Software Internationalization Guide

Software Characteristics That Vary by Locale
Software Internationalization Guide—526225-002
2-18
Numeric and Monetary Formats
Canadian French, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Swiss
French commonly use the 24-hour clock format.
Table 2-8 shows written time formats used by different countries.
To complicate time formats further, the world is divided into 24 time zones, each with its
own name. Some zones have more than one name, and some names represent more
than one time zone. In addition, some countries or regions within a country move their
clocks forward or back an hour at times during the year to maximize daylight, while
others do not.
Numeric and Monetary Formats
Presentation of numeric and monetary values varies from country to country. The
United States and England use periods to denote decimal parts and commas to
separate thousands, but most other countries reverse these definitions.
Table 2-9 shows numeric separators used in various countries.
Various symbols, alphabetic characters, and combinations of the two are used to
define currency. Some countries use the currency symbol at the beginning of the
quantity, some use it at the end of the quantity, and others embed the symbol within
the quantity.
Table 2-10 shows monetary formats used by various countries.
Table 2-8. Time Formats by Country
Country Format
France 16h10
Germany 16.10
Japan 16:10
United States 4:10 p.m.
Table 2-9. Numeric Formats by Country
Country Numeric Format
Finland 1 234.56 (space used for thousands separator; period as decimal character)
Germany 1.234,56 (period used as thousands separator; comma as decimal
character)
United States 1,234.56 (comma used as thousands separator; period as decimal character