When I'm writing in English and want to refer to foreign company/organisaion names, should I translate or keep the original name, or use both? I can imagine a few possibilities, depending on factors such as whether the company/organisation is known world-wide or whether or not they have an official English name.
I think it's fairly straight forward with names such as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines because that is an official English name, even though the Dutch acronym KLM is rarely spelled out.
What I find more problematic is names which are relatively unknown to the English-speaking community. E.g: Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (Netherlands Public Broadcasting). Should I use both like I just did, with the original first and the English in brackets, or vice versa, English first and original in brackets (probably also in italics?). Or should I just stick to the English? or the original? I am a bit confused here.
Is there an official rule, or a style guide, for this in English writing?
Best Answer
Company names tend to not be translated.
But as discussed here, sometimes a translation is required.
(Taken from link above)