# Source for adding common names in none English Language

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** question, common-names\
**Created:** [December 22, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647 "2024-12-22T22:37:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![val91](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/val91/32/28690_2.png) [@val91](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/val91)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647/1 "2024-12-22T22:37:34Z")

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Hello,

I got a question concerning common names, I wanted to add some local French names to some species but that made me realise what would you consider as good sources or quotations for locals names when the language isn’t English?

Thanks for your help,

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**Author:** ![optilete](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/optilete/32/1908_2.png) [@optilete](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/optilete)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 10:51pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647/2 "2024-12-22T22:51:00Z")

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Other observations sites or maybe wikipedia, might differ per country.  
[https://www.ornitho.ch/index.php?m\_id=61&langu=fr](https://www.ornitho.ch/index.php?m_id=61&langu=fr)  
[https://observation.org/](https://observation.org/)

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**Author:** ![val91](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/val91/32/28690_2.png) [@val91](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/val91)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647/3 "2024-12-23T00:07:36Z")

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Thanks.

It’s not always easy to find written sources on the net for common names.

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**Author:** ![cthawley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/cthawley/32/1445_2.png) [@cthawley](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/cthawley)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647/4 "2024-12-23T16:33:24Z")

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Sources don’t have to be on the web/hyperlinks. I will just write out text citations for books and similar. It’s true that they aren’t as easy to check (and I’ll use a hyperlink if I have one handy), but “old-fashioned” citations are fine.

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**Author:** ![rupertclayton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/rupertclayton/32/2745_2.png) [@rupertclayton](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/rupertclayton)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647/5 "2024-12-23T18:18:38Z")

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I’d recommend using French-language field guide for the area that you want to cover. Many printed field guides will give one or more common names for each species. It’s a reasonable assumption that a common name used in a field guide is used enough to justify inclusion. Take care to make sure that you apply the name to the right taxon in iNat, as the scientific taxonomy may have changed since the field guide was published.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/source-for-adding-common-names-in-none-english-language/59647/6 "2025-02-21T18:19:06Z")

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