in behalf of / on behalf of

**vil** · 07-Apr-2008, 08:13

Dear teachers,

There are two expression which attracted my attention namely “in behalf of” and “on behalf of”.

Would you be kind enough explain to me the difference between them. I know that “on behalf of” = “be/stand proxy for“, ”as the representative of, as the agent of” and “in behold of” = in the interest of, to the advantage of, in someone’s favor”, “for the benefit of”. I know also that there are many possibilities of writing and different manners of expression (wording). For example there is “on behalf of my wife” but also “in my wife’s behalf” = “”in the name of my wife” as well as “We raised money in behalf of the earthquake victims”,” The guardian signed the contract on behalf of the minor child”.The two meanings are quite close, and the phrases are often used interchangeably.

But you must not plead in behalf of your will and refuse to give due weight to mine.
When a contributor has written or edited a work “on behalf of” an organization or group, the contributor is acting as a representative of the organization,…
We are writing to you in behalf of Bart Cilfone.
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the situation in Cameroon.
In his letter to Charles I, King of Spain, on 20 January 1526, Jorge Estegenez, in behalf of Antonio and Jacobo Fucar, informs the King ...
We've testified in court in and before Congress in behalf of abused children.
We collected money in behalf of the homeless.
On behalf ofthe department I would like to thank you all.

Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Regards.

V.

**heidita** · 07-Apr-2008, 13:05

Interesting question:

§ 169. in behalf of / on behalf of
A traditional rule holds that in behalf of and on behalf of have distinct meanings. Accordingly, you should use in behalf of to mean “for the benefit of,” as in We raised money in behalf of the earthquake victims. And you should use on behalf of to mean “as the agent of, on the part of,” as in The guardian signed the contract on behalf of the child. But as the two meanings are quite close, the phrases are often used interchangeably, even by reputable writers.

**vil** · 07-Apr-2008, 15:13

Hi Heidita,

Thank you for your useful post.

I take people’s opinion into consideration, but I consider it my duty to say now that against the quoted above traditional rule I prefer the usage “on behalf of” than “in behalf of”. The former expression sounds more natural and intelligibly. For example: “holdings on behalf of third party”, “operating systems on behalf of third parties”, “on behalf of the bank”, “on behalf of the client”, “issued on behalf of the carrier”, “if paid on behalf of the seller”.

There is a classical sentence:

a xxxxx corporation with a registered address at zzzzz, the SUPPLIER, acting for itself and on behalf of its affiliated companies

Wie drückt man das geschickt auf deutsch aus?

Regards.

V.