Translate Latin names to Italian?

Question

I have been going back through profiles I created when I first started on WikiTree (18 months ago), and adding a link to old church records. I've also been attempting to translate the Latin so that a reader has some idea what was in there. Question: I've been translating Latinized names into Italian so that they are recognizable to a reader. Should I leave them in Latin? Some are very different in Latin from their Italian equivalents, others are easily recognizable.

Comments

Where are you putting these translations: in the bio, or in the name fields?

The thing about Latin records is that unless the local vernacular name happens to match the Latin form (such as Maria or Anna in many languages), the recorded name is the one form that's guaranteed not to be what the person actually used. So providing at least a guess about what he was called is useful, but whether to enshrine that in a database field or save it for a note (bio) is a perpetual debate, not just on WikiTree.

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I'm using the Italian name in the name field. My translation is in Sources. What I finally decided is that I would transcribe the Latin name as is, but if it's not apparent what it means, to put the Italian name in brackets. I guess that was the obvious thing to do. ...

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I use what the Italian vernacular of the name would be in the name field. If I'm citing a Latin record source, I put the Latin name in the source.

Answer 1

Hi Jaci, I'm not quite understanding. Are these church records for Italian people? My thought is you could transcribe the Latin in the church record then add a brief translation in English for the convenience of the reader. That way, people can see what the original said. Or if the name was rendered "Wilhelmus" you could add William in brackets.

Comments

Thanks, Jessica. Your suggestion is what I decided to do. Put in both, with the Italian version of the name in brackets if the Latin is not close.