Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
20 000 millones de dólares
English translation:
20 billion dollars
Added to glossary by
Remy Arce
Mar 15, 2009 03:36
15 yrs ago
Spanish term
United States
Don't just say it, say it right!
Native in: Spanish 
, English
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
20 000 millones de dólares
Spanish to English
Bus/Financial
Economics
Financial analysis from Mexico for USA
Si se elimina el sobreprecio del petróleo de los últimos tres años y se supone que todo lo demás hubiera permanecido constante, el déficit comercial habría alcanzado ***20 000 millones de dólares***
TIA for your help.
TIA for your help.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +7 | 20 billion dollars |
Remy Arce
|
| 5 +2 | 20 billion dollars |
Melissa Mann
|
| 4 | $20bn |
kostan
|
Change log
Mar 15, 2009 16:36: Remy Arce Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+7
4 mins
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "20 billones de gracias, Remy!"
+2
6 mins
Melissa Mann
Brazil
Brazil
Native in English
Specializes in field
Brazil
*elegant spoken & written communication*
Native in: English 
Works in: Portuguese to English, Spanish to English, English to Portuguese, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
20 billion dollars
You should put a caveat or translator's footnote to explain that billion is defined as 10 to the 9th power, pursuant to US custom, especially if document will be read outside US.
In Mexico, as in the UK, billion is 10 to the 12th power, hence the reason for writing 20,000 million.
See: http://www.hybridwalnut.com/Billion.html
"In the US, one billion is one thousand million (i.e., it has 9 zeros and equals 1,000,000,000 or 109). In the UK, one billion is one million million (i.e., it has 12 zeros and equals 1,000,000,000,000 or 1012)!"
In Mexico, as in the UK, billion is 10 to the 12th power, hence the reason for writing 20,000 million.
See: http://www.hybridwalnut.com/Billion.html
"In the US, one billion is one thousand million (i.e., it has 9 zeros and equals 1,000,000,000 or 109). In the UK, one billion is one million million (i.e., it has 12 zeros and equals 1,000,000,000,000 or 1012)!"
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
jack_speak
: I agree with your suggestion- it's always a great idea to be specific-- in this case, "USD 20,000,000,000.00"
1 hr
|
| agree |
pallavik
: Great explanation, learnt something new here definitely! BTW I agree too!
5 hrs
|
| neutral |
John Rynne
: Regarding UK usage, see my reference comment below
5 hrs
|
| neutral |
margaret caulfield
: I agree with John. 1 billion in the UK has been the same as 1 billion in the US for many years now. I'm giving a "neutral" for the translation given is correct, but not the explanation.
8 hrs
|
5 hrs
$20bn
seems more readable
Reference comments
5 hrs
John Rynne
Native in English
Works in field
Experts in finance - Spain
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
Related KudoZ points
:
52
Reference:
There is no longer a difference between UK and US usage
The word "billion" now means a thousand million on both sides of the Atlantic, and has done for years.
See The Economist Style Guide: " A billion is a thousand million, a trillion a thousand billion, a quadrillion a thousand trillion. "
The BBC News Style Guide: "Billion. This used to mean a million million, but we have now adopted the American definition, which is a thousand million."
Also the European Commission Directorate-General for Translation "English Style Guide":
"Billion. The use of billion to designate thousand million (rather than million
million) is now officially recognised by the Commission and is standard usage
in official EU publications. Leading British newspapers and journals (such as
the Financial Times and The Economist) have also adopted the convention."
(http://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/style_guides/english...
See The Economist Style Guide: " A billion is a thousand million, a trillion a thousand billion, a quadrillion a thousand trillion. "
The BBC News Style Guide: "Billion. This used to mean a million million, but we have now adopted the American definition, which is a thousand million."
Also the European Commission Directorate-General for Translation "English Style Guide":
"Billion. The use of billion to designate thousand million (rather than million
million) is now officially recognised by the Commission and is standard usage
in official EU publications. Leading British newspapers and journals (such as
the Financial Times and The Economist) have also adopted the convention."
(http://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/style_guides/english...
Note from asker:
| Excellent information! Thank you John! |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
Andrée Goreux
: Heartfelt thanks to the ECDG for Translation. Unfortunately, billions and trillions seem to go up in smoke these days :-)
14 hrs
|
|
Yes, we'll soon be going the way of Zimbabwe :-(
|
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