One tweet Wednesday mentioned that in Spain the fiscal cliff is being called the “precipicio fiscal” by some news outlets. To the fatigued eye and ear of the English speaker, bored senseless by the same term hammering us in news story after news story, hearing foreign translations for the fiscal cliff provides a little frisson, like seeing an old relative in a new light. For instance, nothing quite puts the fiscal cliff in perspective as finding out that, in the words of many other countries, it is actually an “abyss”.
I asked Twitter users overseas what they have heard the fiscal cliff called in their evening news and radio programs, as well as their newspapers. The results are enlightening, entertaining, and often, just a bit mocking.
Italy
Italy is one of several countries – including Chile, Macedonia and Denmark – that dispenses with the relatively picturesque “cliff” idea and goes straight for an “abyss”. Twitter user @jacopogio, a European digital consultant, says that in the Italian news, the preferred term is “abisso fiscale”.
Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia
Twitter user Alexandar Raspopovic informs us that the term in Montenegrin, Serbian, Croatian or Bosnian is pretty literal: “fiskalna litica”, which translates to fiscal cliff, bluff, crag, precipice or rock. More.
The translation workplace 
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Belgium
Local time: 10:26
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In Portugal, is being called by the media as "precipício orçamental"...
Local time: 10:26
Italian to English
In Italy, they're calling it the baratro fiscale.
G.
[Edited at 2013-01-02 21:30 GMT]
Local time: 10:26
Italian to English
... it's called the δημοσιονομικός γκρεμός.
Local time: 04:26
English to Italian
+ ...
This is another term which is often used in the Italian media.
In addition, both "precipizio fiscale" and "baratro fiscale" are much more common than "abisso fiscale". (Since when Twitter users are a reliable source of information?).
Research and fact-checking should be staples of (good) journalism.
Italy
Local time: 10:26
English to Italian
+ ...
In Italy, they're calling it the "baratro fiscale".
G.
You can find it translated as 'precipizio fiscale' (I personally don't like it).
A possible synonym is: 'voragine fiscale'. I heard it on a few occasions on the TV and used it myself.
Local time: 10:26
Italian to English
In Italy, they're calling it the "baratro fiscale".
G.
You can find it translated as 'precipizio fiscale' (I personally don't like it).
A possible synonym is: 'voragine fiscale'. I heard it on a few occasions on the TV and used it myself.
Well, I work for the Corriere della Sera, which seems to have opted for "baratro fiscale".
Obviously, other translations are available
Local time: 10:26
French to English
I have heard "mur fiscal" (fiscal wall)
Not that any of the expressions have made any of it any clearer to me.
(But please don't explain, I have a feeling that ignorance is bliss here)
Canada
Local time: 04:26
English to French
Here in Montreal it's called:
"mur fiscal" or "précipice fiscal" ☺
[Edited at 2013-01-02 22:19 GMT]
Local time: 04:26
English to Italian
+ ...
Well, I work for the Corriere della Sera, which seems to have opted for "baratro fiscale".
Obviously, other translations are available
Apparently there is no consensus on the translation of fiscal cliff into Italian, and the Corriere is no exception.
In this article, they use both precipizio and baratro fiscale http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2012/dicembre/31/altra_fumata_nera_per_budget_co_0_20121231_8cca5078-5312-11e2-a259-25e4e5485fba.shtml
However, at the Corriere della Sera archive can be found:
24 occurrences for "precipizio fiscale"
17 occurrences for "baratro fiscale"
1 occurrence for "abisso fiscale", and
0 occurrence for "voragine fiscale"
http://sitesearch.corriere.it/archivioStoricoEngine.action
I also checked the number of Google hits:
53,200 occurrences for "precipizio fiscale"
73,500 occurrences for "baratro fiscale"
2,510 occurrence for "abisso fiscale", and
583 occurrences for "voragine fiscale"
Apparently the Italian Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, translated the term as "burrone del bilancio", which did not meet with much success. (Not surprisingly, I might add.)
The Treccani encyclopedia suggests "precipizio fiscale"
http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/fiscal-cliff_(Neologismi)/
There might also be other variants which I am not aware of.
[edited for typo]
[Edited at 2013-01-02 22:31 GMT]
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:26
Italian to English
This is another term which is often used in the Italian media.
In addition, both "precipizio fiscale" and "baratro fiscale" are much more common than "abisso fiscale". (Since when Twitter users are a reliable source of information?).
Research and fact-checking should be staples of (good) journalism.
Very annoyingly, some Italian newspapers have decided to call it "il fiscal cliff" (pronounced "fees cal cleefeh").
[Edited at 2013-01-02 22:51 GMT]
Local time: 09:26
English to Spanish
+ ...
In Spain, the fiscal cliff is widely known as the "abismo fiscal". [abismo = abyss]
[Editado a las 2013-01-03 00:43 GMT]
Turkey
Local time: 11:26
English to Turkish
+ ...
in Turkish, it is called as "mali uçurum"
[Edited at 2013-01-03 06:29 GMT]
Germany
Local time: 10:26
English to German
+ ...
according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Gudrun
Local time: 10:26
French to English
The French daily paper 'Le Figaro' uses the term "précipice budgétaire", while 'Le Monde' uses the more literal translation "falaise budgétaire".
Local time: 10:26
Italian to English
Well, I work for the Corriere della Sera, which seems to have opted for "baratro fiscale".
Obviously, other translations are available
Apparently there is no consensus on the translation of fiscal cliff into Italian, and the Corriere is no exception.
In this article, they use both precipizio and baratro fiscale http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2012/dicembre/31/altra_fumata_nera_per_budget_co_0_20121231_8cca5078-5312-11e2-a259-25e4e5485fba.shtml
Fair enough, Bruna, I should have checked!
@Tom
There are quite a few occurrences of "fiscal cliff" with no explanation on the Corriere website, e.g.
http://www.corriere.it/esteri/13_gennaio_02/fiscal-cliff-le-tre-linee-dell-accordo_60801a88-54b2-11e2-bf2b-52f2ccd54966.shtml
However, I would have thought that outwith the business pages the term still needs some explanation, which it gets elsewhere:
http://www.corriere.it/esteri/12_dicembre_31/usa-fiscal-cliff-accordo-tasse-obama_306de14a-5359-11e2-9db6-5f0af8902a56.shtml
It will be interesting to see which Italian translation prevails, particularly if commentators like this one
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/nils-pratley-on-finance/2013/jan/02/fiscal-cliff-income-spending-cuts?INTCMP=SRCH
are right and the situation presents itself again in March.
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