# American to Canadian translations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237 "2006-10-04T14:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/101 "2006-10-05T21:48:26Z")
[QUOTE=K364] Anyway, how would you feel if the news reporter said “The Coal lines have been knocked out by the storm and there are Coal outages in most of the province”.? [/QUOTE] I wasn’t aware that “coalelectricity” was a common word on the prairies. Because you realize that “hydro” is simply short for “hydroelectricity,” right? ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/102 "2006-10-05T22:03:01Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] I wasn’t aware that “coalelectricity” was a common word on the prairies. Because you realize that “hydro” is simply short for “hydroelectricity,” right? [/QUOTE] That seemed funnier in my head. Didn’t mean it to be snarky, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/103 "2006-10-05T22:12:26Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] I wasn’t aware that “coalelectricity” was a common word on the prairies. [/QUOTE] It’s “coalectricity.” 😃 Naw, just funnin’. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/104 "2006-10-05T23:24:31Z")
Since there are already some regionalisms in here, and since Québec has that whole distinct status thing going on, there are a few Québecisms that might interest you. I’ll try and not go into the French equivalents too much, but in some cases, I don’t have much choice. convenience store = dépanneur, in both English and French. Sometimes called the dep in English. You will pretty much never hear a native Québecer use another term for these stores. School: The school system here is a little different, so bear with me for this. Grades K-6 are typically known as “elementary school” or “primary school” (I have heard both, with the latter mostly used by francophones as a translation of their word for it). IIRC, some school districts have a “middle school” as well, but often this will only be grade 5-6. “High school”, and it is refered to it that way, is grades 7-11, and they are known as either “Level 1, level 2, level 3, level 4 and level 5 (grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 respectively)” or “Secondary 1, 2, 3, 4,5”, again, most often by francophones. Then we have CEGEP (acronym for Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel - College of General and Vocational Education). These are either 2 year general education programs (Science, Social Science, Liberal Arts, Creative Arts, etc) or 3 year Technical/Vocational programs (Computer Information Systems, Hotel and Tourism, Business Administration, etc). To go to university (unless you’re a mature student or fall into some other category) you need to complete your 2 years of CEGEP and get your diploma. Most University degrees after that are 3 year programs for a Bachelor’s degree. We use the term “hydro” to refer to electricty as well - Hydro Québec is the crown company providing power to the province. Iced tea here can either refer to Lipton/Nestea stuff, or cold brewed tea - AFAICT it’s a bit of a crapshoot every time you order it. “Tea” would mean hot tea, with “tisane” meaning herbal tea, even in English. I’m sure there’s more, but I can’t really seem to think of any right now. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/105 "2006-10-06T01:25:01Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] US: _case_ (of beer) = Canada: _two-four_ [/QUOTE] Not in Alberta, NWT, Nunavut, or Saskatchewan. I think I have only ever heard that term used in Ontario - where you have to go to the Beer Store to get a case (eh). In Alberta, 24 cans of beer is referred to as a ‘flat’, and a box of 12 is a case. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/106 "2006-10-06T02:59:42Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] I forgot about that! High school students in Buffalo were always amused by the mysterious “grade 13” in Ontario. I don’t know if this was mentioned, but the educational institution Americans call _high school_ is called _secondary school_, at least in Southern Ontario. [/QUOTE] That’s the term the schools apply to themselves, but real humans still call it “high school,” of course. No kid says “I go to secondary school.” [QUOTE=balthisar] As an American, I’ve gotta ask, are there American’s that really say that they’re from “America”? I thought that was just a silly, redneck stereotype, or something only said as bravado, e.g., “You can’t do that to me! I’m from America” Or: “I’m from America, bitch!” [/QUOTE] Are you kidding around? I hear Americans say that all the time, and not just on TV; in person it’s probably the most common way that Americans refer to their country. In the last three years I’ve visited and worked in 33 different states, and I hear that all the time. It’s a \*\*common \*\* term. Where do you live? Maybe you’re in a pocket where it’s rare. I just did a search and found multiple examples of SDMB posters using “America” as a perfectly ordinary way of referring to the United States of America. Interestingly, my perception is that it’s also a popular term overseas. Just not in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/107 "2006-10-06T04:40:16Z")
I think it’s fairly obvious from this thread that, much as with the U.S., there’s a great deal of regional variation in vocabulary across Canada. In fact, it’s probably much, much worse. We have two official languages, and much more extreme accents to cope with. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/108 "2006-10-06T06:18:08Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] I forgot about that! High school students in Buffalo were always amused by the mysterious “grade 13” in Ontario. [/quote] Not mysterious at all. Grade 13 was basically a university prep year. (US equivalent: a post-senior year of nothing except AP courses.) If you took Ontario Grade 13, you could get an recognized degree from an Ontario university in three years. Or, if you wanted an Honours degree, you took four years of an Ontario university: basically, five years of schooling after everybody else finished Grade 12. Either way, if you lived in Ontario, you needed Grade 13 to go to an Ontario university. And you generally started university the year you became 19 years of age. It’s also why my Grade 13 classmates who were accepted at universities in other Canadian provinces and in US states were immediately put in second year courses. Because they had already done their first year, according to those institutions. Of course, now that Ontario has done away with Grade 13, the old rules don’t apply. But I still have my Grade 13 _plus_ my four-year honours BA degree from a top-notch Ontario university. I’m not sure what this would equate to in the US, but I hope it would be something. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/109 "2006-10-06T09:05:47Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > [quote=capybara > Chips? Who in the US calls fries chips? And I think bag and sack are exactly interchangable.[/quote] > > To me, bags may or may not have handles, but a sack never has a handle. We always call them bags: garbage bags, grocery bags, shopping bags, trick-or-treat bags, freezer bags, ziplock bags, etc. I’m with **Sunspace** on this - a sack is a cloth bag, made out of burlap, large in size, typically used to hold 40 + pounds of potatos or flour. Anything else is a bag, especially if it’s plastic and hold groceries. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/110 "2006-10-06T09:23:40Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Also, with respect to the endless sub-hoagie-grinder-hero debate, I can say with confidence that both “sub” and “hoagie” are in use in Canada, inasmuch as the most popular such joint in Kingston was, of course, the Hoagie House. Ahh, the Hoagie House. Almost as popular as the Pilot House. 🙂 **Rick** , do I take it you were on the east side of the Cataraqui? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/111 "2006-10-06T11:46:42Z")
> [@Carlyjay](#): > > Facial Tissues: Kleenex I’ve never lived close to the northern border (though I have spent a lot of time in Minnesota), but I’ve never heard anyone actually pronounce the words “facial tissue” as a single noun referring to a Kleenex. Everyone here says “Kleenex” or maybe just “tissue”. > [@Canadjun](#): > > What do you call those long sandwiches made out of a 6" or 12" (typically) loaf with things like meat, cheese, lettuce, etc. etc. in them? I (and I think most Canadians) would call it a “Sub” or if being really verbose a “Submarine sandwich”. I seem to recall folk south of the border have different terms for it. Everyone here says “sub” or “sandwich” AFAICT. Hence Subway and Submarina, the two biggest chains (at least here in San Diego). I’ve heard of all the terms **tomndebb** mentioned, but most San Diegans wouldn’t be caught dead saying any of them–“sub” at worst. (That said, there’s a fairly popular sub shop by the beach called Poor Boy.) > [@KarlGauss](#): > > I’ve always thought that the qunitessential American to Canadian translation was “soda” to “pop”. I still can’t get used to people saying, "I was putting on weight, so I switched to diet soda. Again, most San Diegans wouldn’t be caught dead saying “pop”, but it seems most of the Midwest does call it that. > [@Schlep](#): > > In US - Do you want a that in a sack? My arse. I’ve never heard that once and I’ve lived in the US all my life. > [@Schlep](#): > > US - Chips I have not once ever heard an American call them “chips” unless they were referring to the meal of “fish and chips”. French fries are French fries here, and “chips” in the UK. If you say the word “chips” in the US without the wrods “fish and” in front of it, I guarantee you that 100% of your sample will think you’re talking about [these](http://www.taquitos.net/dbimages13/layscheddarsourcream.jpg). > [@capybara](#): > > I just learned “keener”-- is this current anywhere in the US right now? I’ve never heard that word in my life and couldn’t possibly venture a guess as to what it means. I’ve also never heard the word “invigilate”, and I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say “proctor” seriously. > [@Schlep](#): > > Restaurant tur-lets are often clean. Nobody here, or anywhere else I’ve ever lived, would ever pronounce the word “turlet”. > [@Schlep](#): > > I line up at the pool. Do you cue? No, but the British queue. Seriously, what’s with passing off all these Britishisms as Americanisms? Is there some corner of the US you visited that still thinks it’s English? > [@Sunspace](#): > > How do you pronounce ‘sorry’ then? ‘Sore-ey’ seems a fairly-accurate description. Is it a difference in emphasis? Sounds more like “sawry” when anyone I know says it, although I have heard “sore-ey” in Minnesota. > [@Lissla Lissar](#): > > Is SOL a Canadianism? I would know what you meant if you said it to me, but I haven’t heard it used much here. > [@gonzomax](#): > > vinegar chips How can you not love salt and vinegar chips? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/112 "2006-10-06T14:11:57Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Are you kidding around? I hear Americans say that all the time, and not just on TV; in person it’s probably the most common way that Americans refer to their country. In the last three years I’ve visited and worked in 33 different states, and I hear that all the time. It’s a \*\*common \*\* term. Where do you live? Maybe you’re in a pocket where it’s rare. I just did a search and found multiple examples of SDMB posters using “America” as a perfectly ordinary way of referring to the United States of America. Interestingly, my perception is that it’s also a popular term overseas. Just not in Canada. [/QUOTE] Overseas it _is_ popular for foreigners to call the United States “America.” “In America they have roads paved of gold” and so on and so forth. I don’t think I’m in a regionalized pocket. Before I worked with mostly Michiganders all over North America, I was in the US Military overseas and in several states. We’d say (of course) “we’re Americans” but I’ve never, ever heard in my life say “I’m from America.” Always (to others and amongst ourselves) “the States” or “the USA” or “Stateside” or “home.” Saying “I’m from America” (or hearing it) is just plain corny. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/113 "2006-10-06T15:03:13Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] “In America they have roads paved of gold” and so on and so forth. [/quote] Not since the Fifties. It was one of those grand ideas that looks good on paper but really disappoints when put into practice. For one thing the gold, being a very soft metal, kept developing hazardous ruts under the tire tracks. At highway speeds you could easily break an axle or get yourself killed changing lanes. Traction was lousy too. One little rain shower and you’d be skidding all over the place. Also, the yellow lane markings were barely visible against the gold background. The white ones weren’t much better. No sir, give me asphalt or concrete for my roads. Hell, even gravel. Keep that crappy gold in the bank vaults where it belongs. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/114 "2006-10-06T18:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=Jayn\_Newell] Personally, a salted nut roll (or bar). I’ve never understood the term candy bar–it’s not made of candy! [/QUOTE] Uh. Yes it is. I suppose it depends on what you understand by the term “candy.” To me, it means pretty much everything available on the racks next to the cashier – chocolate, chewing gum, hard candies, peanuts-and-caramel things, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/115 "2006-10-06T18:57:25Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Canadians do horrible things to potato chips. [/QUOTE] Regular Salt & vinegar BBQ St. Hubert BBQ Ketchup Dill pickle Smokey bacon Sea salt & pepper Sour cream and onion Roast chicken Fries & gravy Curry spice Wasabi Sea salt & malt vinegar Jalapeño Sweet chili & sour cream Roasted red pepper grill Lime and black pepper Honey & roasted garlic Sour Cream & Bacon Sour Cream & Cheddar Ranch All dressed Au gratin BBQ & Cheddar Buffalo wing (Plus other regional flavours from other parts of the country) Mmmmm! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/116 "2006-10-06T19:01:01Z")
[QUOTE=Bookkeeper] Regular Salt & vinegar BBQ St. Hubert BBQ Ketchup Dill pickle Smokey bacon Sea salt & pepper Sour cream and onion Roast chicken Fries & gravy Curry spice Wasabi Sea salt & malt vinegar Jalapeño Sweet chili & sour cream Roasted red pepper grill Lime and black pepper Honey & roasted garlic Sour Cream & Bacon Sour Cream & Cheddar Ranch All dressed Au gratin BBQ & Cheddar Buffalo wing (Plus other regional flavours from other parts of the country) Mmmmm! [/QUOTE] There should be laws about the desecration of potatoes. Idaho could start the ball rollling. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/117 "2006-10-06T19:10:50Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] …four-year honours BA degree from a top-notch Ontario university. I’m not sure what this would equate to in the US, but I hope it would be something. [/QUOTE] Do Canadian universities use British-style honours designations (eg 1st, upper 2nd, etc) instead of the Latin honors American colleges use? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/118 "2006-10-06T19:33:15Z")
How about the term “beauty” rather than “great”? I just used it, and surprised myself. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/119 "2006-10-06T19:52:29Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] Do Canadian universities use British-style honours designations (eg 1st, upper 2nd, etc) instead of the Latin honors American colleges use? [/QUOTE] Just to specify, I take it you’re talking about _cum laude_/with honors, _magna cum laude_/with high honors, _summa cum laude_/with highest honors. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/120 "2006-10-06T20:28:10Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Just to specify, I take it you’re talking about _cum laude_/with honors, _magna cum laude_/with high honors, _summa cum laude_/with highest honors. [/QUOTE] Yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237.md?page=7)