There are all kinds of ways of expressing times and writing them down, but the commonest formats in English aren’t the same as the usual Dutch ones.
Category Archives: Cultural
Alphas and betas
An “alpha” or “beta” person in Dutch refers to how scientifically-minded they are. In English, it is at best reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”.
A twelve-and-a-halfth anniversary
It’s not a number of years that gets celebrated in the English-speaking world. Rephrasing or explanation is needed if you don’t want readers scratching their heads.
High wines and high breakfasts
What? No way. There’s “high tea”, a specific and very English concept. But you can’t misappropriate “high” for anything else.
GB, England and the UK
The term “Great Britain” has nothing to do with delusions of grandeur. It’s just the biggest island in the group, same as Gran Canaria or Grand Cayman.
The minefield of academic titles
People are naturally very proud of their academic achievements and titles and want them stated in their communications. But it’s not as trivial as it might seem.
Surname prefixes
Dutch surnames often have prefixes (van, van der, de, ter, etc.) and are alphabetized by the remainder, which stops half the phone book being listed under V.
What’s in a name?
Some historical, biblical and fictional figures etc. are referred to by anglicized names. Not surprising: the same happens in Dutch – Lodewijk XIV, Karel de Grote, Winnie de Poeh, Zweinstein…
Advanced Dunglish 