a. Bodies located in one country:

When possible, use the heading in the official language of the body or, in the case of a government agency, in the official language of the country in which the agency is located. If a corporate body is given in more than one language on the piece and one of the languages is the official language, choose this form (AACR2 24.3A1). (1) The other forms are given as cross references when creating a name authority record. Example:

If the heading does not appear on the piece in the official language of the country, but can be found in a reference source, take the heading from this source. Otherwise, establish the heading as found on the piece. When applied to subordinate bodies the result may be a parent body set up on one language and its subordinate body set up in another. Such headings are established as "provisional" headings in the Name Authority File and are changed when the subordinate body appears on another item in the language of the parent body.

When there is a choice, English is the preferred language for a heading because we are cataloging for a predominantly English-speaking audience. When a country has more than one official language and one is English, such as Canada and South Africa, use the English form of the name. Otherwise, choose the language from the following languages in this order: French, German, Spanish, Russian, then from whatever languages appear on the piece (AACR2 24.3A1). Example:

b. International bodies:

An international body is one that includes representatives from more than one country. When the name of an international body is given in more than one language, use the English form, when available, or apply the alphabetical listing. Use the English form when it appears on the piece, even if none of the members of the body are from English-speaking countries. For example, the Gulf Cooperation Council comprises six Arabic-speaking countries in the Arabian peninsula. Because the name of the body is given in English on its publications, use the English rather than the Arabic form for the heading.

See also:

18.4. Variant forms of the name.