Länder names / Ländernamen

Some clients would like me to use the English ‘official designations’ of the German Länder recommended by the Auswärtiges Amt:

AMTLICHE BEZEICHNUNGEN DER BUNDESLÄNDER Stand: 14.05.2002
ENGLISCH

(Land) Baden-Württemberg
(Free State of) Bavaria
(Land) Berlin
(Land) Brandenburg
(Free Hanseatic City of) Bremen
(Free and Hanseatic City of) Hamburg
(Land) Hesse
(Land) Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
(Land) Lower Saxony
(Land) North-Rhine/Westphalia
(Land) Rhineland-Palatinate
Saarland
(Free State of) Saxony
(Land) Saxony-Anhalt
(Land) Schleswig-Holstein
(Free State of) Thuringia

Does anyone see my problem?

8 thoughts on “Länder names / Ländernamen

  1. You spotted it! I can live with the rest. We just don’t use the slash that way in English spelling. The Germans also write Fürth/Bayern, but I don’t think it’s done in English. How about Portland, Oregon and so on – no slash in there either (I see I should be calling it a solidus).

  2. Well, I would use the ü myself. I avoid it in place names like Zurich, where it has become standard in English. On the other hand, it tends to get lost in transit – the Internet must be full of orphaned umlauts. I sometimes write Fürth and sometimes Furth, for Britain, but I won’t write Fuerth, for example, because I think the ue = ü idea is a purely German rule.

    I wonder if Hesse isn’t a bit old-fashioned.

  3. Hesse? Hm… it does sound a bit-oldfashioned. You’re right.

    BTW, what do you think about Hanover v Hannover? It’s “Hannover” in German, there’s no doubt about it, but many dictionaries say it’s “Hanover” – not “Hannover” – in English. Do you agree? What do you prefer? I myself have always written “Hannover” – in German AND in English.

  4. Christian: I translated a book on Hannover once. I used Hannover for the town and Hanover for the dynasty.

    Chris: Now I’m intrigued. I prefer West Pomerania, but I knew someone once who was in favour of something like Cis-Pomerania. What’s your fancy?

  5. Most of my clients have considerable trouble accepting that Berlin/Germany has a different meaning to Berlin, Germany…

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