# The UK



## albondiga

Hi all,

I just saw "the UK" translated as "hamamlacha hame'uchedet"... I was wondering whether this is actually the term that would typically be used in everyday speech to describe this country.  (I've never heard it before, but then again I haven't spent much time talking to Hebrew speakers about the UK!)  

If it's not the most common colloquial term, then what is?


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## cfu507

We say: Angliya or Britanya.


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## albondiga

Thanks, cfu!


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## morgoth2604

Actually Angliya is not the UK, but rather England. So I'd reccomend using בריטניה (Britanya) if you're referring to the UK.


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## cfu507

Britain is England. 

I thought about another problem when I wrote it. UK is consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. What about Ireland? Why do we ignore it?


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## CrazyArcher

Well, there's a similar assymetry in translation in Russian too, where UK is also rarely translated literaly, it only happens in official cases, or where its royal nature is highlighted. In more casual cases, it's usually said Britaniya in both languages.


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## albondiga

Ha, this is exactly why I was asking about how it's said in Hebrew...  in English, it is also very common for people to just talk about England, or to refer to British people, but in truth the British Isles, the UK, Great Britain, and England are all different entities (you can google this for more clarification, or maybe even find a thread on another branch of this forum )... the same is true in other languages as well (e.g., "Inglaterra" in Spanish, etc.)

But, in any case, "the UK" still _is _commonly heard in English, perhaps particularly among people who are educated enough to know that England is simply a part of the UK, so I was wondering whether the same is true in Hebrew.  I'm gathering that it's not; that "hamamlacha hame'uchedet" is simply not used by people in day-to-day speech.

I think I'll use Britanya...


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## cfu507

In day-to-day speech - You are right. 
We just don't say "hamamlacha hame'uchedet" (maybe we are lazy; it is too long to say these two words. The word Britannia is shorter). I have never hear/read it in the news, on the television or the radio.
And it is not related to education!

In case you can read Hebrew, this is from google:

http://britemb.org.il/generalukh/faqsfactsh.html


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## albondiga

cfu507 said:


> In day-to-day speech - You are right.
> We just don't say "hamamlacha hame'uchedet" (maybe we are lazy; it is too long to say these two words. The word Britannia is shorter). I have never hear/read it in the news, on the television or the radio.
> And it is not related to education!



Interesting... perhaps "the UK" is said more than "hamamlacha hame'uchedet" (even outside the UK) because it has a parallel structure to "the US" (and is also short and easy to say)...  "hamamlacha hame'uchedet" doesn't really have anything like this in Hebrew, so "britanya" is just easier to use...

Is it somewhat more common to hear both "artzot habrit" and "america" used in Hebrew though?


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