# Attention European Embassies in America: Use American Style Dating on Your Official Notices! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945 "2012-09-07T02:49:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/81 "2012-09-09T16:13:38Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > … > > P.S. I can use the word Kraut because I am one. By the way, we really need newer ethnic slurs for Germans. Kraut is just lame. Were you raised and educated in Germany, or were you born and raised in the US? If the latter, then you most certainly are not German and you can keep your racism to yourself. pdts ---
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/82 "2012-09-09T16:16:54Z")
> [@digs](#): > > \ > > Everyone I’ve ever heard would say _“I’ll stop by on September Twentieth”_. Are there people (some Brits?) who’d say _“I’ll stop by on Twenty September.”?_ If they’re from the UK, they’d probably add “I’ll knock you up then!” just to add to the confusion… Have you spent much time in Britain? Because “the 20th of september” is an absolutely standard way of talking. Having lived in the US for awhile, I now say “September 20th” and was called out by my UK friends for having picked up an Americanism. pdts ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/83 "2012-09-09T16:21:15Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > Have you spent much time in Britain? Because “the 20th of september” is an absolutely standard way of talking. > > Having lived in the US for awhile, I now say “September 20th” and was called out by my UK friends for having picked up an Americanism. > > pdts Being English born and bred and having been a resident for the last 45 years without a break, I can say “The 20th of September” and “September the 20th” are both standard usages, but yes, dropping the “the” in the latter would mark you with an American taint (and I really don’t need to be exposed to your taint TYVM). ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/84 "2012-09-09T16:24:41Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > Have you spent much time in Britain? Because “the 20th of september” is an absolutely standard way of talking. > > pdts I’m guessing it comes from the old way of stating dates: On the twentieth day of September in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twelve. It just got shortened. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/85 "2012-09-10T02:19:40Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > Were you raised and educated in Germany, or were you born and raised in the US? If the latter, then you most certainly are not German and you can keep your racism to yourself. > > pdts I’d avoid any discussions about who can and who cannot use the N-word if I were you. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/86 "2012-09-10T02:29:32Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > That’s where YMD works, and it’s not just 12/09/07, because that’s obviously just as ambiguous as either other system, but it’s 2012-09-07 (I’ll even do 20120907 at times). It has an even more logical order than the European method, ordering most significant to least significant, . That’s theoretically true, but in practice the year is the least significant information in 95% of the documents I receive. If I get a bill, there’s rarely a doubt about what year they expect to get my money. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/87 "2012-09-10T09:43:03Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Do you speak that way? _“I’ll stop by on the Thursday after next… 2012 Oh-Nine Twenty.”_ Honestly? I have this amazing ability to read something and translate it into words. So, incredible that I am, I can see “2012-09-20” and read “The twentieth of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twelve”. In similar fashion, I can see a digital clock reading “09:45” and read it out loud as “a quarter to ten”. Fucking amazing, eh? You really should look into it. ---
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/88 "2012-09-11T13:53:18Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I’d avoid any discussions about who can and who cannot use the N-word if I were you. Why? In any case, I’d imagine that wannabe Germans using ‘Kraut’ is a fairly uncontroversial case. Same as Giles Coren (a third-generation Briton of Polish descent) referring to newly-arrived Polish immigrants as ‘Polacks’. He’s not Polish, so even if they can do it, he can’t. ([link](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/08/pressandpublishing.thetimes)) pdts ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/89 "2012-09-11T14:39:58Z")
The only person who really ought to be pitted in all this is the OP. There’s clearly room for argument on whether a foreign embassy in the US should adopt the US dating convention (there really isn’t any room for argument on whether our dating convention is sensible, because it’s clearly stupid). That being the case, anyone who thinks he got fucked over because a German government agency printed a document in the same manner it prints all other documents is stupid. Let’s leave aside the fact that his mother has been getting these notices every two years and is presumably German. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/90 "2012-09-11T14:40:07Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Who gives a shit what works well for computers? Computers need to accommodate humans, not the other way round. DD/MM/YYYY works best because it lists from left to right the information most likely to be of interest to the person reading it. See, I’ll actually defend the American way of writing dates, because, for me, month then date is the most interesting information when talking about deadlines and future engagements or looking up past information. That said, I like dating things in the YYYYMMDD format on computer, and on letters I’ll go different ways. In my hand-written correspondence, I would write year-roman numeral month-day, so today would be notated as 2012.IX.11. Why? Personal quirk. Picked it up in Hungary and the notation made sense to me. For any normal business correspondence, it’s month (written out), day, year, so September 11, 2012. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/91 "2012-09-11T15:27:27Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I have this amazing ability to read something and translate it into words. So, incredible that I am, I can see “2012-09-20” and read “The twentieth of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twelve”. In similar fashion, I can see a digital clock reading “09:45” and read it out loud as “a quarter to ten”. Fucking amazing, eh? > > You really should look into it. But “2012-09-20” is easy; are you good enough to translate “2012-09-02”? Is it Feb or Sep? Since your snark was directed at me, I just thought I’d point out that: a) You have a good point. Our brains should be able to translate 9/20/2012 or Sept09’12 as Sept. 20th without a hitch. The only problem I have is when it’s the 12th or earlier in a month: “Pay by 09/07/2012 or we send goons to break your fingers”. So I endorse using “Sept”, or maybe add it in parentheses after: “9/7/12 (Sept. 7, 2012)” b) I do love snark. (I wonder if there’s a Message Board where I could get a non-stop stream of it? _(“Board of Messages” if you’re using European Nomenclature)_ ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/92 "2012-09-11T15:29:43Z")
Since there isn’t a YYYY-DD-MM convention, I suspect we’re all good enough to translate 2012-09-02. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/93 "2012-09-12T15:24:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Since there isn’t a YYYY-DD-MM convention, I suspect we’re all good enough to translate 2012-09-02. Yeah. I was pretty confused by that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/94 "2012-09-12T21:02:20Z")
> [@manila](#): > > Of course if she is sucking on the german taxpayer’s teet she should be obliged to present herself to the authorities wearing leiderhosen […] I got me some leiderhosen, and boy do I ever regret it. ---
**Author:** ![Abortion\_Fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Abortion\_Fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abortion_Fanatic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/95 "2012-09-12T21:22:02Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Use what’s appropriate for your audience. This isn’t some huge dilemma. I don’t believe there are many, if any, situations in which your all-numbers format would actually be useful. In your opinion, should the embassy be writing to her in German or English? ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/96 "2012-09-12T21:44:16Z")
> [@Abortion\_Fanatic](#): > > In your opinion, should the embassy be writing to her in German or English? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/97 "2012-09-12T22:15:30Z")
> [@Abortion\_Fanatic](#): > > In your opinion, should the embassy be writing to her in German or English? Well, let’s see. She used to live in Germany and now she lives in America. How about either? Or both? We have wonderful technology that makes it so easy. THey have to make a choice anyway. Or are you suggesting that the entire letter could have been put into numerical code? Weirdly enough, writing months in either German or English is nearly identical. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/98 "2012-09-12T23:43:24Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Do you speak that way? _“I’ll stop by on the Thursday after next… 2012 Oh-Nine Twenty.”_ Honestly? > > I’ve been hammering into my students’ heads that if a headline doesn’t sound like something someone would say, in the most common idiom, it’ll sound false and no one’ll believe your article/advert. > > Everyone I’ve ever heard would say _“I’ll stop by on September Twentieth”_. Are there people (some Brits?) who’d say _“I’ll stop by on Twenty September.”?_ If they’re from the UK, they’d probably add “I’ll knock you up then!” just to add to the confusion… Do you read $9.25 as “dollars nine point two five”? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/99 "2012-09-12T23:58:26Z")
I dunno, do you ever write nine dollars and 25 cents as 25c$9? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945/100 "2012-09-13T00:06:31Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I dunno, do you ever write nine dollars and 25 cents as 25c$9? 😃 No, I start from the largest unit and work my way down to the smallest, thus: 2012/09/12 20:06:45. It seems to be the thing to do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-european-embassies-in-america-use-american-style-dating-on-your-official-notices/633945.md?page=6)