Talk:Courbet Peninsula

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[edit] Péninsule Courbet or Courbet Peninsula

The Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names) indicates that if there is an English name it should be used. I noted that, among other places, in the Wikipedia article on the Kerguelen Islands in the Geology section Courbet Peninsula was used. Normally foreign words for gulf, mountain, river, etc. are used in geographic names with the English equivalent, e.g. Surma River and Lake Baikal. It is only when the foreign name has become embedded in English usage that they are not translated, e.g. Rio Grande. Therefor I have moved this article to Courbet Peninsula. Another good example is that these islands are the Kerguelen Islands not the Îles Kerguelen. --Bejnar 22:42, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

How far should it go though? Should Ulan Bator be called "Red Hero" or Canberra "Meeting place"? I could point to less extreme examples in the Mato Grosso, or Hokkaido ("North Sea Circuit") Certainly in the case of Kerguelen toponyms, the French forms appear in the atlases I have at home. --MacRusgail 12:53, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Your examples are in translating non-geographic words. The words that are to be translated are the words that geographically categorize the geographic feature, like mountain, river, hill. I found several references in publications in English to Courbet Peninsula. There was also one instance of the use of Courbet Peninsula in this article, and one in the Kerguelen Islands article. Now I am not saying that where there is a common English usage, such as Rio Grande, that that shouldn't be used. However, I am saying that Wikipedias policy and the perceived comfort of English speakers is served by using the English word for "words that geographically categorize the geographic feature". The classic anti-example is Torpennow Hill (now in Cumbria), which if literally translated yields Hill Hill Hill Hill. --Bejnar 15:15, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

I could point to plenty of others. Rio Grande (which you mentioned), Champs Elysee, Tierra Del Fuego etc etc. In the context of Kerguelen, the French forms appear commonly in English, or in a mix as here here. It has "Courbet Peninsula" etc, but also has "Ile Foch" right next to "Howe Island". Elsewhere you have "Isla Grande" and "Staten Island" (?Isla de las Estados?) right next to each other in English maps. --MacRusgail 15:31, 12 July 2007 (UTC) p.s. I disagree about "Torpennow Hill" - "Tor" Hill is a tautology, but "tor" means a towering rock, and "pen" is a head or summit, so not quite the same words repeated.