This post explains some of the frequent errors associated with translating references to date and time into Russian.
Preferred date format
The recommended date format is DD.MM.YYYY. However, it is a good idea not to change the original format unless it is absolutely necessary. Changing numbers to letters and vice versa will trigger false positive errors during quality assurance. Since those errors take time to check even though they are false positives, it is best to avoid them if possible.
Original | Correct | Incorrect |
8/10/2004 | 10.08.2004 | 8/10/2004 |
April 14, 2009 | 14 апреля 2009 г. | 14.04.2009 (correct, but suboptimal for QA reasons) |
Appending “г.” to year
Unless the date is written like this, “11.06.2008,” you must add the abbreviation “г.” after the year. This helps avoid ambiguity that may otherwise occur when it is difficult to tell whether 2008 is a number or year.
Original | Correct | Incorrect |
2000 Achievements | Достижения в 2000 г. | Достижения 2000 |
Years in periods
When years are mentioned in time frames, you must:
- write years in full;
- use an em-dash between them without spaces;
- add “гг.”
Original | Correct | Incorrect |
In 1981 to 1985, we … | В 1981—1985 гг. мы … | В 1981-1985 гг. or В 1981-85 гг. |
Preferred time format
The recommended time format is HH:MM:SS. Note that a colon is used as a delimiter.
Original | Correct | Incorrect |
12.48 | 12:48 | 12.48 |
5 pm | 17:00 | 5 вечера or 5 п. п. |
If you have a Russian translation that needs editing in order to correct date and time format, check out our revision services.
I saw a Russian grave marker with the format 19 4/IV 41. What is the history of this date code format?
Hi Luke,
Thank you for reading. I do not know exactly, but I would imagine this is just an individual preference. Especially, because they used both the “IV” and “4” for the month. Looks weird to me.
Roman