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Prefix before German name

  • 10-12-2008 9:37am
    #1
    DannyBuoy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 598 ✭✭✭


    Hi, does anyone know what i. A. means when its directly before a German person's name? I think it may be some technical or computer related title but I'm not sure.
    Thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,327 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    i. A. is im Auftrag.
    Before a name it would mean something like regarding Mr. Bloggs, as per Mr. Bloggs, or Herr Bloggs, I suppose.


  • #3
    An Citeog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,096 ✭✭✭An Citeog


    Yeah, it's im Auftrag. It's the same as pp. in English/Latin.


  • #4
    DannyBuoy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 598 ✭✭✭DannyBuoy


    An Citeog wrote: »
    Yeah, it's im Auftrag. It's the same as pp. in English/Latin.

    Ah, so possibly signed on behalf of someone?


  • #5
    An Citeog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,096 ✭✭✭An Citeog


    DannyBuoy wrote: »
    Ah, so possibly signed on behalf of someone?

    Yeah, that's the one!


  • #6
    DannyBuoy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 598 ✭✭✭DannyBuoy


    An Citeog wrote: »
    Yeah, that's the one!

    Good stuff, appreciate the help, thanks.


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  • #7
    peasant
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    It actually has legal implications in German business law.

    i.A means "im Auftrag" or "as ordered". Someone signs something because their boss told them to do so (an order / order confirmation /invoice). The legal partner for the signed document however is not the signee, but the owner of the business or the "Prokurist"

    pp means "per prokura" ...pretty much same as the above, except that for someone having "Prokura" / being a "Prokurist" actually endows them with quite some legal power in regards of running the business. Legally they are empowered to do pretty much everything with the business short of selling it.

    Only the legal owner of the business can sign (legal) documents with their name only.

    So a German business document like an invoice/order/ order confirmation
    usually always carries "i.A." before the signature, for a large order/invoice it may be the "pp".


    Having said that ...some companies are very lax about this and let everybody just sign with their name regardless of who they are


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