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Posted on1 September 2012

The importance of localising your document – Americanisation and American English

American English – Americanisation? That’s a thing? Yes! You may think that the differences between British and American English are very subtle but often these differences can cause confusion.

It is often worthwhile establishing whether your audience / the recipients of your document would prefer British or American terminology, as although many US terms may be understood by a British person and vice versa, others may impose a barrier and time may need to be spent on further explanations/clarifications.

See also https://www.atlas-translations.co.uk/services/americanisation/ 

Some examples of these differences to demonstrate Americanisation and American English are:

UK

US

bank holiday legal holiday
Fortnight two weeks
Ordinary/extraordinary general meeting (of the shareholders) regular/special shareholders’ meeting
(memorandum and) articles of association (articles of incorporation and) bylaws
profit and loss account income statement
Chairman President/Chairman
managing director chief executive officer
estate agent realtor
bureau de change currency exchange
Property real estate
post code zip code
Prison Penitentiary
stand (for office) run (for office)
unit trust mutual fund
Cheque Check
current account

checking account

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