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There are two different conventions, but I never saw any ambiguity:

One convention is "viertel vor zwei" (13.45) / "viertel nach zwei" (14.15), the other convention popular in the east and southwest is "dreiviertel zwei" (13.45) and "viertel drei" (14.15).

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The ambiguity comes from the problem, when talking to someone from “the other system“. I remember that my “viertel drei“ was misinterpreted as 15.15 by someone, who autocompleted this to “viertel nach drei“ following his system.

Interesting. I never had that problem. Some people can't tell the time in the 'other' system, but they always recognised that it's a system they don't know.

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