periods or commas for decimal points in Spanish? Thread poster: MollyRose
| MollyRose United States Local time: 06:00 English to Spanish + ...
I was taught that in Spanish a comma separates decimals, and a period separates thousands. One thousand would be 1.000 in Spanish, and one and one tenth would be 1,1. However, someone pointed out a link that apparently most of the world, including Spanish-speaking countries, now do it like we do in English. Is it still done the old way in Spain? Is it true that most Spanish readers from Latin America now do it the English way? If so, I need to change the way I type num... See more I was taught that in Spanish a comma separates decimals, and a period separates thousands. One thousand would be 1.000 in Spanish, and one and one tenth would be 1,1. However, someone pointed out a link that apparently most of the world, including Spanish-speaking countries, now do it like we do in English. Is it still done the old way in Spain? Is it true that most Spanish readers from Latin America now do it the English way? If so, I need to change the way I type numbers, since most of the audience for whom I translate is from Mexico, and then also from Central and South America. P.S. I couldn't find a forum called "grammar" or "style," so hopefully I've found the right place to ask this. If not, please forgive me and tell me how to find the right one. ▲ Collapse | | | Henry Hinds United States Local time: 05:00 English to Spanish + ... In memoriam Two Conventions | Feb 15, 2011 |
In Mexico and down through Central America they use the decimal point and comma as in the USA, which has always been the case and that's how I learned. In Spain and South America they are reversed. This has been discussed before and more exact information exists; I don't have it. You might try Googling. There is no "one way" just as there is no "neutral" Spanish, howwver, we all understand each other quite well. | | | Steven Capsuto United States Local time: 07:00 Member (2004) Spanish to English + ...
Henry is right on the money as always (though I've never been clear on exactly where in Latin America the transition takes place). In any case, if your translation is for the U.S. market, use decimal points and comma separators, not the other way around. | | | Cécile A.-C. United States Local time: 07:00 Member (2010) Portuguese to French + ... In Europe, Africa... | Feb 15, 2011 |
Decimals are shown with a comma, since there are not complete numbers where as thousands and ten thousands, switch categories. For my part, I prefer that way it's makes more sense. It's a question of habits, I guess... | |
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periods or commas for decimal points in Spanish? | Feb 15, 2011 |
MollyRose wrote: I was taught that in Spanish a comma separates decimals, and a period separates thousands. One thousand would be 1.000 in Spanish, and one and one tenth would be 1,1. However, someone pointed out a link that apparently most of the world, including Spanish-speaking countries, now do it like we do in English. Is it still done the old way in Spain? Is it true that most Spanish readers from Latin America now do it the English way? If so, I need to change the way I type numbers, since most of the audience for whom I translate is from Mexico, and then also from Central and South America. P.S. I couldn't find a forum called "grammar" or "style," so hopefully I've found the right place to ask this. If not, please forgive me and tell me how to find the right one. Take a look here. May be some style guides from international organisations will help you. Bear in mind that the question will have quite different answers depending if you are asking about Spain spanish or LA spanish, and in LA spanish depending of the LA country.
[Edited at 2011-02-16 09:49 GMT] | | |
Henry Hinds wrote: In Mexico and down through Central America they use the decimal point and comma as in the USA, which has always been the case and that's how I learned. In Spain and South America they are reversed. In Spain, where the standard decimal separator is the comma, the grouping separator is often a (non-breaking) space. So, instead of 7.432.230,30 you get 7 432 230,30. It helps reduce the confusion a bit, and it's what the RAE recommends. Or maybe I just prefer the grouping space because it coincides with the Hungarian convention... | | | MollyRose United States Local time: 06:00 English to Spanish + ... TOPIC STARTER specific country usage | Feb 15, 2011 |
Someone just sent me this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_mark It gives a history, etc. and also lists which countries use a comma and which use a period. It also shows which countries use other ways of writing numbers. Thanks, everyone, who sent replies. They were useful. This link, however, might help someone in the future more specifically! | | | Henry Hinds United States Local time: 05:00 English to Spanish + ... In memoriam Another Convention | Feb 16, 2011 |
This scheme is often used in Mexico, alternating apostrophe and comma as separators, examples: 2'346,560 3,027'994,399 I should clarify that you do not need to use this system, using all commas is fine.
[Editado a las 2011-02-16 00:21 GMT] | |
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Henry Hinds wrote: This scheme is often used in Mexico, alternating apostrophe and comma as separators, examples: 2'346,560 3,027'994,399 ¡Ay mi madre! | | | |
The REA recommends, in its 2010 edition, to use spaces between thousands (except, obviously, for dates). therefore: Three thousand would be 3 000 (with the space). However, the year two thousand would be 2000 (no space, no comma, no dot, nothing). Decimals are separated with commas, such as 2,2, etc. For currencies it is recommended to use the following format: 10 USD (and not USD10, however, the latter is "tolerated" if the text is from "Americas"). Simil... See more The REA recommends, in its 2010 edition, to use spaces between thousands (except, obviously, for dates). therefore: Three thousand would be 3 000 (with the space). However, the year two thousand would be 2000 (no space, no comma, no dot, nothing). Decimals are separated with commas, such as 2,2, etc. For currencies it is recommended to use the following format: 10 USD (and not USD10, however, the latter is "tolerated" if the text is from "Americas"). Similarly, 10 $ is preferred to $10, but again, for "Americas" it is ok to go either way. There are a bunch of other extensive rules, with tones of exceptions listed. I simply go and consult the corresponding page, once I am confronted with a weird case. I also think that consistency is very important. So, if I use 10 $ in a text, I stick to it across the entire text. ▲ Collapse | | |
I also like the spaces, because that leaves no room at all for confusion: where a comma OR a period appears, it can have only one function, that of decimal point. 123 456 789.3 = 123 456 789,3. Harder to read, though, than having a period or a comma there. Plus, confusion can really only arise when there are exactly three digits to the right of the decimal point. Guess that happens often enough, though.
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