In Cambodia, we have many pagodas, and sometimes each place has more than one name.
This sometimes makes it confusing when adding a place on Google Maps.
Question to the community:
What do you suggest when a pagoda or landmark has two names? Should we always keep the official one, or is it okay to list both in the main title?
Hi @SophatCHY
Please always include the relevant Maps links in your posts.
Check the merge tips shared here.
It’s not a specific location; there are many locations in Cambodia that have two names in one place. This should be another topic that is not Marge’s. @MortenCopenhagen
If there are no duplicate pins, then you can only add one name for each language available. Use the App language setting at the top under Settings to switch between languages.
Thanks @MortenCopenhagen 
Yes, I understand about duplicates. What I mean is when one place has two names (official + local). For example, many pagodas in Cambodia have the official name on the signboard, but locals use a different traditional name. Sometimes, when asking local people, they only say the local name, which makes it confusing to search on Google Maps.
I was thinking if there’s a feature to add the second name as “Also known as / AKA” instead of creating another pin. Do you know if that’s the best practice?
Creating a duplicate pin is definately not a sustainable solution.
Did you check if there is more than one Cambodian language? This could solve the issue in the best possible manner.
Are you familiar with using 2 or 3 languages on Maps?
I recall that in some countries they are clearly not aware of how Google Maps can handle more languages. Here is one such example from your capital: Google Maps
Using 2 languages in one name field is not okay. We need to select the app language to see the relevant name fields. This should be cleaned up.
Likewise adding two names using the same alfabet should be cleaned up.
So I’m afraid there is no sustainable solution. AKA or using parenteces are not good.
Maybe @flash knows how this should be done without violating the guidelines.
@MortenCopenhagen thanks for the explanation
Just to clarify — it’s not about multi-languages. In Cambodia, sometimes one location has two names in the same language. For example, based on the photo I shared:
Both are in Khmer (one language), but local people often use the shorter/nickname version. This is common because official names can be long and hard to pronounce, so the community gives it an easier version.
So my question is more about: how should we handle two names in one language for the same place, without making duplicates?
Hi @SophatCHY
Without the “official name” it would be extremely difficult to have an edit approved, because Maps is basing the verification on the comparation with documents available online about the location.
Here in my area we have several places, mostly churches, that are known with a different name, so I think your question is intriguing.
Using “Official Name” Aka “local name” is an intriguing suggestion, and I believe it can be an interesting proposal.
Let me tag @Flash for a better insight about business names.
Oops, just tagged be @MortenCopenhagen
As an example, this church is locally known as the church of San Zanipolo (a dialectal contraction of the names of the two Saints)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/o4zj1kyaDnYJTZCQ6
Thanks @MortenCopenhagen and @ErmesT for your insights.
I might not explain this very well, so I’ll also tag @Sophia_Cambodia to help clarify with a local example, in case I’ve missed something, as this is a Cambodia-specific context.
Hi @SophatCHY 
Great question. On Google Maps, each place can only have one main name per language.
Use the official name as the primary, and add the local name in the “Also known as / AKA” field. This way, both names remain searchable.
Thanks for pointing this out It’s a common situation in many places 
Yes, this looks like the best practice .
Thanks, @kurumipan, for pointing it out clearly — using the official name as the primary and then adding the local name in the “Also known as / AKA” field. That way, both names stay searchable and we avoid duplicates.
I hope this can also help other Local Guides in the community who face the same situation, especially in Cambodia.
