How do you juggle your dates when travelling?
Jun 28, 2012, 4:32 am
#16
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A colleague of mine with Russian ties writes the month in Roman numerals; this makes it unambiguous.
I've had customs people question my nationality over this issue and recently some bank form that I signed was apparently questioned because I wrote the date of my signature as daynumber monthinwords year, which resulted in a delay processing the transaction. I wish the world could standardize on this. (BTW, I've also had trouble with European countries writing commas for decimal points and periods for commas when writing numbers, in particular for amounts of money on bank and other financial forms, receipts, etc.)
I've had customs people question my nationality over this issue and recently some bank form that I signed was apparently questioned because I wrote the date of my signature as daynumber monthinwords year, which resulted in a delay processing the transaction. I wish the world could standardize on this. (BTW, I've also had trouble with European countries writing commas for decimal points and periods for commas when writing numbers, in particular for amounts of money on bank and other financial forms, receipts, etc.)
Jun 28, 2012, 8:45 am
#20
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Ah. In that case, order is immaterial.
It's the numerical representation where the issue is.
Even when you spevify a date without no ambiguity, like using name of the month, the person who enters that date in the convention that they are used to, starts the confusion.
You specify DOB as 2 July, 1997.
The TA enters it as 02/07/97.
A check-in agent at U.S. airport reads it as 7 Feb., 1997.
The best solution is for every one to adopt the same convention for transactions that invilves people from different parts of the world.
It's the numerical representation where the issue is.
Even when you spevify a date without no ambiguity, like using name of the month, the person who enters that date in the convention that they are used to, starts the confusion.
You specify DOB as 2 July, 1997.
The TA enters it as 02/07/97.
A check-in agent at U.S. airport reads it as 7 Feb., 1997.
The best solution is for every one to adopt the same convention for transactions that invilves people from different parts of the world.
Jun 28, 2012, 9:18 am
#21
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It certainly can be confusing, as can the decimal/comma issue.
Jun 28, 2012, 12:01 pm
#22
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On most forms it isn't a problem since it will specify the format for you as in mm/dd/yyyy. When using a date in correspondence I just spell out the month, as in "I'm writing to enquire if you have a room available for 4 nights beginning April 12."
Jun 28, 2012, 3:13 pm
#23
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Jun 28, 2012, 3:18 pm
#24
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Only if you know the code. I don't see why writing 04/XII makes it any clearer. Could still be April 12th or December 4th.
On most forms it isn't a problem since it will specify the format for you as in mm/dd/yyyy. When using a date in correspondence I just spell out the month, as in "I'm writing to enquire if you have a room available for 4 nights beginning April 12."
On most forms it isn't a problem since it will specify the format for you as in mm/dd/yyyy. When using a date in correspondence I just spell out the month, as in "I'm writing to enquire if you have a room available for 4 nights beginning April 12."
I don't anyone would write the date in Roman numbers, as it requires one to know Roman numeration until XXXI, which not many Americans can do. Seeing anything written in Roman numbers makes one pause, reducing the chances of confusion. Sure, some will be clueless, b ut they can ask. It still does not eliminate confusion down the line when someone else has provided that date according to their own convention, even if they deciphered it correctly.
That's why uniform convention would be better.
Can you imagine writing the year in Roman numerals? Always makes me puase when trying to decipher year written in Roman numerals.
MDCCCLXXXVIII for 1888 or MCMLXXXIX for 1989
Movies and some monuments have the year in Roman numerals.
Last edited by Yaatri; Jun 28, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Jun 28, 2012, 8:49 pm
#25
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With the recent changes in Myanmar, the list of countries not using the metric system is going to become shorter and shorter....
Jun 30, 2012, 2:04 am
#26
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My DD has no problem, however it's written -- 03/03/77, 3 MAR 77 etc.
Likewise mine: Day = greater than 12, month = less than 12, year = greater than 31. No way of misunderstanding which number is day, month or year.
I usually follow the convention of dd/mm/yyyy
Likewise mine: Day = greater than 12, month = less than 12, year = greater than 31. No way of misunderstanding which number is day, month or year.
I usually follow the convention of dd/mm/yyyy
Jun 30, 2012, 3:23 am
#27
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Which is confusable for the first 12 days of the month.
Personally for human-read values, I prefer the same convention as several others up-thread: spell the month, and use a 4 digit year. Whether you write it 12 Dec 2012 or Dec 12, 2012, or 2012 Dec 12 there is no potential ambiguity.
If one must use a purely numeric form, there is a clear and obvious right answer: Japanese style Y-M-D. It's the only one that sorts properly, both in numeric or alphabetic sort (assuming you zero pad month and day; if not, at least you are putting the most significant digits first.) Either the US or European convention requires you to do a special "date sort" rather than treating it as a number or a numeric string.
(This fails to keep the property of string sort when going back to 999AD unless you pad a leading zero on the year, and it will fail again in 10,000 AD. The Y10k problem fails to move me.)
Personally for human-read values, I prefer the same convention as several others up-thread: spell the month, and use a 4 digit year. Whether you write it 12 Dec 2012 or Dec 12, 2012, or 2012 Dec 12 there is no potential ambiguity.
If one must use a purely numeric form, there is a clear and obvious right answer: Japanese style Y-M-D. It's the only one that sorts properly, both in numeric or alphabetic sort (assuming you zero pad month and day; if not, at least you are putting the most significant digits first.) Either the US or European convention requires you to do a special "date sort" rather than treating it as a number or a numeric string.
(This fails to keep the property of string sort when going back to 999AD unless you pad a leading zero on the year, and it will fail again in 10,000 AD. The Y10k problem fails to move me.)
Jun 30, 2012, 4:58 am
#28
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Jul 4, 2012, 5:14 am
#29
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Well, of course there is, for non-English speakers (eg Finnish for December is Joulukuuta), let alone those countries like Greece or Russia who do not use the Latin alphabet, which all numbers overcomes.[/QUOTE]
Jul 4, 2012, 7:06 am
#30
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Quite
Hindu numerals, are recognised by every one who speaks English or a European language and many others too. Numeric format is more useful.
Numerical significance in the sense of magnitude is not significant in the context of dates. In most circumstances of everyday communication, day is the most significant, followed by month and year. I hope no one thinks that the year is the most significant number in pay by dates on their bill.
What is the European convention? D/M/Y?
Ease of sortability is not significant for lay people like most of us.
If one must use a purely numeric form, there is a clear and obvious right answer: Japanese style Y-M-D. It's the only one that sorts properly, both in numeric or alphabetic sort (assuming you zero pad month and day; if not, at least you are putting the most significant digits first.) Either the US or European convention requires you to do a special "date sort" rather than treating it as a number or a numeric string.
What is the European convention? D/M/Y?
Ease of sortability is not significant for lay people like most of us.