The sun may have set on the British empire, but the British imperial system lives on. It’s a measure of our place in the world

The metric system, known officially as Système International d’Unités, or the International System (SI), is a standardised scheme used the world over. Well, almost.

While the UK has supposedly adopted it, the truth is somewhat different. Over here, we’re very used to imperial units. These are not just different systems of measurement, they’re different languages.

Switching from one to the other is no simple task. Changing words and units on road signs is easy. The real obstacles involve turning our backs on centuries of literary tradition and culture, abandoning an element of our linguistic individuality and, perhaps most significantly, changing the way we think. More.

See: The Guardian

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.