Currency acronyms and abbreviations

[HazyHue]

Hi guys,
I've always used international acronyms and abbreviations when talking with foreigners. However, I've noticed some people use original ones, i.e. those used only in the country where the currency is used. For example, the international abbreviation for Bosnian currency is BAM, but in Bosnia we say KM. Would it be correct to say KM when talking in English? It does not make sense to me, but I heard people using it.

 

[entangledbank]

Do you mean say or write? Most people know very few ISO codes, and they aren't much used in speech. We don't say JPY or INR, though they might be written in the financial pages of newspapers or websites. But they don't always use ISO codes. Canadian dollars might be written as CAD, but also as C$. The Chinese yuan or renminbi could be written as CNY (its ISO code) or RMB (just an abbreviation).

We talk about Bosnian marks, or Japanese yen, or just marks and yen if the context is clear.

 

[HazyHue]

I meant they use them in speech and pronounce as keɪ ɛm.

 

[e2efour]

You can talk about currencies using the ISO code or the name that is used in speech.
For example, in the EU we say euros, but use the code EUR in formal statements.

If someone is not familiar with the abbreviation KM, you would say convertible marks (or the even simpler Bosnian marks, as ETB suggests).

 

[HazyHue]

Thank you, but I would like to know if it's ok to use KM instead of BAM?

 

[Egmont]

Thank you, but I would like to know if it's ok to use KM instead of BAM?

The short answer: Yes, it's OK.

The longer answer: Saying "Bosnian Marks" is even less confusing to most people who are not international finance professionals, though.

 

[sdgraham]

Thank you, but I would like to know if it's ok to use KM instead of BAM?

It's "OK" to use anything you want as long as the person to whom you are speaking understands what you're talking about.

 

[HazyHue]

Thank you!