ATM - Automatic Teller Machine
An Automatic Teller Machine is a machine that reads information off a little
plastic card, usually a credit card or debit card, you enter a PIN
(Personal Identification Number) and the machine gives you money.
The idea of the Automated Teller Machine is by no means new:
On November 12th 1946, the first drive-up banking facility opened. This
was done by the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, Illinois. There were
10 teller windows with slide-out drawers (Source: uselessknowledge.com)
ATMs in different languages (yes.. Not too many - I don't speak
that many languages. Send me info!!)
- American: ATM
- Arabic: "sar'raf a'lee" sar'raf = from sarf = give, sar'raf = giver. a'lee = automatic (thanks, hotthamir)
- British: Cashpointtm? or Hole-in-the-wall
- Canadian: ABM (Automatic Bank Machine, I presume) (thanks, stewacide)
- Chinese (mandarin): "zidong tikuan ji" 'zidong' means automatic, 'ti kuan' means getting cash, 'ji' is machine (thanks, dharmaraja)
- Danish: Dankortautomat or Bankautomat (thanks, carthag)
- Dutch: Geldautomaat
- Finnish: pankkiautomaatti (thanks, WWWWolf)
- French: guichet automatique (thanks, RubenAzarja)
- German: Bankomat or Geldautomat
- Hebrew: Caspomat (thanks, dejamorgana)
- Italian: Bancomat (thanks, baffo)
- Maltese: Cashlinktm or ATM (thanks, Dwardu)
- Norwegian: Minibank
- Portuguese: Multibanco (thanks, RubenAzarja)
- Russian: Avtomaticheskii Kassir (thanks, taschenrechner)
- Spanish: Cajero automático or just Cajero (thanks, taschenrechner)
- Swedish: Bankomat
- Turkish: Bankomatik (thanks, atesh's cousin)
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