>The UK definition of a Billion is different than the US. What is known as >a Billion (1,000 Million) is known as a Millard in the UK. The UK Billion >is 1,000 Millard or 1,000,000 Million. However with the Americanization of >the world do to the satelite distribution of American TV throughout the >world, you will hear numbers quoted in US Billions on UK telivision news. >SO while there is technically a difference it seems the common usage in the >UK is shifting to the US Billion. Our interpreters (vs compilers :-), i.e. people who make a living of translating text between languages), illiterate as they appear to be more often than not, still do correctly translate US 'billion' into 'milijarda' (which is the Serb pronunciation). So, I think it's rather European vs American usage of the word, not just UK. What do the people of other continents say?