locks_are_paranoid t1_iy03llv wrote on November 27, 2022 at 7:07 PM

Reply to comment by freeski919 in TIL that FIFA is a French abbreviation, it would be IFAF in English, and England weren't an original member despite creating the game. FIFA also now has more members than the UN by BXCellent

There's a ton for the non-sports world, including the International Organization for Standardization, abbreviated ISO.

bruinslacker t1_iy0z519 wrote on November 27, 2022 at 10:38 PM

False. The ISO in French would be OIS except in French it’s known as the Organisation internacionale de normalization so it would actually be OIN.

The name ISO was chosen because it is NOT the organization’s initials in any of its official languages (English, French, Russian). To treat all of their languages equally they didn’t want an acronym that only made sense in one language. Instead they chose an acronym that was close but not quite right in all three languages. It has the added benefit of meaning “the same” in Greek, which is fitting for their mission.