Friday 20 June 2014

In Wales,

both English and Welsh are spoken,




indeed over the years Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, encourages the use of using the language of the country and way back in the 1960s they campaigned for bilingual road signs, so here we are 50 years on and various Welsh authorities still seem to get it wrong, take the road sign above issued by the Vale of Glamorgan Council highways department, placed in front of the roadworks at Barons Court roundabout between Penarth and Cardiff, the top part in English is pretty clear to understand, 


but the bottom Welsh translation leaves a little to be desired, llid y bledren dymchwelyd roughly means bladder disease has returned, which begs the question, 'why are Welsh speakers being told this potentially life saving fact, and why are we non Welsh speakers being left in ignorance of this news?'


Owain Sgiv, an officer for the Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, explained, 'cyclists dismount is an awkward sentence to translate as there is no Welsh word for dismount,' he added, 'but the correct translation would be something like dim beicio, which means literally no cycling, or man disgyn i feicwyr, which means fall-off area for cyclists', a council spokesman said: 'it does appear that an error has occurred during the translation process, a matter which is being investigated, in the meantime, amended signs are being produced and should be replaced as soon as possible,' I wonder as there is no Welsh word for dismount what the new sign will say?


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