I was looking up the Thai for a billion, as there are two definitions: US and UK.

The more widely accepted is the US version, which is a thousand million. The UK version of a million million seems to be losing out to the US version, which (in my opinion) is often seen as "international English"

 

I translated billion and also trillion to see what it is in Thai. The words themselves are  self-explanitory for once!

ล้าน million
พันล้าน billion (The Thai word translates as: thousand million)
ล้านล้าน trillion (The Thai word translates as: million million)

 

Good for Thais that they do not have a higher scale than "million" so avoiding this "US/UK" confusion.

 

"US/UK":  it's a bit more than this.

The world is actually divided into a "short scale" and "long scale".

Many languages have a separate word for 1000 millions ("milliard(e)") and the "billion" is used for a million millions.

A never ending source for confusion when translating/reading (US) English text.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

 

In general I agree that Thai numbering is more logical/easier compared to German or French (e.g.).

KhunBENQ,

I didn't realise there were other languages using this short and long scale for counting. A truly international problem!

 

Being a Brit, when reading the higher value numbers, in the past I've always needed to know if it was US or UK English. As I said, sometimes in UK English there is now a tendency to use the US version - although often it's sloppy UK journalists copying & pasting US text without checking it.

 

Same in Germany where the mixup with the US numbers is quite common.

Often US "billion" is simply translated as "Billion". Factor 1000 to big
 

Try using the term "a fortnight" in the U.S.

Many Americans won't know what you are taking about.

The U.S. is a big country and many regions have there own reguonal phrases.

You should not refer to cigarettes in the U.S. as "fags" as that term may have a much different meaning than you intended.

And while you may "ring up" a girl in her hotel room, you should not refer to "knocking her up" to wake her up  in that same hotel room as that may mean something entire;y different to her.

 

5 minutes ago, IMA_FARANG said:

Try using the term "a fortnight" in the U.S.

Many Americans won't know what you are taking about.

The U.S. is a big country and many regions have there own reguonal phrases.

You should not refer to cigarettes in the U.S. as "fags" as that term may have a much different meaning than you intended.

And while you may "ring up" a girl in her hotel room, you should not refer to "knocking her up" to wake her up  in that same hotel room as that may mean something entire;y different to her.

 

Do I take it I shouldn't try to bum a fag then?

 

33 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Do I take it I shouldn't try to bum a fag then?

 

Indeed, and certainly don't mention to "regular" Thai's that you like to smoke!

We're going off at a tangent here, but I am the OP anyway.

 

I started to write a list of words and phrases that need translating US>UK English:

rail road, track 5 , faucet, fall (the season), hook-up wire, antenna, attorney, larcony, homicide, autopsy,  automobile, telecast.

 

Then there's the same word but with a different intonation:

caribbean

garage

pyjamas

tomatoes

 

Here's a couple that I bet will confuse Americans: mad as a bag of frogs, face like a sack of spanners.

 

50 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Here's a couple that I bet will confuse Americans: mad as a bag of frogs, face like a sack of spanners.

 

Strange, I have always heard and used;

 

Mad as a box of frogs

 

Face like a bag of spanners

 

Never heard them said they way you obviously have.

3 minutes ago, muzmurray said:

 

Strange, I have always heard and used;

 

Mad as a box of frogs

 

Face like a bag of spanners

 

Never heard them said they way you obviously have.

Actually I didn't quite hear how I said them either!

I take it you're American then as you think that's strange? I'm a Brit but have only heard those two phrases occasionally, and they do make me smile.

Not sure how you extrapolate my use of the word "strange" into me being American? 

 

I can assure you I am as British as they come.

It was because you used the word "strange" when I said it would confuse Americans.

It gave me the impression you might be American as you said strange, as if it was normal for you to hear that.

Certain not unusual for a Brit to hear it, obviously.

This won't confuse you then:

I've just been asked my availability next week to manage a football team in Sheffield.

Tell them I can't manage Wednedsays.

(sorry!)