The habit of translating geographic proper nouns has a long history. English speakers say Germany instead of Deutschland, Spain instead of España, and Florence instead of Firenze. Translating names made foreign regions accessible to domestic audiences who lacked exposure to external phonetics.
That paradigm shifted when post-colonial nations asserted self-determination through their legal names. When a state explicitly registers its preferred name with international standards bodies like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), retaining an exonym carries uncomfortable political baggage.
Style guides took years to catch up. Major international newsrooms like Reuters and the Associated Press updated their entries slowly, frequently appending explanations like "Cabo Verde, formerly known as Cape Verde." For television commentators, the challenge was practical: muscle memory. An anchor who spent twenty years reading teleprompter copy referencing "Cape Verde" will easily default to the old cadence under live broadcast pressure.
