Even if the translation of toponyms appears to be simple on a first approach, it can be difficult on a linguistic level as well as on a more general 'cultural' level. First, it is not easy to define what a toponym s; it possesses only a (locative) semantic feature. There are classes of toponyms like celestial objects (der Halleysche Komet = la comète de Halley), buildings (der Pariser Triumphbogen = l'Arc de triomphe) as well as mythical or fictive places (Utopia = Utopie) that all differ form the traditional classes of onomastics. Second, there are morphosyntactical differences as determination which can appear in German an not in French and vice versa (Sachsen = la Saxe; der Mars = Mars). For a same toponym, the reference can change (der Genfer See = le lac Léman, der Aralsee = la mer d'Aral and not le lac d'Aral). There is also an aspect which is eligible as 'the effect of history': Translation means adapting a name to you own. The more a foreign toponym has contacts to a given culture, the more it will be translated; despite of the recommendations of the United Nations in matters of translation of toponyms.