Torino is the Italian name for the town where the 2006 Winter Olympics will be held. But as an English-speaking
writer, I should really be saying and writing Turin, correct? That’s the case Jeanne Cooper made in the SF
Chronicle this past weekend. In
You say
Tornio, I say Turin Cooper points to other examples in history when the native pronunciation of a place becomes
accepted use by English-speaking folks for a variety of reasons. She conceds that exceptions to breaking this rule are
sometimes okay, but not so in the case of Torino…um, I mean Turin (but Torino rhymed there!) I get her point…but as
someone of Italian heritage, I will continue to wobble back and forth between the two, in much the same way that I
sometimes say Firenze instead of Florence, even though I do not speak Italian. Maybe I do this, as Cooper suggests,
because I do, in fact, feel a special connection to the place which is why I pick the native pronunciation sometimes.
Personally, folks should say it however they choose, but I guess for professional writing purposes, it does seem to
make sense to be consistant in mainstream media publications. Really…it’s a controversy that I’m sure we’ll all be
losing sleep over till the Games have finished, no? I’ll keep it going, for kicks…Torino just sounds more festive than
Turin doesn’t it?