I’m a pedant when it comes to language, spelling and getting it right. This is the frustrated teacher in me, I admit, especially when it comes to providing accurate information written in a language different from my own.
I know it’s the trend to ignore using the diacritics in foreign words, e.g. cafe, instead of the correct café. I say it is pure laziness.
One of the more difficult languages that has many different diacritics in use is Vietnamese, and because the normal U.S./English keyboard does not have these diacritics available, it is simpler to not bother.
For example, one of my reviews concerned a local Vietnamese café called Ve Nha (spelled as it appears on Maps). The name has diacritics. I was unable to correct it via the Maps make a correction facility. My review includes a photo of the owner standing next to the café’s name and showing the diacritics quite clearly. I had hoped, unwisely it seems, that whoever looks at our reviews before going public would have corrected the name after seeing that photo. I guess that’s not how it works! And maybe it’s not possible or is unfeasible to do so.
I think it’s important. If I were a visitor from Vietnam and used Google Maps here in Australia, I’d like to be able to recognize my own language when I came across it.
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Hi @janina1 ,
Thanks for sharing with us! : ]
In relation to your inquiry, I may have noticed that indeed at times businesses when using foreign names may have different specifics, as in this particular case is with Vietnamese and the diacritics - primarily if I were the business owner, when updating the name (as long as it aligns with the information listed in the article Guidelines for representing your business on Google), the information to be first easily searched by the local community.
A possible solution when a tourist visits the regarded town, as a Local Guide they may feel free to change their Google Maps language domain to the preferred one and in this case find for an example the café Về Nhà. (additionally, when changing the language domain, Local Guides may add an extra name of the business in the preferred language)
Would you think the options mentioned above would be satisfactory? Do feel free to add your further thoughts on the matter.
Hello @sonnyNg Thank you for your suggestion. I will read the links thoroughly to get an understanding of what you are suggesting. If it makes sense to me, I will speak with Wilson, the café owner, and if it makes sense to him, will ask him to make the change on Google Maps if he wishes to do so. Here in Melbourne, we’ve only just eased lockdown restrictions concerning eateries and I don’t know if Wilson has decided to re-open or remain closed for the duration.
Will get back to you as soon as I can!
Hi @janina1 ,
Thanks for your feedback! : ]
Do feel free to share further thoughts on the matter (both yours as well as the regarded business owner).
Thanks @sonnyNg
In the meantime, last night I accessed Maps (I do all my LG and Maps work on my Samsung Galaxy TabA 2017 model.) I noticed some excellent changes since I last looked (No, I’m not on Maps every day…lol).
I decided to try the Suggest an edit feature and see if it would allow me to add the correct name spelling. I had managed to save it to Samsung Notes when I was trying out the Vietnamese keyboard I’d installed on the tablet, even though I’m not Vietnamese and, after much guesswork, had eventually found the right combinations! 
The form accepted the Vietnamese version, and I attached my photo of the owner standing next to the café sign. It will be interesting to see if the change is accepted.
I am still going to meet with the owner to discuss some changes to the information he has input, to refine it. I’ve already suggested a better presented menu blackboard, which he liked, and he has a loyalty program for coffee drinkers that he could refer to as part of his info. I may even suggest he write a small intro. in Vietnamese in the section on the type of place/service describing his café.
Do you have any other ideas I could put to him? Thanks!
Hi @janina1 ,
Thanks for sharing further details! : ]
That sounds great, as for the inquiry at the end of your post, business owners are also advised to check the article Guidelines for representing your business on Google - specifically the part Business description guidelines.
For the moment, I just wanted to give notice about the current post being relocated to How-tos, due to the investigating/resolving nature of the subject. (should there be anything that may be missing or improved that could be formed as a suggestion further on, do feel free to share once again in the Idea Exchange)
Hi again @sonnyNg I thought you may like to know that the Suggest an edit to changing the business name to the correct Vietnamese spelling has not been applied; the message said Google could not verify the information! Haha haha…especially as I had attached the image showing the owner next to the café sign showing the correct name spelling! I’m learning.
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Hi @janina1 ,
Thanks once again for the information! : ]
Much appreciated for the drive to keep Google Maps with relevant information, as I will attempt to check step by step of the most recent development from your end.
Should the edit be updated as described, I would advise you to check out the relevant posts Why is my edit status “Pending” or “Not Applied”? and More transparency for your edits on Google Maps for further remarks. (please do not be disheartened by that, as it may be very likely to depend on different factors for the edit to be processed).
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