Foreign-language adaptations of place names

[Anthony Appleyard]

When English-language placenames are referred to in languages that do not use the Roman alphabet, they are often transcribed, e.g. 'Heathrow' into Russian as 'Хитроу'.

But also, according to Wikipedia, some Roman-alphabet languages adapt foreign placenames, for example the Latvian Wikipedia refers to London Heathrow Airport as "Londonas Hītrovas Lidosta". If someone in Riga in Latvia was flying to London, which spelling (Hītrovas or Heathrow) is he likeliest to see on destination boards and notices?

A complication: Latvian and Lithuanian have cases like Latin, and change the ending with grammatical role, for example "to Heathrow" in Latvian becomes "uz Hītrovu".

[Tableview]

Latvian and Lithuanian have cases like Latin, and change the ending with grammatical role,

....as do many languages. There is also the problem of agglutinative languages such as Finnish and Hungarian where the subject and preposition can become part of the word.

Changing place names are a very complex and confusing issue.
Geneva/Genève/Genf is potentially confused with Genoa/Genova/Gênes
Monaco is Monaco, but the Italian for Munich (or Muenchen) is Monaco
In Belgium, you have Mons = Bergen, Liege = Leuk = Luettich.

In South Africa, the 'indigenisation' of place names has been applied inconsistently. For example Pietersburg has become Polokwane. Some road signs show one, some other, and some both.

Transcribing is possibly a better option than translating when other alphabets are involved, but it's a real minefield.

[pee]

And than you have some completely different names for same towns in double-language states. E.g. in Finland:

Lappeenranta (Finnish) = Villmanstrand (Swedish)
Turku (Finnish) = Åbo (Swedish)

[MUFC_fan]

Ryanair are good at this:

'Hahn' translated into English as 'Frankfurt,' 'Beauvais' translated into 'Paris...' etc.

[racedo]

MUFC

Right and Southend translated into London by Easyjet........

[boeing7x7]

Wan't it Aer Arann who started that the 'London-Southend' thing first?

[Anthony Appleyard]

as do many languages. There is also the problem of agglutinative languages such as Finnish and Hungarian where the subject and preposition can become part of the word

As in Finnish words such as 'Microsoftin' (= "of Microsoft") and 'Nasalta' (= "from NASA").

[WHBM]

These are all easy. Some years ago I got a Japanese domestic timetable, in Japanese script - only !

[jabird]

I would hope that airport departure boards are obvious enough - after all, you usually have a flight number and time aswell, although Charleston WV & SC could be an issue from time to time.

In Belgium, you have Mons = Bergen, Liege = Leuk = Luettich.

Also, ripe for confusion is Brussels Midi = Zuid (South), and further still be our harp-finned friends, who think Brussels South means Charleroi!

I think we have quite a few places with the same name, pity any poor tourist who wants to explore Shakespeare Country this summer and ends up on the edge of the Olympic park (and vice versa).

And I wondered as I passed through Schiphol the other day whether any travellers ever carry on through, as the station sign does not obviously tell you that you are at the airport. The large numbers of passengers wielding bags should make it obvious, but there is no obvious airport logo, and just because you are underground does not necessarily mean you are under the terminal, that could be taken for any section of tunnel.

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by jabird

And I wondered as I passed through Schiphol the other day whether any travellers ever carry on through, as the station sign does not obviously tell you that you are at the airport. The large numbers of passengers wielding bags should make it obvious, but there is no obvious airport logo, and just because you are underground does not necessarily mean you are under the terminal, that could be taken for any section of tunnel.

Strangely I came through Schipol myself only yesterday, managing a quick trip into town oon the train during the stopover, and noticed exactly the same thing, likewise at the main Amsterdam rail station where trains to there do not have it as a final destination, just as an intermediate point of Schipol buried in the list of stops. It's the opposite of Zurich, where Kloten station is not on the airport line but in the adjacent town, trains go to either Kloten or Flughafen, but not both.

[pee]

As in Finnish words such as 'Microsoftin' (= "of Microsoft") and 'Nasalta' (= "from NASA").

Well, my comment will be a bit out of topic, but might be interesting for you anyway.

Do you know how is London in Finnish?
It's Lontoo.
How we would say "in London"? Lontoossa.
- "from London"? Lontoosta.
- "to London"? Lontooseen.

And so on (fifteen cases).

[Oldtimer1]

In South Africa, the 'indigenisation' of place names has been applied inconsistently. For example Pietersburg has become Polokwane. Some road signs show one, some other, and some both.

The added complication in South Africa is where the Municipality has been indigenised but not the actual city name.
EG- City of Pretoria but its in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
You find the muncipal road signs will all point to Pretoria as Tshwane (As in those right next to Pretoria centre say Tshwane City Centre). But those erected by the provincial Gauteng and National Governments say Pretoria, this includes any new signs erected. Its madness!

[Tableview]

Thanks for adding that. I had tried to remember the reason for the inconsistencty but couldn't!

[vulcanised]

It's been calling itself London Southend for a long time,

[Tableview]

the German for Vienna was not Wien, but rather Bratislava!

I think you'll find that's the Irish Gaelic form, just as 'Barcelona' becomes 'Girona'!

[Anthony Appleyard]

In 1984 June / July I flew (British Caledonian within England, Garuda, some local Australian company within Australia) to Coonabarabran in Australia and back. I was 3 weeks away from home. I changed planes at Gatwick and Jakarta and Sidney.

At Jakarta on destination boards the airports were listed as only the 3-letter codes, not as the full names.

[jabird]

I'm just surprised that no-one has picked-up on the fact that for a good few years the German for Vienna was not Wien, but rather Bratislava!

Considering how hard it is to fly to VIE from anywhere in the UK outside London, I'm quite happy with BTS, it is more than close enough.

Now they are back in Malmo, I'm still waiting for that to be badged as Copenhagen (E) - although in that case CPH is a better bet for either Copenhagen or Malmo.

[ConstantFlyer]

There is a bit of an issue with the transliteration (from one alphabet to another) of Russian place names. This comes about because some are transliterated into the English alphabet, and others into the German alphabet.

So, for example, Новосибирск becomes Novosibirsk (English) but Nowosibirsk (German). Confusingly, Ноябрск is only transliterated in international timetables as Nojabrsk (German), instead of Noyabrsk (English).

[racedo]

Funny that Sussex is London............when it suits.

[Fairdealfrank]

.... and Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

The difference between the city and the region?