New Family Tree Error Message—"Problem with Name Language"

Two Japanese men looking at photos and a genealogy book while typing ancestor names into an online family tree.

On the FamilySearch Family Tree, users can specify what language a name is being entered in (for example, Spanish, Chinese, and so on). Starting in 2023, Family Tree will show a new data problem notification when names have a mismatch between the writing system used and the language template for the name.

This notification will especially help users who are entering ancestor names with writing systems such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Thai. The Family Tree will detect the writing system used and show if there is a mismatch. Changing to the correct language template for an ancestor name will help the user see language-specific options for the name and allow the name to be displayed and searched for correctly in the Family Tree.

What Does the Data Problem Notification Look Like?

This data problem notification will appear with a red exclamation point and have the label, “Problem with Name Language.”

When you are creating a new person in the Family Tree, the data problem notification will show immediately if it detects a language mismatch.

Screenshot of adding a person on FamilySearch with a "problem with language template" data problem showing the writing scripts do not match.

When you are on a person’s page in the Family Tree, you can see if you have this data problem by going to the Details tab and looking at the Research Help box in the right column.

Screenshot of a person page in the FamilySearch Family Tree, with a "problem with name language" notification showing in the Research Help bar.

You can also see it on the tree views if your filter is set to show data problems:

Screenshot of the FamilySearch Family Tree where a "problem with name template" error message is showing as a red symbol with an exclamation mark.

What Causes the Data Problem?

The “Problem with Name Language,” which is a data problem, has 3 potential causes:

The language setting does not match the scripts used to enter the name.

A screenshot of adding an ancestor to the FamilySearch Family Tree, with a Japanese name entered into the English fields.

A script has been entered into the wrong field.

A screenshot of adding an ancestor on the FamilySearch Family Tree and having Japanese characters entered into the wrong fields.

A field contains multiple scripts.

A screenshot of the FamilySearch Family Tree where both Japanese characters and Roman characters have been added to the same field, meant for Japanese Kanji.

Why Resolve This Data Problem?

Solving the “Problem with Name Language” data problem benefits your Family Tree experience in several ways:

It allows you more control over how your ancestor’s names are displayed on pedigree views. In your settings, you can choose which script to display.
It improves Family Tree search results.
It helps identify potential duplicates with more accuracy.
In the future, as more records are digitized and indexed, Family Tree will be able to find better record hints.

How Do I Solve the Data Problem?

To solve the “Problem with Name Language” data problem, you simply edit the name to use the proper script for the language template or edit the language template setting to match your name. Step-by-step instructions are available in Help and Learning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What language templates are currently available?

Family Tree currently has 34 language templates.

What if I need a language template that isn’t currently available?

Select either the closest template available or the “Other” template.

Can this new data problem be dismissed?

The “Problem with Name Language” data problem cannot be dismissed, but it can be cleared by fixing the mismatch between the writing system used and the language setting.

What if my ancestor’s language template is set to Other?

If your ancestor’s name was entered into Family Tree before language templates were fully supported, the language template may be set to Other. Selecting Other does not cause any problems for names recorded using romanized alphabets.

If someone change the language template, the change will be noted in the change history, and users who are watching that ancestor will receive a notification.

What are Family Tree data problems?

Data problems are common errors or potential errors that Family Tree can identify. When it finds them, it displays a red exclamation point to alert users that a correction might be needed. You can read more about them here.