Billion is indeed "milliard" in Russian and "miljards" in Latvian.
Cheers,
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of kilopascal
Sent: 08 December 2000 13.30
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:9634] RE: Vietnamese
2000-12-08
Very interesting. So, those were not units of measure. When I did enter
"ty" in the online dictionary, it came up with various definitions depending
on the different combinations of accent marks. One of the definitions of
"ty" was milliard and billion. I would suspect Vietnam uses milliard for
10^9, when working in French and billion when translating to American
English.
This reminds me. A few weeks ago I watched the movie Meteorite on TV. I
think it was Brian Keith who played a Russian scientist who spoke only
Russian. In one scene, an American said the word "billion" and the girl
translating the English into Russian used the word milliard. Even though I
don't speak Russian, the word did stick out. This means that Russian uses
the more logical method of number naming.
But, now back to Vietnam. I have an idea. Jim Frysinger, are you
listening? Jim has his own webpage with SI in different languages. Maybe,
just maybe, your neighbour can help Jim set up a Vietnamese language SI
webpage. That is if Jim is interested. Maybe once done, your neighbour can
get some of the on-line Vietnamese websites to link to it as a reference for
Vietnamese who are not knowledgeable about proper SI rules and symbol usage.
Let us know if plan to do this.
John
Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der sich irrt�mlich
glaubt frei zu sein.
There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they
are free!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
-----Original Message-----
From: Norman Werling [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, 2000-12-08 13:32
To: US Metric Assn.; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [USMA:9601] Vietnamese
On 2000December 7 at 14:18, kilopascal wrote the following. I asked my
Vietnamese next-door neighbor over to look at this and I will intersperse
the things which seem pertinent.
Norm
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> While travelling recently, the person who had the seat on the
plane before
> me left two Vietnamese language magazines in the pouch. I took them home
> with me. One is called "h�n vi�t" (some accent marks not reproducible
> missing) and the other is called L�ng. Both are published in California.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mr. To (pronounced "toe") marked up the whole test with circonflex and
accents. Some words had a dot both over and beneath and, in response to my
question, he said that had to do with the tonal aspects of Vietnamese.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> Even though I can't read a word, I felt that SI symbols, if used would
stick
> out. Yet, the only SI I saw in either was an article in L�ng on Monaco.
It
> said: (minus some accent marks) Co le day moi chinh la nouc nho nhat the
> gioi, dien tich Vuong quoc Monaco chi co 1,95km2.
>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"dien tich" means "square", the the reference is to Monaco which is said to
have 1.95 km�. Yes, the comma is used in place of the American period.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >From what I can determine Vietnam uses the comma for a decimal point and
the
> point as a thousands marker. Ads show am/pm time and dates
appear both in
> European numeric format or US format, if the month is in letters.
>
> One article that appears to be about travelling around Vietnam,
appears to
> give units, but they are not SI and maybe not FFU either. The unit that
> sticks out is "ty", another is "va"
>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"ty" means "billion" and "va" means "and"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Example:
>
> Theo bang tham do voi so diem xau nhat la 10 va so diem tot nhat la 0.
>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The foregoing sentence pertains to a listing or ranking of companies in
which the results of investment is ranked in descending order, i.e., "0" is
the top of the list and "10" is the bottom on the list.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Ngan hang Quan 6 thanh pho Ho Chi Minh: 4 ty
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I will preface this by repeating that my neighbor., Mr. To says that US$
1.00 equals about 14'200 Vietnamese dong, their unit of money.
Thus the 4 ty means 4 billion dong, 4'000'000'000 � 14200=US$282'000. I
didn't think to ask if Vietnam uses the American approach to a
billion but I
assumed that he does.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Ngan hang tinh Nam Ha: 10,25 ty.
>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This would be 10'250'000'000 dong � 14'200=US$722'000.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Vu Tamexco: 300 ty
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>This would be 300'000'000'000 dong � 14'200= US$21'127'000.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Vu Cong ty Dau Tam To: 388 ty
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This would be 388'000'000'000 dong � 14'200=US$27'324'000
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Muc dau tu tai Viet Nam da len den muc cao nhat vao nam 1996 voi khoang
mot
> phan ba Tong San Luong Noi Dia (TSLND), khoang 8,3 ty MK.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Obviously the 1996 is the year. The 8'300'000'000 ty MK is US$
8'300'000'000 and must be some kind of overall total investment. We didn't
go into that.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> an article on Paris has this: ...ngam nghia nhung cong trinh dieu khac
tren
> Arc detriomphe roi theo ong thay, leo du 284 bac thang hep len tan tren
noc dia,...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Arc de Triomphe has 284 steps(bac)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>
> Does anyone know if these units are metric, or FFU or old Vietnamese
units?
> It would be interesting to know.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Huan laughed when I tried to ask if he had ever seen the Flintstones and
told him that our group preferred to refer to U.S. Customary units as Fred
Flintstone units because they should be considered Stone Age units.
He was an engineer in Vietnam responsible for building water pumping
stations to get water from inland waterfalls to cities. He worked with
American, Canadian, Australian, German (Siemans) and Danish companies as
prime contractors.
He recalls that after the "fall" in 1975, the new government considered him
to be a CIA operative and put him in prison for over a year. However,
because they needed his skills, he was released to work with a Danish
contractor to build (or rebuild, I am not certain) a pumping network. The
paranoia of the new government caused them to decide to prohibit entry of
the Danish engineers and workers into the country, to which he vigorously
objected, saying that the project could not be handled that way. He
described how the first shipment of equipment and blueprints were
all stolen
at the dock and the container an blueprints dumped into the bay.
Eventually
the container was found but the blueprints were ruined.The resulting uproar
convinced him that he needed to leave while he had a chance.
His narration, in very broken English, got more and more animated and more
difficult to understand. The upshot was a blow by blow description of a
boat trip to an offshore island, during which most people drowned.
He could
not get appropriate papers for his wife nor two small children at
that time.
Since his brother-in-law was an engineer too, they were able to make their
way to Thailand, and possibly Australia, and eventually the U.S. He spoke
very kindly of assistance by Senator Sam Nunn. Within 10 years he was able
to smuggle gold into Vietnam to enable his wife and adolescent children and
her sister to bribe police at an untold number of stations to issue
documents for them all to get out.
Seeing them next door for the last five years, I would never have realized
the exciting time they have already had in their lives. He owns and
operates a whoesale paper box company.
He sends American dollars with a trusted courier to his father who must
conceal these dollars from the government. Having American dollars in ones
possession is a crime.
Lest I forget, he tells me that throughout his career as an engineer, he
always reconfigured blueprints from FFU to SI and from English to
French and
Vietnamese for South Vietnam. Later only into SI and Vietnamese for the
united Vietnam.
Norm
>
> Lang has a website: http://www.langmag.com and hon viet has only e-mail:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> John
>
>
> There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe
they
> are free!
>
> Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
>
