Why?
- "Illinois" is a proper noun, and it's common to keep proper nouns in their original language, even in translation.
- French doesn't have a standard way to adapt "Illinois" to its own pronunciation rules.
- While you could try to phonetically spell it out as "I-li-noy" or "I-li-nwa", those pronunciations would be inaccurate and confusing.
Therefore, simply using "Illinois" is the most understandable and accurate way to refer to the state in French.