Punctuating dates and numbers is something we need to do in our translations nearly all the time. Even if it’s just a date at the top of a letter, it still needs to be done in the manner of the TT to make the translation complete. I see lots of little mistakes and bits of forgetfulness in this dept. very often, and it’s easy to understand why; you’ve been working like crazy to get the pismo to the ambassador perfectly right, and with a great sigh of relief you think ‘Great, three pages of hardcore diplomatic waffle done!’ and boom, off it goes with that tiny, almost insignificant date at the top left dressed in kropki instead of solidii.
Or, in the effort to make sure that the phrasing in a particularly tricky, vaguely phrased umowa between two parties is translated in such a way that no one’s going to misinterpret it and start suing each other (and/or you), the punctuating marks in the grand sums of money being negotiated (that I could only dream of being a party to), go unchanged.
So, let’s do today’s blog entry in the understanding that the root causes of these issues lie in stress, pressure and not having had enough coffee (or tea) for śniadania. Regardez vous at this lot:
1) 1,000,000,00 was paid to the account already.
1) 1,000,000.00 was paid to the account already.
2) (Journal of Laws of 2007, Nr. 64, Item 109)
2) (Journal of Laws of 2007, No. 64, Item 109)
3) Over 40,000 $ was raised at the event.
3) Over $ 40,000 was raised at the event.
4) The total cost is £50.00 for a return ticket.
4) The total cost is £50 for a return ticket.
5) Nearly 54 thousand people died as a result.
5) Nearly 54,000 people died as a result.
6) Four thousand EUR, 50.
6) Four thousand Euros and fifty Eurocents.
7) Ten thousand Euro should be paid…
7) Ten thousand Euros should be paid…
8) Nearly 0,3% of all samples tested were…
8) Nearly 0.3% of all samples tested were…
9) Over 4 368 Kg of rubbish was collected in 2003.
9) Over 4,368 Kg of rubbish was collected in 2003.
10) All hats and scarves now only PLN 10!
10) All hats and scarves now only 10 PLN!
11) 24.03.2011
11) 24/03/2011
11) 24/03/2011
What’s The Problem?
The decimal point in both British and American English is always a full stop, not a comma (1,8). This is probably the most common issue with numbers in EN translations, and also the most easily fixed.
‘Number’ is always abbreviated as No. not Nr. (2). Currency symbols go before the amount (3); currency abbreviations go after the amount (10).
For monetary amounts written in numbers with no pence, cents, grosze etc, leave out the decimal point and zeroes (4). There are probably exceptions to this rule for seriously hardcore financial documents; I always let the ST determine how to move here. In an Excel sheet with 100+ different monetary amounts listed, if they already have .00 etc, then I leave it. Certainly in plain body text you could leave them off.
Be consistent, try to avoid mixing words with figures (5). If you say '20 dogs' in one place, don't say 'twenty dogs' in the next. For small amounts (ok. less than a hundred), it's better to use words than figures.
When spelling out sums for clarity, use words for the pennies/grosze too (6). Note that the standard invoicing convention of putting, for example, ‘Four Hundred and Fifty Three Pounds and 65/100’ is fine too.
Euros when used as a word to describe the EU’s currency, are a countable noun (7).
Regarding numeric separators – don’t leave the first one out (9). In Polish we say 4 000; in English they say 4,000. Finally a wee reminder about dates (11) – our new friend, Anglik Kropka, gets replaced by lanky Mr. Solidus. See also here.
As anyone who’s worked on Excel sheets, or other spreadsheets knows, it’s sometimes the case that there are formulas and macros and security measures and all kinds of lurking voodoo going on, which make it impossible or impractical to edit the figures. In these cases, unless you have the time and know-how, head to the kitchen and make yourself another kawa... ;)
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