Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

It’s all in the name… how haphazard English translations have muddied the Saudi landscape

Decades of muddled English translations and a lack of records have left officials with a challenging task of standardizing how many of the Kingdom’s locations and landmarks should be spelt, a UN committee has heard.
National Committee for Geographical Names Chairman Dr. Mohammed bin Yahya Al-Sayel addressed the problems his department faces, including limited academic references to geographical names, and the use and acceptance over the years of haphazard English renderings of the original Arabic for roads, streets and other landmarks.

He told the third session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names in New York that the NCGN was setting national rules for collecting, controlling and standardizing geographical names and solving linguistic and phonetic problems in an attempt to unify how the Kingdom properly names its landmarks.

Al-Sayel, who is also President of the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, said his committee was also cooperating with academics and organizations to collect and document established names, and preparing a mechanism for developing and governing rules that regulate changes.

The unified Arab system (Romanization) adopted at the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names meeting in 2017 was developed to enable all sectors to write in a uniform manner and to highlight the significant economic, social, cultural, historical and religious benefits of collecting, controlling, preserving and standardizing geographical names, he said.

Al-Sayel said that the Kingdom pays great attention to geographical names.

“The NCGN aims to unify efforts related to geographical names in the Kingdom in terms of writing, control, spelling and everything related to the national standard in addition to its database,” he said.

“The NCGN seeks to strengthen its relations with international organizations, committees and technical teams to ensure the achievement of common strategic goals, which in turn are reflected in the achievement of sustainable development goals.”

The third session of the UNGEGN discussed reports submitted by governments involved and progress in standardizing geographical names.

The group of experts also addressed the standardization of geographical names at the national and international levels, strengthening cooperation and building partnerships with scientific, technical and academic organizations

They spoke of the importance of providing technical advice and exchanging best practices during the national and international meetings and conferences, and spreading awareness of the importance of geographical names as a source of culture, heritage and identity.

The session was held under the theme “Strengthening relations, ties and bonds in standardizing geographical names and achieving sustainable development.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
×