Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
12 a.m. vs 12 p.m.
English translation:
noon and midnight / 1201 am vs. 1159 pm
Added to glossary by
Natalie Wilcock (X)
Apr 7, 2006 08:27
18 yrs ago
9 viewers *
German term
12 a.m. vs 12 p.m.
German to English
Law/Patents
Science (general)
Times
Right folks, having major headache over how to render twelve o'clock midnight (i.e. 00:00 hrs) and twelve o'clock in the morning (i.e. 12:00) with the a.m. and p.m. format. Have discussed this almost ad infinitum and although the Oxford Dictionary mentions the use of a.m. and p.m. it is rather difficult to judge from this when they are used for midnight and noon. As I am having to insert these in a contract as a deadline it is crucial I get it right.
I thought that midnight is 12 p.m. and noon 12 a.m. but another colleague threw a spanner in me works after expressing her doubts...back to square one. So, is 12 Uhr Mitternacht 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.?
Please, no guessing ;-)) Thanks so much in advance.
I thought that midnight is 12 p.m. and noon 12 a.m. but another colleague threw a spanner in me works after expressing her doubts...back to square one. So, is 12 Uhr Mitternacht 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.?
Please, no guessing ;-)) Thanks so much in advance.
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +8 | noon and midnight | Lydia Wazir |
5 +10 | 12am midnight, 12pm midday | Alison Jenner |
4 +2 | midnight and noon | Emma Grubb |
4 +1 | s. unten | Emilie |
4 +1 | 12:00 midnight | Serge Vazhnenko |
Proposed translations
+8
12 mins
Selected
noon and midnight
This is a tricky question. The answer is that the terms 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. are wrong and should not be used.
To illustrate this, consider that "a.m" and "p.m." are abbreviations for "ante meridiem" and "post meridiem." They mean "before noon" and "after noon," respectively. Noon is neither before or after noon; it is simply noon. Therefore, neither the "a.m." nor "p.m." designation is correct. On the other hand, midnight is both 12 hours before noon and 12 hours after noon. Therefore, either 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. could work as a designation for midnight, but both would be ambiguous as to the date intended.
When a specific date is important, and when we can use a 24-hour clock, we prefer to designate that moment not as 1200 midnight, but rather as 0000 if we are referring to the beginning of a given day (or date), or 2400 if we are designating the end of a given day (or date).
To be certain of avoiding ambiguity (while still using a 12-hour clock), specify an event as beginning at 1201 a.m. or ending at 1159 p.m., for example; this method is used by the railroads and airlines for schedules, and is often found on legal papers such as contracts and insurance policies.
If one is referring not to a specific date, but rather to several days, or days in general, use the terms noon and midnight instead of 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. For example, a bank might be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Or a grocery store might be open daily until midnight. The terms "12 noon" and "12 midnight" are also correct, though redundant.
To illustrate this, consider that "a.m" and "p.m." are abbreviations for "ante meridiem" and "post meridiem." They mean "before noon" and "after noon," respectively. Noon is neither before or after noon; it is simply noon. Therefore, neither the "a.m." nor "p.m." designation is correct. On the other hand, midnight is both 12 hours before noon and 12 hours after noon. Therefore, either 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. could work as a designation for midnight, but both would be ambiguous as to the date intended.
When a specific date is important, and when we can use a 24-hour clock, we prefer to designate that moment not as 1200 midnight, but rather as 0000 if we are referring to the beginning of a given day (or date), or 2400 if we are designating the end of a given day (or date).
To be certain of avoiding ambiguity (while still using a 12-hour clock), specify an event as beginning at 1201 a.m. or ending at 1159 p.m., for example; this method is used by the railroads and airlines for schedules, and is often found on legal papers such as contracts and insurance policies.
If one is referring not to a specific date, but rather to several days, or days in general, use the terms noon and midnight instead of 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. For example, a bank might be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Or a grocery store might be open daily until midnight. The terms "12 noon" and "12 midnight" are also correct, though redundant.
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Gabrielle Lyons
: probably the best, but depends on context
11 mins
|
agree |
urst
22 mins
|
agree |
Eckhard Boehle
24 mins
|
agree |
Cetacea
: Thanks for the voice of logic!
1 hr
|
:-)
|
|
agree |
Lucia [Lulu] Lay
4 hrs
|
agree |
Rebecca Garber
4 hrs
|
agree |
Meturgan
1 day 58 mins
|
agree |
Anne Schulz
: If 12 p.m. is noon, 11 a.m. would be followed by 12 p.m., which in turn is followed by 1 p.m. -- does that make sense??
3 days 22 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you Lydia, in the end my client went with your suggestion of 1201 am and 1159 pm."
+10
6 mins
12am midnight, 12pm midday
12 o' clock midnight is 12am, 12 o' clock midday is 12pm
Peer comment(s):
agree |
itla
: But there is sufficient confusion to justify the use of "midnight" and "noon"
9 mins
|
agree |
Gabrielle Lyons
: This is right. So is midnight and noon. Decide according to context.
16 mins
|
agree |
Lori Dendy-Molz
: Yes, this is right, and definitely include midnight and noon - most people are confused about which is which.
20 mins
|
agree |
Ian M-H (X)
29 mins
|
agree |
Languageman
: You certainly shouldn't say "twelve o'clock in the morning". Stick to 24 hr clock for a contract if possible, I would say.
29 mins
|
agree |
Hilary Davies Shelby
: This is correct, yes
2 hrs
|
agree |
Julia Lipeles
4 hrs
|
agree |
Ingeborg Gowans (X)
4 hrs
|
agree |
Rebecca Garber
5 hrs
|
agree |
Meturgan
1 day 1 hr
|
+2
6 mins
midnight and noon
why not render it this way for the sake of clarity?
In my opinion, 12am is midnight and 12pm is noon.
In my opinion, 12am is midnight and 12pm is noon.
+1
8 mins
s. unten
http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/noon.htm
Nicht einfach, was? Obige Webseite sagt tatsächlich, dass
12 a.m. und 12 p.m. NICHTS BEDEUTEN. Es müsste also doch umschrieben werden. Midday / Midnight ... (etwas in diese Richtung)
Nicht einfach, was? Obige Webseite sagt tatsächlich, dass
12 a.m. und 12 p.m. NICHTS BEDEUTEN. Es müsste also doch umschrieben werden. Midday / Midnight ... (etwas in diese Richtung)
+1
15 mins
12:00 midnight
If your text refers to a business contract, then you should be very careful about terms. I'd suggest you to put it like 12:00 midnight. Because the question of 12a.m or 12 p.m. appears to be a disputable one.
Discussion