Which action is not recommended when cross-referencing foreign business names on documents?

Which action is not recommended when cross-referencing foreign business names on documents?

• A. Index the foreign name as written in the foreign language
• B. Write the English translation on the original documents
• C. Ignore the foreign language
• D. None of the above

Answer: (C)

Cross-referencing foreign business names relies on preserving the exact form of the name as it appears in the original language and linking it to translations or aliases so retrieval works across languages. The action that is not recommended is to ignore the foreign language. Skipping the foreign name makes it much harder to locate records when users search in that language, can lead to misidentification, and undermines authority control over the entity. Best practice is to index the foreign name exactly as written to maintain the official form, and if helpful, provide an English translation or transliteration in metadata or cross-reference fields rather than altering the original document. This approach preserves the record’s authenticity while enabling effective search and retrieval.

Cross-referencing foreign business names relies on preserving the exact form of the name as it appears in the original language and linking it to translations or aliases so retrieval works across languages. The action that is not recommended is to ignore the foreign language. Skipping the foreign name makes it much harder to locate records when users search in that language, can lead to misidentification, and undermines authority control over the entity. Best practice is to index the foreign name exactly as written to maintain the official form, and if helpful, provide an English translation or transliteration in metadata or cross-reference fields rather than altering the original document. This approach preserves the record’s authenticity while enabling effective search and retrieval.