a question about British English from an American translator

[Robert Chandler]

Yes, "motorway" is almost certainly correct - as long as this trip took place fairly recently.  Our first "motorway" was built in 1959 and the network was established gradually, much of it during the next 15-20 years.

If this trip took place earlier, then "main road" would be correct.

All the best, Robert

On 21 Mar 2013, at 18:41, Andrea Gregovich <agregovich at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Hello Colleagues!
> 
> I'm translating a passage in which the Russian narrator is describing his trip to England.  I'm wondering about the best way to describe what's going on in this passage:
> 
> Автобус тронулся, долго пробирался по узким улицам Оксфорда, а когда выехал на трассу, шел проливной дождь.
> 
> The image is very clear to me, the long drive along the narrow city streets and then finally the exit from the city onto the трассу on the way back to London.  But it's been years since I've been on a bus from Oxford to London, and I'm drawing a blank on what this road would be called in British English and exactly what size of road it is on the way from Oxford to London.  In American English we would probably say, "when we finally got out on the highway" or "when we finally got on the freeway," depending on the size of the трасса in question.  
> 
> Thanks in advance for your input!
> Andrea Gregovich
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Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD

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