Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
placement of the currency symbol
English answer:
Place symbol before for the U.S., UK and English Canada
Added to glossary by
RHELLER
Jan 12, 2006 21:02
18 yrs ago
42 viewers *
English term
Germany
German Attorney & University Lecturer
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, English to German, and 1 more.
May I put the currency sign after the amount?
English
Bus/Financial
Business/Commerce (general)
Placement of currency sign
As far as I can tell, the placement of the currency sign/symbol (and the ISO 4217 code, e.g. "EUR") depends on the varies by currency (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency_sign ).
And apparently, most English-speaking countries place the currency sign before the amount, e.g. $450.50. The standardized European default placement, used in absence of a national standard, is that "€" is placed before the amount (see http://www.answers.com/topic/currency-sign ).
Even before I came to Germany and was exposed to placing the currency sign "DM" after the amount for the first time, I have always found that the placement before the amount just doesn't work as well with the rest of the punctuation. The amount I mentioned above is a perfect example: I think it just looks a bit strange to have the decimal and the period separated only by the numbers (it gets worse the higher the amount because of the commas).
I think it looks better following the amount, e.g. 1,250.03 $. What do you think? Does anyone have the 'definitive' rule handy?
Thanks for your help - I look forward to hearing your opinions.
:-)
And apparently, most English-speaking countries place the currency sign before the amount, e.g. $450.50. The standardized European default placement, used in absence of a national standard, is that "€" is placed before the amount (see http://www.answers.com/topic/currency-sign ).
Even before I came to Germany and was exposed to placing the currency sign "DM" after the amount for the first time, I have always found that the placement before the amount just doesn't work as well with the rest of the punctuation. The amount I mentioned above is a perfect example: I think it just looks a bit strange to have the decimal and the period separated only by the numbers (it gets worse the higher the amount because of the commas).
I think it looks better following the amount, e.g. 1,250.03 $. What do you think? Does anyone have the 'definitive' rule handy?
Thanks for your help - I look forward to hearing your opinions.
:-)
Responses
| 4 +11 | not acceptable in the U.S. |
RHELLER
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| 4 +9 | NO |
Brie Vernier
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| 5 +5 | English Canada before, French Canada after |
NancyLynn
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| 5 +3 | No |
Elena Petelos
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| 4 -2 | It depends on the currency |
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
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Responses
+11
4 mins
Selected
not acceptable in the U.S.
-sorry
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Note added at 6 mins (2006-01-12 21:08:16 GMT)
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unless you are spelling out the word
1,000.00 dollars
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Note added at 6 mins (2006-01-12 21:08:16 GMT)
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unless you are spelling out the word
1,000.00 dollars
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Elena Petelos
: ;-) Happy New Year, you!
3 mins
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hny - thanks Elena :-)
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| agree |
Premium✍️
4 mins
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merci Multipro :-)
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| agree |
Lori Dendy-Molz
7 mins
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merci, idwerk :-)
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| agree |
Tony M
: I think it's more to do with the language you are working in than the actual currency / Certainly NOT acceptable in the UK either
30 mins
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well, I'm glad you cleared that up :-)
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| agree |
Martine Brault
35 mins
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merci traviata :-)
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| agree |
PB Trans
57 mins
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Hi Pina :-)
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| agree |
Enza Longo
: Hi Rita - agree with Dusty that it depends on the language, English Canada definitely before, as for French Canada....vive la difference!
1 hr
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yes, wouldn't the world be a boring place if we all just...put our signs in the same place ? :-))
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| agree |
NancyLynn
3 hrs
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| agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
20 hrs
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| agree |
Dave Calderhead
: Yes - in financial reporting EUR 100 or USD 1 million, or 100 euros or one million dollars
1 day 2 hrs
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| agree |
Joanna Borowska
2 days 23 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
-2
2 mins
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
France
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Related KudoZ points
:
28
It depends on the currency
*
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Note added at 5 mins (2006-01-12 21:07:37 GMT)
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$25.50 or 25.50 $
£25.50
50,00 €
The pound sign usually goes first. The dollar sign can be either because it is the sign which counts and the euro goes at the end.
Whatever is on a banknote will indicate the correct usage to you.
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Note added at 5 mins (2006-01-12 21:07:37 GMT)
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$25.50 or 25.50 $
£25.50
50,00 €
The pound sign usually goes first. The dollar sign can be either because it is the sign which counts and the euro goes at the end.
Whatever is on a banknote will indicate the correct usage to you.
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Elena Petelos
: The euro goes at the end?/In which style guide? Certainly not the EU one!
9 mins
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YES!!!!!!!!
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| disagree |
Tony M
: I think it's more to do with the language you are working in than the actual currency itself
37 mins
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| neutral |
Martine Brault
: In French the sign would go after, in English (as in this question) it goes before.
39 mins
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+5
8 mins
English Canada before, French Canada after
French Canada has modeled itself after France in this case, and in my mind it always makes sense: after all, in speech we say the word "dollar" after the amount, not before, right? But the Globe & Mail will write it thusly: $100.00, and Le Droit will have it as 100,00 $.
HTH
HTH
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Martine Brault
: and with an unbreakable space between the value and the sign, so that they do not get separated :o).
35 mins
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exactly, thanks trav!
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| agree |
Enza Longo
1 hr
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thanks Enza
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| agree |
Sophia Finos (X)
3 hrs
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| agree |
Yavor Dimitrov
23 hrs
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| agree |
Romanian Translator (X)
23 hrs
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+9
7 mins
Brie Vernier
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Germany
Bridging the language gap since 1995
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
NO
Not in English, Derek. Even when you have e.g. $1,250.03, if you read it out loud, you say the 'dollars' in the middle, i.e. before the 'and three cents' -- so would you propose putting the dollar sign in place of the decimal? I don't think so : )
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Note added at 15 mins (2006-01-12 21:17:14 GMT)
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Of course, if you're using the "cent" sign, say for 'my two cents' (2¢), it conveniently comes after the number. Same for British pence -- 50P.
See also Wikipedia:
Good style
* NZ$100,000
* AU$100,000
* US$100 million
* GBP 100,000
* 2000 Chinese renminbi
* Two thousand Chinese renminbi
[edit]
Bad style
* $190 — This can lead to ambiguity in non-country specific articles as to which dollar is meant.
* $100 — this is hard to read
* 100$ — Although it is read like this, it is not a standard way to write it. Dollars are sometimes written this way by Canadian francophones writing in English. This is also the way Portuguese escudos were expressed prior to the euro being introduced.
* $200 (US)
* $US200
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(c...
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Note added at 15 mins (2006-01-12 21:17:14 GMT)
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Of course, if you're using the "cent" sign, say for 'my two cents' (2¢), it conveniently comes after the number. Same for British pence -- 50P.
See also Wikipedia:
Good style
* NZ$100,000
* AU$100,000
* US$100 million
* GBP 100,000
* 2000 Chinese renminbi
* Two thousand Chinese renminbi
[edit]
Bad style
* $190 — This can lead to ambiguity in non-country specific articles as to which dollar is meant.
* $100 — this is hard to read
* 100$ — Although it is read like this, it is not a standard way to write it. Dollars are sometimes written this way by Canadian francophones writing in English. This is also the way Portuguese escudos were expressed prior to the euro being introduced.
* $200 (US)
* $US200
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(c...
Note from asker:
| I get what you are saying, Brie. But it not so much the disparity between how it sounds and how it is written. I don't like how it LOOKS (particularly at the end of a sentence). ;-) |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Lori Dendy-Molz
: Same deal with euros: the way it's read out loud doesn't correspond to how it's written, so it's best to stick to accepted style.
8 mins
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Yes, thanks Lori
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| agree |
Tony M
: Excellent explanation! /// Well, it USED to be common in the UK, but seems to be out of favour now! I guess you're all too young to remember :-)))
31 mins
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Thanks, Dusty - can't agree with your "centre-line decimal point" argument, though -- I have Never seen this usage in American English.//Yep, that's me, just a young'un : )
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| agree |
Robert Kleemaier
36 mins
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Thanks, Robert
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| agree |
Enza Longo
1 hr
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Thanks, Enza
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| agree |
pidzej
: in fact the Portuguese escudo did, and Chile's peso does use the $ sign in lieu of the usual separator: 480$00 , so its neither before not after the amount!//would've thought "agree" says it all, rest is exciting useless info
1 hr
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Thanks, Pidzej -- but the question is about English usage, isn't it?//Sorry, Pidzej, of course it does/is. I just don't think that English is likely to ever "copy" the convention.
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| agree |
cmwilliams (X)
1 hr
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Thanks, cm
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| agree |
Cilian O'Tuama
: I've never heard of the centre-line d.p. either, so hey...
3 hrs
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Thanks, Cilian ... so you must be a young'un, too!
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| agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
20 hrs
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Thanks, Marju
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| agree |
Joanna Borowska
2 days 23 hrs
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Thanks, ryfka
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+3
8 mins
Elena Petelos
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Works in field
United Kingdom
Medical, Legal, Technical
Native in: Greek
Works in: English to Greek, Greek to English, French to English, and 3 more.
No
For the EU, the Interinstitutional Style Guide states:
The currency abbreviation precedes the amount and is followed by a space.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/translation/writing/style_guides/e...
However, currency symbols* are closed up.
As for the US, I believe the same rule applies.
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Note added at 31 mins (2006-01-12 21:33:28 GMT)
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https://www.sla.org/PDFs/SLAStyleGuide.pdf
I'm afraid the GPO agrees with the EU, Derek.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/
The currency abbreviation precedes the amount and is followed by a space.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/translation/writing/style_guides/e...
However, currency symbols* are closed up.
As for the US, I believe the same rule applies.
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Note added at 31 mins (2006-01-12 21:33:28 GMT)
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https://www.sla.org/PDFs/SLAStyleGuide.pdf
I'm afraid the GPO agrees with the EU, Derek.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/
Note from asker:
| It does look that way, doesn't it? Well, it was worth a try. ;-) |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Martine Brault
32 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Tony M
: That's always been my observation too; even here in France, things like cheque books etc. are often pre-printed with the € symbol in front
33 mins
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Indeed! (Best wishes for 2006, Dusty!) :)
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| agree |
cmwilliams (X)
1 hr
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Thanks!
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Discussion
http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/200/202/metrsty3.htm