Serveis i recursos lingüístics de la UPC

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Translation. Names

    The content of these guidelines is taken from the Vives University Network’s Interuniversity Style Guide for Writing Institutional Texts, an interuniversity project in which the UPC participated with the support of the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Government of Catalonia.

     

    People's names

    • Maintain the accents in people's names (for example, Sílvia). Write out the abbreviations M. and M.ª in full as Maria. Respect the way people write their names by preserving their use of capital and small letters and their treatment of articles, prepositions and conjunctions.

      Maria De La Rosa
      Gemma Puig Davies
      Jana Puig i Salas
      Oscar López-Díaz
      Sander van Veen
      Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

     

    Public figures

    • Generally speaking, do not translate the names of public figures. For example, royalty should be referred to in the original language.

      King Philip IV King Felipe IV
      King Harold V King Harald V

    • However, there are some exceptions. Popes should be referred to by the English equivalent of their papal names. Likewise, transliteration of names in non-Latin scripts can lead to multiple spellings of a single name (notable examples being Gaddafi and Zelenskyy). In this case, choose one variant and maintain it throughout the text.

      Historical figures

      • Only translate the names of famous figures from history when they have a well-established English translation.

        Alexander the Great Catherine of Aragon Wilfred the Hairy

       

      Place names: towns and cities

      • Refer to towns and cities within Catalonia by their Catalan names.

        Gerona Girona
        Lérida Lleida

      • Beyond the boundaries of Catalonia, things become more complicated. This guide recommends using the most widely accepted name.

        Alicante Valencia Zaragoza

      • Avoid the use of demonyms (words used to describe inhabitants) for towns and cities. Use the inhabitants of Barcelona or the people of Barcelona, rather than Barcelonans.

      • Do not translate addresses, but if they can be made more understandable or easier to read for an English-speaking audience, then do this.

      • Transcribe the first letter of lower-case Catalan terms such as avinguda, carrer, carretera, passeig and plaça in upper case for English-speaking audiences even though these are lowercased in Catalan (so Carrer Sant Pau, Avinguda Diagonal, etc.).

      • Write out the full address rather than using abbreviations (so for pl. de Catalunya, write Plaça de Catalunya).

      • Floor and door numbers should be expressed in cardinal rather than ordinal numbers (i.e., 1, 2 rather than 1st, 2nd).

       

      Place names: geographical areas

      • Only translate the names of geographical areas if there is a well-established English translation.

        the Balearic Islands the Basque Country Catalonia

      • When there is no well-established English translation, consider the context. For example, the term autonomous community should be avoided, but may be required on occasions when it is vital to express the particular nature of the political divisions in Spain.

      • The demonym for Catalonia is Catalan (not Catalonian).

       

      Place names: rivers and lakes

      • Do not translate the names of rivers and lakes (River Sec and Lake Sant Maurici, not the Dry River or the Saint Maurice Lake, respectively) unless there is a well-established English version (Danube River, Shatsky Lakes).

       

      Place names: seas

      • Translate the names of seas. A notable example is the Bay of Biscay (rather than the Cantabrian Sea).

       

      Place names: islands

      • Translate the names of islands.

        Majorca, Minorca, Ibica, Formentera (the Balearic Islands)
        Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily

      • Ibiza and Formentera together are also known as the Pine Islands.

       

      Place names: mountain ranges

      • Translate the names of mountain ranges when there is a well-established English translation.

        the Alps the Pyrenees

      • Do not translate them when there is not.

        the Picos de Europa the Serra de Tramuntana

       

      Place names: landmarks and buildings

      • Generally speaking, do not translate the names of landmarks and buildings.

      • However, there are some exceptions such as the Catalan Parliament building, the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China.

      • Likewise, descriptive translations may be used to make references clearer: for example, the Les Àligues building at the University of Girona or the Camp Nou stadium.

       

      Public institutions

      • Generally speaking, translate the names of public institutions. If the original is required, use it on first mention with a descriptive translation in brackets. Use the translation on subsequent mention. Examples include Generalitat Valenciana (the Valencian government) and Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan police force).

      • Organisations with abbreviations which have an official abbreviated form should be translated but the abbreviated form should be maintained and used on subsequent mention:. So, for example, the Real Academia Española (RAE) and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB) should be translated as the Spanish Royal Academy (RAE) and the German National Library (DNB), respectively. As can be seen above, use lower case for descriptive translations into English, but maintain capitals when you are translating proper names word for word or using established English versions.

      Universities

      • Translate the names of universities, unless otherwise stipulated by the university in question itself. Below is a list of the names of Vives Network universities to be used when writing in English.

        Universitat Abat Oliba CEU

        Abat Oliba CEU University
        Universitat d’Alacant University of Alacant
        Universitat d’Andorra

        Universitat d’Andorra
        Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
        Universitat CEU Cardenal Herrera Cardenal Herrera CEU University
        Universitat de Barcelona University of Barcelona
        Universitat de Girona University of Girona
        Universitat de les Illes Balears University of the Balearic Islands
        Universitat Internacional de Catalunya Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
        Universitat Jaume I Universitat Jaume I
        Universitat de Lleida University of Lleida

        Universitat  Hernández d’Elx

        		 Miguel Hernández University of Elche
        Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC)
        Universitat de Perpinyà Via Domitia University of Perpignan Via Domitia
        Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
        Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat Politècnica de València
        Universitat Pompeu Fabra Pompeu Fabra University
        Universitat Ramon Llull Ramon Llull University
        Universitat Rovira i Virgili Universitat Rovira i Virgili
        Universitat de Sàsser University of Sassari
        Universitat de València University of Valencia
        Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia


      • Universities named after a person should include the definite article in running text whether they are translated or not.

        The Pompeu Fabra University was founded in 1990.

        Admissions at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili have increased for the third year in a row.

      • The definite article should also be used when the name of a university is expressed as an initialism.

        The URV is the public university of southern Catalonia.
        Come to the Open Day and get to know the UAB!

      • However, when the name of a university is expressed as an acronym – that is to say, it is pronounced as a word, not as individual letters – the definite article is not required.

        UVIC-UCC joined the European Journalism Training Association in October 2023.

       

      Courses

      • Translate the names of courses.

        English I Roman Law II

       

      Public lectures

      • Do not translate the titles of public lectures. However, they may be accompanied by a descriptive translation in brackets where deemed appropriate.

        Educació, aprenentatge i tecnologia a la societat del coneixement (Education, learning and technology in the knowledge society)

       

      Books, music and art

        • Translate the names of books, and of musical and art works when there is a well- established English version. When there is not, leave the name in the original language. If you provide a translation, make sure you avoid any possible confusion about which version of the work is being referred to.

          Casals’s Song of the Birds 
          Gericault’s The Raft of the Medusa 
          Holst’s The Planets
          Mallo's Muller con cabra
          Miró's Pla de l'Os
          Verdaguer's A Barcelona (To Barcelona)

       

      Awards

      • Translate the names of awards. Examples include the Catalan government's Saint George's Cross or the Max Theatre Awards. In our institutional context, awards like the Menció de doctorat internacional, the Menció cap a l’Excel·lència and the Premi Extraordinari can be translated, respectively, as International doctoral certification, Pathway to Excellence Award and Special Prize or Extraordinary Prize.

       

      Museums

      • Generally speaking, translate the names of museums, but refer to them on subsequent mention by their abbreviation if they have one: for example, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC).

       

      Political parties and unions

      • Translate the names of political parties and unions in brackets on first mention. Use the original abbreviation, where applicable, on subsequent mention.

        the Candidatura d’Unitat Popular (Popular Unity Candidacy, CUP)
        Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia, Junts)
        the Partido Popular (People's Party, PP)
        the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (Socialist Party of Catalonia, PSC)
        the Unión General de Trabajadores (General Workers' Union, UGT)

       

      Official gazettes

      • Translate the names of the governmental gazettes, accompanied by their original abbreviation.

        Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC)
        Official Gazette of the Government of Spain (BOE)
        Official Gazette of the Government of Valencia (DOCV)

       

      Companies

      • Do not translate company names, although a descriptive translation in brackets may be deemed useful on occasions.

        Som Energia (a renewable energies cooperative)
        Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (a railway vehicle manufacturing company)

       

      Trade fairs and conferences

      • Translate the names of trade fairs and conferences. That said, if the trade fair or conference is referred to by its original abbreviation, this should be maintained in the translation. For example, CONSTRUMAT (International Construction Exhibition) and simply CONSTRUMAT on subsequent mention.