To think that having a British translation of a foreign country or city name is nonsence?

[SlightlyJaded]

The 'Pav-a-lova' thread got me twitching about this again. It really annoys me because I don't understand why we do it, but am happy to be put right by a know all wiser person than me.

So why do we feel the need to have a British translation for the name of a foreign country or city? What's would have been wrong with calling Spain Espana or Munich Munchen? To me its an utter nonsense, you are not translating from an existing known word in one language to an existing known word in another language - someone has gone to the trouble of making up a completely new and meaningless word loosely based on a word that cannot be translated as it is a naming noun.

Equally mad in reverse - other countries inventing 'names' for the United Kingdom.

Because a lot of the pronounciations cant be done in the other languages

Copenhagen using your logic you need to stat saying København. (can you even pronounce that)

In Danish you do translate Great Britain you say Stor Britanian translated it means Great Britain...

great explanation, pegonbread.

Is this post-colonial guilt, slightlyjaded? Are you not reassured that no-one has ever objected to Londres and equally no-one has objected to Munich?

Only time I disapprove of this is when it's imposed in the relevant country itself. Before devolution, road signs and official documents used to routinely refer to Portmadoc or Wrexham. Now I notice it's Porthmadog and Wrecsam. This is A Good Thing.

really Jessie, I never knew that.

Beijing is really Peking?

YABU Some place-names are too far apart to reconcile. The French call it 'La Manche' and we go for 'The English Channel'. Who's right? And 'The Falkland Islands' vs 'Las Malvinas'... wouldn't like to risk another set-to just to so we all call it the same thing.

"What's in a name?"

Picture a mountain that's visible from four countries but happens to be in just one of them. Is the country it happens to be in the one whose name is right, or aren't they all likely to have their own names for it (which might tend to converge eventually, or one would tend to win, depending on how much movement there is between the countries and how close their languages are)?

I don't think it's automatically different for towns. An important settlement could be relevant to enough different peoples that they all have their own names for it, which may or may not come from a single root in the local language. It's not a case of people arrogantly refusing to use the 'real' name because they think they're more important.

Oh bugger, it's an urban myth, after all.

I feel incredibly disappointed.

that's a shame, I really liked that one. Never mind.

Smelling salts for Rindercella. Think of all the other people who'd be fainting if we changed all the names like that. I'd be one of them. I'm too old to readjust

Jessie, Rome in German is Rom so I guess that solves the problem of the silent 'e' :)

Well, I think there's a lake or something, the modern name of which incorporates lake/water in 4 different languages. But I can't remember it.

It is something like Lake [different language's word for lake] [different language's word for lake] [different language's word for lake], because people kept coming along and asking, "What's that?" accompanied by a pointed finger.

what is also annoying is when battles are named after different towns. This kind of thing really messes you up. I remember some people blabbing o n at me once about the battle of Hoechstaedt and me not wanting to look ignorant but in the end after racking my brain, I asked wtf is this? I have never heard of the battle of Hoechstaedt. Result: incredulous looks - you've never heard of the battle of Hoechstaedt?!

Turns out it is Blenheim or what we call the battle of Blenheim (Marlborough etc). I think a lot of is probably down to attempts to annoy each other over the years.

chilli - I do wonder how long it will be the Falkland Islands with the unrest and our boats being turned away from some south american countries

I think mary is about to faint too

Schnullerbacke, thanks!

maybe we should revert to Latin names, so Bath would be Aquae Sulis, York would be Eboracum etc

In India the signs are in English and the language that is spoken in that state, which is really handy if you only speak English

are y ou saying the name is

Lakelakelakelake

but in four different languages? That's freaky.

Actually, I think Chil has made an excellent point. There are some very historical reasons why some countries have markedly different names for specific places - The Channel & Falklands are two v good examples.

I think mainly though it's down to language and pronounciation. Italians refer to London as Londra. We refer to Torino as Turin. Tis easier for us, as English speakers to say Turin. It's easier for Italians to say Londra.

Look, I have already proven myself to be incredibly stupid on this thread, so I should probably just be quiet now

However, my parting shot would be if someone said to me that they'd taken their children to Roma on holiday, I would think they were twats. But if they said they'd taken their children to Napoli, I'd think oh, you went to Napoli for holiday (although I would truthfully be wondering why. It's a shit hole).

I'm gone...

anyone else really like those sign-posts in Irish whilst the maps are in English?

we'd have a bit of a problem going back to the Latin names here in Ireland since we never had any!

Oh buzz that sad - complain to the EU

There are lots of examples of lakes and beaches which are named 'lake lake' or 'beach beach'. Frith beach in Wales, IIRC. Possibly Bala too (can't remember if Bala means Lake or if I'm thinking of somewhere else). I'm sure there's an English river which is an ancient word for river but no idea now whether it's the River Dee or Severn or Thames or what - possibly most of them!

River Avon is river river

(Maryz - no, Wrecsam and Porthmadog are two different places, I was giving two examples. Each used to be spelled the English way - so the signs read 'Portmadoc' not 'Porthmadog' and 'Wrexham', not 'Wrecsam'.)