Geographical names: Translation

On this page

• Components of geographical names
• Guidelines for translating names of geographical features
  • Translation of the generic
  • Exceptions
  • Non-translation of the specific part of the name
  • Adjectives and points of the compass
  • Reinstatement of official English place names
• Alternate names and provincial translations
• Names of pan-Canadian significance
• Additional information

Components of geographical names

The name of a geographical feature is made up of two parts:

• a generic term identifying the type of geographical feature (lake, river, bay, island, etc.)
• the name specific to the feature

The table below shows the generic and specific parts in examples of geographical names:

Name	Generic part	Specific part
Lake Athabasca	Lake	Athabasca
Ellesmere Island	Island	Ellesmere
Torngat Mountains	Mountains	Torngat
Chilkoot Trail	Trail	Chilkoot
Bay of Fundy	Bay	Fundy
Kicking Horse Pass	Pass	Kicking Horse

Guidelines for translating names of geographical features

The translation guidelines below apply to the names of geographical features only. They don’t apply in the following cases:

• names of inhabited places
• names of national parks
• scientific or geological names
• names of undersea features
• alternate names endorsed by provincial authorities (see below)
• names of pan-Canadian significance (see below)

Translation of the generic

As a general rule, the generic term in the name of a geographical feature may be translated:

• lac Beauchamp = Beauchamp Lake
• île Madame = Madame Island

French and English equivalents for generic terms have been established in the publication Glossary of Generic Terms in Canada’s Geographical Names (opens in new tab).

Exceptions

There are four situations outlined below in which the generic term shouldn’t be translated. Instead, the name should be left in its official form. If necessary, the name can be followed by a geographical term describing the nature of the feature. (This information can be found in the gazetteer, or dictionary of place names, for the province or territory concerned.)

Don’t translate the generic term in the following situations:

• when the generic term doesn’t indicate the actual nature of the geographical feature:
  • île Cooks (a rock ) = Île Cooks rock [not Cooks Island]
  • lac Cochémère (a pond ) = Lac Cochémère pond [not Cochémère Lake]
• when the generic term is rare or is borrowed from a language other than English or French:
  • Hanbury Kopje (a hill)
  • Loch Erne (a lake)
• when the generic term is separated from the specific by one or more linking words:
  • lac aux Saumons = Lac aux Saumons
  • baie de la Sorcière = Baie de la Sorcière
  • anse de la Pointe = Anse de la Pointe
• when the place name begins with an article (Le, La, Les, L’) that is part of the name; in that case, the article is kept at the beginning of the name, and the appropriate geographical term or a short description may be added for clarity:
  • Les Chutes = Les Chutes or the falls known as Les Chutes
  • La Grande Rivière = La Grande Rivière
  • Le Petit Étang = Le Petit Étang or the pond known as Le Petit Étang

Non-translation of the specific part of the name

Except for names of pan-Canadian significance and some alternate forms approved by provincial authorities, the specific part of a geographical name isn’t translated. It must be left in its official form (that is, the form in which it appears in the gazetteer of the relevant province or territory), with all hyphens, articles, accents, diacritical marks and capital letters. Nothing is added and nothing omitted:

• pointe Enragée = Enragée Point
• rivière Saint-Charles = Saint-Charles River

Adjectives and points of the compass

Adjectives such as grand, petit, supérieur or inférieur, as well as points of the compass, are translated when they modify the generic term:

• ruisseau Saint-Jean Nord = North Saint-Jean Creek
• Petit lac Saint-Amour = Little Saint-Amour Lake
• Petite rivière Grand = Little Grand River

In the examples above, Nord modifies the generic term ruisseau, Petit modifies the generic term lac, and Petite modifies the generic term rivière; so these adjectives can be translated.

However, adjectives are not translated in three cases:

• when they modify the specific part of the name:
  • lac Grande Gueule = Grande Gueule Lake
    [Here, Grande modifies the specific part, Gueule. However, it’s not always obvious whether an adjective modifies the generic or specific part of a name. When in doubt, leave the adjective in the original language.]
• when they take the place of the specific part:
  • rivière Ouest = Ouest River
    [Here, Ouest is taking the place of a specific part.]
• when they’re followed by a generic term with no specific part after it:
  • Petit Ruisseau = Petit Creek
    [Here, Petit is modifying the generic term Ruisseau, which has no specific part after it.]

Reinstatement of official English place names

Where the generic part of an English-language place name has been translated into French, it’s essential to restore it to its original English form when the French document is translated into English.

In the following sentence, the place names have been translated into French, but their official forms are English:

• Le relief du plateau est plus particulièrement remarquable dans le nord de l’île Somerset, sur la presqu’île Brodeur, ainsi que dans le centre et l’ouest de l’île Prince of Wales.

Since, in accordance with the rules, the specific parts of these place names (Somerset, Brodeur, Prince of Wales ) have not been changed in any way, it’s easy to find the original form in a gazetteer. The original names are Somerset Island, Brodeur Peninsula and Prince of Wales Island.

Alternate names and provincial translations

Although it’s always best to use the official names for places and geographical features, provincial and territorial authorities sometimes allow the use of geographical names that aren’t official.

For example, Manitoba has approved the following equivalent names for use:

• Plum River (official) = Rivière aux Prunes (equivalent)
• Rat River (official) = Rivière aux Rats (equivalent)
• Rivière aux Marais (official) = Marais River (equivalent)

At the same time, some provinces have official translations for certain features and places.

New Brunswick, for instance, has the following official names in both English and French:

• Caissie Cape (rural community) = Cap-des-Caissie
• Second Falls (falls) = Deuxième Sault
• Grand Falls (town) = Grand-Sault
• St. Francis River = Rivière Saint-François
• Green River = Rivière Verte

Ontario has also recommended official alternate French names for three rivers:

• Detroit River = Rivière Détroit
• French River = Rivière des Français
• St. Clair River = Rivière Sainte-Claire

Names of pan-Canadian significance

The names of pan-Canadian significance established by the Treasury Board of Canada have well-known forms in both English and French. For the purposes of federal government publications, both forms are considered official. You’ll find this list on Natural Resources Canada’s web page Geographical names of pan-Canadian significance (opens in new tab).

Additional information

• Addresses: Translating Canadian addresses
• Compass points

Other resources

• Glossary of Generic Terms in Canada’s Geographical Names (opens in new tab) (Translation Bureau)
• Geographical names of pan-Canadian significance (opens in new tab) (Natural Resources Canada)
• Translating Geographical Names (opens in new tab) (Natural Resources Canada)