peste d’eau

13:51 Sep 8, 2019 

Brazilian waterweed appears on many government websites, but not only, invasive.org etc. and I trust the reader can see the connection when they see the mention of "Egeria densa".
Sometimes, like in this case, a name doesn't mean what we think it means, why think it has a strict meaning, it is actually not just native to Brazil:

"Brazilian waterweed (Egeria Densa), native to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay..."

https://books.google.fr/books?id=nzSHXV3vLk4C&pg=PA144&lpg=P...

About "ladybug/ladybird", interesting that you mention the AmE/BrE difference because this is not the point. Use "ladybird" if you like, I say you will never call it "oiseau de dame" in French, it is "coccinelle". No contradiction here and this is just my opinion after all.

12:05 Sep 7, 2019 

@ Kevin
Still contradictory? The scientific name is already being used (no one has suggested removing that) and it's sufficient in my view to put the all-inclusive "waterweed" as there are far too many so-called "common" names in English. Why pick "Brazilian" as the most common name (is it really? And where is it the most common name if so?) when the source text goes on to say (origin South and Central America")? That makes no sense. We can't change a source text to suit ourselves. "it doesn't specify why it's called "peste d'eau"." Easy to find out why within a second of Googling. The French common name is negative precisely BECAUSE the plant is considered to be invasive and noxious in France and this is the case in many English-language countries too so it's common sense to put an equivalent meaning for "peste d'eau". BTW Your added example doesn't work either as "ladybug" is US! It's "ladybird" in UK! The former has negative connotations and latter is most definitely positive!

11:27 Sep 7, 2019 

what exactly is the question?

"peste d’eau" just on its own, should cover any unwanted water plant. Where is the the need to go into scientific names / common names of any specific waterweed??? unless you think that the right question should be ....??

22:27 Sep 6, 2019 

Of course, using the scientific name is preferred because there are so many common names. That being said, "peste d'eau" is not the scientific name here so why not use the most common name as a solution? The ST says it's "also known as", it simply has another name and it doesn't specify why it's called "peste d'eau".

Would we say for example "papa aux grandes jambes" for "daddy longlegs", or translate the word for "ladybug" in Breton to "little cow of God" instead of simply using "ladybug"? You could put it into brackets if the text specifies "known as.. because.." but not here, that's how I see it.

21:42 Sep 6, 2019 

@ Kevin
Why post that and then post another link agreeing with using a common name? Rather contradictory? I fully agree with using the scientific name, and simple "waterweed". The "Peste" element has to be translated and "noxious" /"invasive" takes care of that.

21:06 Sep 6, 2019 

"We use scientific names, instead of common names, because aquatic plants often have multiple common names or no common names at all. For example, Egeria densa is known as Brazilian elodea, Brazilian waterweed, common waterweed and South American waterweed"
https://portal.ct.gov/CAES/Invasive-Aquatic-Plant-Program/Pl...

16:23 Sep 6, 2019 

Je te conseille de remplacer “Elodeas” au début du paragraphe par “waterweeds” car le texte source fait mention d’autres genres des plantes aquatiques comme pour ex. Lagarosiphon, Egeria, etc. Il n’existe pas un vrai equivalent anglais aux elodées francaises, c’est à dire utilisé en sens d’un terme general pour les plantes aquatiques.

16:14 Sep 6, 2019 

This doesn't really translate - the point they're making is that it's invasive, which is why they say "connu en tant que". "Peste d'eau" is its French common name, but its English common names don't have this negative connotation.