Sophie Gunderson, Chapter 11, Question 7

The currency that belongs to each seperate country is unique and symbolic (with the exception of the euro). Most countries print their most infamous leaders in their coin and paper currencies thus showing the strength and prosperity of that country publically. In a way, a countries currency could be as unique as a nation's native language. Fortunately, we are able to translate most languages into another language and for currency, our translator is the PPP or purchasing power parity. 

Through Chapter 11, I was able to learn and understand more about the translation that occurs between the different countries and economies of the world as well as why that is. My mind automatically began comparing the different currencies to languages and as I was figuring out an easier way to translate the currencies than the PPP, Charles Wheelam introduced the Big Mac theory. To me, this way of thinking was essentially equivalent to the English mid translator at the annual United Nations meeting. Due to the fact that the Big Mac is served at many places around the globe, the prices are easy to compare for most countries. Although there are some variations on the actual price it's being sold at and what the PPP says it should be, this mid translator is the theory that seemed most logical to me.

The ins and outs of global economies and currencies are incredibly complex and most likely need many year of schooling to fully understand. However, what I understand from reading twenty pages of an Econ book is that economies fluctuate and affect other nations economies daily, yearly, and will continue to. The most important thing overall is making sure Iceland gets Big Macs back and thus can use their mid translators again!