Language for Standardized Dates/Locations in FamilySearch
Hello Consultants!
My searching did not yield an answer so I'm turning to this group to see if there is definitive guidance that can be linked as a reference - not opinions.
Is there definitive guidance on which language should be used when entering standardized dates/places information in an individual's profile? The reason I ask is that I just recently came across some work done from a German cousin which is entered in German (dates and country). The formats he entered are not flagged as needing to be corrected, but when I click on the "edit" function, the system does present the desired standardized date/place format in English.
Definitive guidance which is referenceable is appreciated. Thank you!
David
Respostas
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@DavidCarr DavidCarr
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David
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Short Answer: 'No', there is no definitive guide.
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Just using you example ...
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IF, the details of the Record are for someone whose "Life" was ALL about Germany; and, the Record was "Entered" in German; THEN, just LEAVE that Record in German - DO NOT go and "Standardise" the 'Place' Names, that are in German, to an English standard.
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You indicate that the 'Place' Names in German, do not display a 'Red' "Exclamation Mark"; so, NO "Data Problem"; as, they have ALREADY been "Standardised" - just leave them, 'as is' - alone, do nothing.
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Whereas ...
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IF, the details of the Record are for someone whose "Life" was initially about Germany; but, then went and whose "Life" related to ANOTHER Country; and, the Record was "Entered" in German; THEN, for those details about Birth in German, just LEAVE that Record in German - DO NOT go and "Standardise" the 'Place' Names, that are in German, to an English standard, for that time period; but, for those details about later "Life" in ANOTHER Country, are in German; THEN, if you wish (or, feel you must), you could "Change" the details of later "Life", to the Language of that OTHER Country; and, "Standardise" to that Language.
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The choice is yours ...
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In other words ...
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DO NOT sweat over it ...
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IF, the ACTUAL "Details" about a Person, are CORRECT; that is to say that: there is NO 'Red' "Exclamation Mark"; so, NO "Data Problem"; as, they have ALREADY been "Standardised"; THEN, just leave it, "as is", do nothing.
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Just my thoughts.
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Brett
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The language of standardized dates and places depends on what computer setting you have when you enter those dates and places. e.g. I am Finnish and my mother tongue is Finnish and if I use Finnish FamilySearch and then I add/edit standardized dates or places they would show everyone as in Finnish language. e.g. today's date would be 19 tammikuuta 2021 (19 January 2021) and place name would have Finnish name (if there is such in FamilySearch Places Database).
It does not matter where the person lived whose information is changed, in what country. It is only what language settings the person who is making those edits has.
Thus that German cousin had German language settings and German FamilySearch.
Everyone can change their language settings to the preferable language from bottom of the FamilySearch page. There is the earth icon and by clicking it you can choose what language translation you want to use. There is no need to change anything if there is no red exclamation mark.
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I hope that some day FamilySearch web developers will make the software work properly. It should be so that when I use Finnish FamilySearch and the standards are shown me in Finnish but when someone else uses English FamilySearch or in some other language, those standards will be shown in those other languages and not in Finnish to them.
Right now there are lots of unnecessary edits when people are changing those Finnish (or in other languages) standards to English even there are nothing wrong with them. Standards are just shown in different languages.
These other languages are quite new thing. Most of the FamilySearch translations were published just last fall.
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I decided a while ago to use the native language of the people and place... I have a lot of French ancestors from Quebec and France. When I am working on them I set both my keyboard to French (so it is easy to get the accents) and the FamilySearch website to French. Then when I enter dates and places they are standardized in French. When people cross from Quebec into the US, for example, their births and baptisms are in French, but their deaths are in English. It just seemed logical to me. It is a little more work, but I think helps keep the information appropriate and logical in my mind. You can change your language in FamilySearch by clicking on the world icon at the bottom of most FS web pages. So it is pretty simple to toggle between languages, especially if you don't understand the web page in a different language
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