Quote Originally Posted by Tang
From what people have said, you need a reader/editor versed not only in every culture's use of names right through history, but also in biology and astronomy too. No wonder people fall back on stereotypes.
Every creative writing teacher I have heard of says, "Write about what you know." If you don't know about the culture you are writing about, research it. Or write about a culture obscure enough that nobody else will know. Nobody knows what names people used in New Guinea in the 2nd century B.C., or will use on Mars in the fiftieth century A.D. But there will be people who know about the fauna and flora of New Guinea - and the apparent size of the moons of Mars. Be ready for their complaints.

A good editor should know what needs checking even if they don't know the details to check against. I remember picking up a book to see if it might be worth buying and seeing a 'Russian' character mentioned on the first page whose name was Boris Ivan Alexandrov (or some such). Someone's editor should have been fired. I didn't buy.

Spike