is only used in English. Such terms vary from language to language. In Russian, one of the most common constructions uses "sky" (pronounced "skee"), as in Prince Alexander Nevsky, who won a great victory over the Swedes in 1240 on the banks of the River Neva--so, he was called Prince Alexander Nevsky, meaning Alexander of the Neva. So, on that basis, i think it might be a sarcastic construction by the author, especially if written from the point of view of the Germans.

In all of this, keep in mind that the Russians use a different alphabet than the Roman alfphabet common in much of Europe, which only further compicates matters.

Just type "You think the Moscovitches are going to hold open their basement forever?" into Google...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/57285947/Passion-Chapter-1-2-Lauren-Kate

It's a "Chapter Sampler" of an unbelievably bad vampire genre novel by somebody called Lauren Kate.

I've pointed out before that i won't go to that much trouble for ESL students. If they can't be bothered to give sufficient context, they can settle for what they get on first inspection.

Which, coming from you, Set, all too often amounts to twaddle.

Thank you very much. I am actually the translator of a book written by Lauren Kate.

You have my deepest sympathy.

An official translator working for the publisher? If so, why don't you ask her what she meant by email or letter?