UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARIAT
DEPARTMENT OF CONFERENCE SERVICES
TRANSLATION DIVISION Documentation and Terminology
Section
ST
ST/CS/SER.B/3
15 June 1979
ENGLISH-FRENCH-SPANISH
1.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF PINYIN
As from 15 June 1979, the new spelling system known as Pinyin should be used within the Secretariat as the standard method for, transcribing in languages using Latin characters the names of Chinese nationals and of places and geographical features of the People's Republic of China. As from that date,
the Pinyin form of Chinese names should be used in all documents drafted, translated or issued by the Secretariat. For instance, with respect to the names of Chinese nationals, "Hua Guofeng" will be used instead of "Hua Kuo-feng" and "Deng Xiaoping" instead of "Teng Hsiao-ping".
2. During the transitional period, where geographical names in Pinyin are not readily recognizable, the old form may be added in parentheses after the Pinyin form the first time it is used in a document, for example:
3.
Beijing (Peking) Nanjing (Nanking) Guangzhou (Canton)
Xiamen (Amoy)
Sichuan (Szechuan)
Xizang (Tibet)
Huanghe River (Yellow River)
Changjiang River (Yangtze River) Zhujiang River (Pearl River)
Where communications received by the Secretariat for circulation use the old form of a Chinese name, the Pinyin form should be substituted; in such cases, the old form should follow in parentheses. Exceptions to the use of Pinyin as described above should be made only when the Secretariat is officially informed that particular importance is attached to the adherence to the old form of a Chinese
name.
4. In the case of quotations from treaties, conventions and other legal instruments in which the old form of a name is used, a foot-note should be inserted, reading: "Now referred to in the United Nations as
...
1/ Names of Chinese staff members in United Nations documents will be converted to Pinyin whenever requested by the staff members concerned.
79-16612
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