Czech Republic to Become Czechia?

The shorthand version of the country’s name should be the official English translation, says Czech foreign minister Lubomír Zaorálek

Dave Park

Written by Dave Park Published on 13.04.2016 09:38:14 (updated on 13.04.2016) Reading time: 1 minute

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Tomorrow, a government meeting will be held in Prague involving President Miloš Zeman, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the ministers of defense and foreign affairs, and the heads of both chambers of parliament, reports iDnes.cz. 

The reason? To decide on an official shorthand English translation for the name of their country.

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Czech Republic or Czechia? It’s long been a contentious issue. While the shorthand “Česko” is frequently used in Czech, the country doesn’t have an official shorthand version in English. 

The “official” names of most countries are actually longer than shorthand versions we’ve come to know and love. In UN documents, Slovakia is the Slovak Republic, Germany is the Federal Republic of Germany, and so on. 

But the Czech Republic has long lacked this shorthand version, at least in English.

Now, Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek wants it to be official: Czechia is the way of the future.

“I believe that the political meeting will clearly declare that we want to implement one clear definition of how we want to translate the short name ‘Česko’,” Zaorálek told iDnes.cz. 

Should the government approve the name change, an official letter will be sent to the UN requesting that the Czechia become the official shorthand name of the country.

“We will ask for a United Nations notification and we will request that the accompanying databases will translate the name “Česko” in the one possible and correct way.”

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The practical implications might be first seen international events such as conferences and sports games. But soon, everyone might adopt the shorthand version of the name. Just don’t expect it to happen overnight.

And we think it might lead to further confusion from those unfamiliar with the country:

Czech Republic to Become Czechia?

But what do you think?

What should the name of the country be?

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