Hybrid Corporate Body Names in Multiple Languages

This chapter covers an interesting phenomenon found in certain records in the LC Name Authority File that feature multiple languages and/or scripts in their authorized access points. In such records an authorized access point for a hierarchical corporate body includes the name of a higher hierarchical body rendered in one language and/or script, and a subordinate body in a different language. Significant numbers of these records were created as a response to the political changes after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

According to RDA 11.2.2.5.2 and earlier cataloging rules, corporate bodies’ names should be established in the official language of the body.

In the Soviet Union, the chief language used by the governments of the separate republics was Russian, with the vernacular language of each republic playing a lesser role. In Soviet times, governmental bodies, educational institutions, public organizations, etc., often had their official names in Russian. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, new official languages (“gosudarstvennyĭ i︠a︡zyk”= ‘state language’ or “ofit︠s︡ial'nyĭ i︠a︡zyk” = ‘official language’) were established. As a consequence, the names of the republics’ corporate bodies also changed. For example, the Russian name for the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “Nat︠s︡ionalʹnai︠a︡ biblioteka Respubliki Kazakhstan”, has been changed to the name in Kazakh, “Qazaqstan Respublikasynyn︠g︡ ūlttyq kītapkhanasy”. When resources with the new name of the library were cataloged, a new authority record was created with the authorized access point for the Kazakh form as “Qazaqstan Respublikasynyn︠g︡ ūlttyq kītapkhanasy”.

Whereas post-Soviet political changes happened quickly, changes in other spheres of public and academic life were not as fast. Many academic and cultural institutions of Ukraine, Belarus, and, especially, the Central Asian republics still continue to publish in Russian as a more recognized language in the sciences, and also because the vernacular languages have not (yet) developed technical vocabularies sufficient for scientific discourse. Sometimes publishing in Russian continues simply because of the large number of Russian-speaking specialists still working in the former Soviet republics.

This creates a situation in which governments and public institutions in the former Soviet republics may publish in different languages, both official and not.

Example (in MARC format):

110 2 Qazaqstan Respublikasynyn︠g︡ ūlttyq kītapkhanasy. ǂb Otdel literatury na

inostrannykh i︠a︡zykakh [name of a higher hierarchical body is in Kazakh,

subordinate body’s name in Russian]

410 2 Қазақстан Республикасының ұлттық кітапханасы. ǂb Отдел литературы на

иностранных языках

410 2 Qazaqstan Respublikasynyn︠g︡ ūlttyq kītapkhanasy. ǂb Department of Foreign

Literature [heading for parent body is always in the authorized form]

410 2 Nat︠s︡ionalʹnai︠a︡ biblioteka Respubliki Kazakhstan. ǂb Otdel literatury na inostrannykh i︠a︡zykakh NOT

510 2 Qazaq SSR-nīn︠g︡ A.S. Pushkin atyndaghy memlekettīk kītapkhanasy. ǂb Otdel

literatury na inostrannykh i︠a︡zykakh ǂw a

667 Record coded provisional because name in Kazakh is not available.

670 Sredni︠a︡i︠a︡ Azii︠a︡ i Kazakhstan do 1917 g. v zarubezhnoĭ literature na evropeĭskikh

i︠a︡zykakh, 1995: ǂb title page (Национальная библиотека Республики

Казахстан. Отдел литературы на иностранных языках = Nat︠s︡ionalʹnai︠a︡

biblioteka Respubliki Kazakhstan. Otdel literatury na inostrannykh i︠a︡zykakh) title

page verso (National Library of Kazakhstan, Department of Foreign Literature)

In the example above, the heading was based on a book which was issued in Russian by the Department of Foreign Literature of the National Library of Kazakhstan. The name of the Department, as well as the name of the Library, also appear on the book in Russian. The authority record for the hierarchical body - National Library of Kazakhstan - already exists, with the preferred form of name for the body established in the Kazakh language. However, since the name for the Department appeared on the piece in Russian, and name in Kazakh was not available at the time of the record’s creation, it was established in Russian in the new authority record. This is in keeping with RDA 11.2.2.5.2, the rule which covers corporate names in multiple languages. Per RDA 11.2.2.5.2 for establishing a corporate name in the official language of the body, the record was coded provisional. If the Kazakh name for the Department becomes available later, the authorized access point for the subordinate body in Russian will become a variant access point, and a new form of name in Kazakh will become the authorized form.

Please note that variant access points for a subordinate body cannot be made through the parent body using the language form of the parent body found on the item when the established form of the parent body is in another language. Per Frequently Asked Questions on Establishing Corporate Names for NACO, Question 2: “Once a heading is established, it is a violation of this policy to make cross references from unauthorized forms of the elements in a hierarchical string. The foreign language or variant form of a parent body is included as a cross reference only on the NAR for the parent. Each additional subordinate unit must then use the established forms of the heading even though the subordinate unit variant can be given in the foreign language.”

(http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/naco/corpfaq.html#2)

For this reason, a variant access point for the Department appearing on the piece as a translation in English as “National Library of Kazakhstan, Department of Foreign Literature” should give the name for the parent body in its authorized form, in Kazakh, and a variant name for the subordinate body exactly as it appears on the piece - in English, therefore: Qazaqstan Respublikasynyn︠g︡ ūlttyq kītapkhanasy. ǂb Department of Foreign Literature, NOT National Library of Kazakhstan. ǂb Department of Foreign Literature.

Note that different languages in a corporate body heading might also involve different scripts. While the authorized access point must always be in romanized form, variant access points may be in original scripts where these are technologically supported.

Further, there are cases of hybrid language authority records in which the difference in language between the higher hierarchical body and its subordinate is appropriate and the authority is therefore not coded “provisional”. This situation is quite common for international bodies with local branches in several countries, for example:

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. ǂb Moskovskoe otdelenie [German-Russian heading]

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. ǂb Bi︠u︡ro zi spivrobitnyt︠s︡tva v Ukraïni [German-Ukrainian heading]

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. ǂb Fakultet po zhurnalistika i masova komunikat︠s︡ii︠a︡ [German-Bulgarian heading]

The preferred name for the German-based Friedrich-Ebert Foundation was established in German, but the names for local bureaus in Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria are in the languages of the respective countries.

Revised: Nov. 30, 2015