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United Kingdom

German translation: Großbritannien (common use in addresses only)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:United Kingdom
German translation:Großbritannien (common use in addresses only)
Entered by: Friedrich Reinold

07:20 Mar 19, 2002
English to German translations [PRO]
/ Part of a postal address
English term or phrase: United Kingdom
I know it's "Vereinigtes Königreich" in German. But is it really used as part of an address? Isn't "Großbritannien" much more natural as the country in an address although it's not literally the same? What's your opinion?
Friedrich Reinold
United States
Local time: 19:17
Großbritannien
Explanation:
..is the most common...but also UK..as abbreviation.
Selected response from:

Kathi Stock
United States
Local time: 21:17
Grading comment
Thank you all. Meanwhile I also found this web site: http://www.britischebotschaft.de/de/britain/ab_1.htm which confirms my guess.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +11Großbritannien
Kathi Stock
4 +2England
Ingrid Grzeszik
5Vereinigtes Königreich
Chris Rowson (X)
4not often used in an address, but might be necessary
Sibyl Marquardt
5 -1Großbritannien/Irland (depending on city)
TTilch
4OOPS! OOPS!
Mats Wiman
4OOPS! : Das Vereinigte Königreich
Mats Wiman
4United Kingdom
Anja Wojahn


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +11
Großbritannien


Explanation:
..is the most common...but also UK..as abbreviation.

Kathi Stock
United States
Local time: 21:17
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in pair: 930
Grading comment
Thank you all. Meanwhile I also found this web site: http://www.britischebotschaft.de/de/britain/ab_1.htm which confirms my guess.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Francesca Bottacchi (X)
7 mins
agree  Sabine Tietge
11 mins
agree  Olena Kurashova
14 mins
agree  Geneviève von Levetzow
46 mins
agree  Evi Zierlein
50 mins
agree  Beate Lutzebaeck: Yep-the only time you see Vereinigtes Königreich used in German is in international conventions, for all other purposes it's Großbritannien (a client even corrected me once when I used the - strictly speaking - correct form Vereinigtes Königreich).
50 mins
agree  Steffen Pollex (X): I an address I would definitely use UK.
1 hr
agree  RWSTranslation
1 hr
neutral  Mats Wiman: S.unten
1 hr
agree  GBChrista
1 hr
agree  Thomas Bollmann
1 hr
agree  Rudolf Kräuter: In addresses I always use: "UK / Großbritannien"
1 hr
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
England


Explanation:
Schottland, Irland

is what I use and also see in addresses as far as I know which country the address belongs to

Ingrid Grzeszik
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 114

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Andrea Buttgen: yes! I live in the UK and everybody who writes to me from Germany always uses "England"
18 mins
agree  Scott Li
27 mins
disagree  RWSTranslation: England wird zwar funktionieren, ist jedoch postalisch nicht korrekt.
42 mins
agree  Mats Wiman: Nicht postalisch korrekt aber mehr als geduldet wie aus Andreas Äusserung hervorgeht.
1 hr
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Vereinigtes Königreich


Explanation:
The full name of my home country is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", in German "Vereinigtes Königreich Grossbritanien und Nordirland".

I sometimes refer to it in derogatory terms, particularly with corruptions of "Vereinigtes", but I will not repeat these here.

One might like a "das" before "Vereinigt..." and other modifications, and I prefer "Groß...".

However, the above is copied from my passport.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-03-19 07:48:40 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, I have now read the question! No, no-one writes this. UK is used, but the most practical in a letter is England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

Chris Rowson (X)
Local time: 04:17
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 198
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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
not often used in an address, but might be necessary


Explanation:
You're right, one would usually find "GB" or "England/Scotland/Wales" on an envelope, I think.

However, if you use the term "United Kingdom", then actually Northern Ireland is also included - which is not part of Great Britain!

So if the letter is addressed to someone in Northern Ireland who prefers to stress the fact that they live in the UK as opposed to Ireland... then it might be a question of politics to leave it... Difficult thing, really. Hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings.

HTH,
Sibyl

Sibyl Marquardt
Italy
Local time: 04:17
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
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53 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Großbritannien/Irland (depending on city)


Explanation:
Depending on the city of the address, I think it's most common to write either "Großbritannien" (if it's in Great Britain) or "Irland" (if a city in Ireland is meant).

Nobody would write UK or the like on an envelope.

TTilch
Local time: 04:17
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 20

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Annegret Robinson: Nordirland ist nicht Teil der Republik Irland, wenn man also Belfast, Irland schreiben würde, wäre dies nicht korrekt. Wenn man also nicht "Vereinigtes Königreich etc." schreiben möchte, sollte man Nordirland schreiben.
1 hr
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
OOPS! OOPS!


Explanation:
Ich war zu schnell!
Das Thema ist nämlich eine Spezialität von mir (Ich habe eine Länder- & Territorien-Datenbank gebaut).

Das Vereinigte Königreich wird das Land offiziell genannt.
Postalisch ist es, wie oben gesagt,
'Großbritannien


    Professional experience
Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 04:17
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish
PRO pts in pair: 711
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
OOPS! : Das Vereinigte Königreich


Explanation:
Oops again! (it should be in English)

They are not identical.
The full name is:
'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland' so the the UK consists of these two parts.
Great Britain in turn is composed of England, Scotland and Wales, although most people mean the UK or Great Britain when the say "I'm going to England" just as they mean The Netherlands when they say Holland (which is only a part of The Netherlands).
BTW Sweden also only refers to a part of Sweden (encompassing Stockholm). In the South you had the Goths and the Danes, in the North the Lapps.




    Professional experience
Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 04:17
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish
PRO pts in pair: 711
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
United Kingdom


Explanation:
I have used it in addressing letters to the United Kingdom and never encountered any problems.

Anja Wojahn
Local time: 04:17
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 14
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