http://tatoeba.org/fre/sentences/show/758157

Nice... :)
But I believe this is how you would write in French, wouldn't you? :)

*en

no no, it's English, and that's also the name by which the norman kings named England for centuries, while they were its kings...Actually, England's motto is "Honi soit qui mal y pense" is English (it's "honni soit qui mal y pense") in modern French...
Norman Kings and also later England kings (not always of Norman decent) up to Elisabeth spoke French as their native language...so one may consider that "l'Angleterre" is also an adequate English name.

Yes, I know all that. But when you write this piece of information in English, you (obviously) change it to William the Conqueror, I guess; and you wouldn't refer to England in English as "l'Angleterre".

I know the motto "Honni soit qui mal y pense" - I thought it is spelled like this in English as well. Thanks to your comment I now know that in English it is spelled with only one n.

well , if "John Cabot" is acceptable in a German sentence for an italian figure whose actual name was "Giovanni Caboto", certainly "Guillaume le Conquérant" (which was his actual name) is acceptable in an English sentence...or do I miss something?
Similarly, "l'Angleterre" is how English Kings named their kingdom for centuries. Subsequently, it can be considered acceptable, under the same terms of course, as a name in an English sentence.

>I know the motto "Honni soit qui mal y pense" - I thought it is spelled like this in English as well. Thanks to your comment I now know that in English it is spelled with only one n.

That's because "honir" is old French. it evolved into "honnir" later on...

Thanks for the info regarding "honnir".

I understand your frustration regarding the "distorted" names. I hope they will soon be changed accordingly.

actually, « honnir » is of no modern use. The verb has fallen into complete disuse and replaced by « abhorrer » / « détester » / « haïr »

bump

*en

Thanks for the info about the verb. Then, in normal French it would be "honni" - but it's not in use at all, save in "ancient" expressions, as I gathered from you.

I just now noticed that you supposedly wrote "an English sentence". I thought all the time it was French...

if it was French it would be "conquit...en"
As it is, it's so very English, ain't it?

No, no, CK, you don't know about the new rule on Tatoeba : Names may be written in any foreign transcription as in here http://tatoeba.org/fre/sentences/show/758157

If you have problems with that, speak to Nero and Guybrush88

>This sounds like it was written by a non-native English speaker who doesn't know English very well.

Or someone who knows its history better than you do...

« Guillaume le Conquérant » was the actuel name of the man who won the battle of Hastings in 1066, and he called himself « Roi d'Angleterre et Duc de Normandie »
He could speak no English, and, at the time, English didn't even exist as such anyway...

this sentence is both syntactically and grammatically correct...What's wrong with it?

The actual name is just Guillaume, and anything else is an appendage, an epithet to distinguish one from other Guillaumes, and those routinely get translated.