Friday Funny: Mistranslation Ends Up on Road Sign

In Swansea, U.K., planners requested a translation via email of a road sign into Welsh. What they got back was not quite what they expected.

1 minute read

November 7, 2008, 2:00 PM PST

By Tim Halbur


"When officials asked for the Welsh translation of a road sign, they thought the reply was what they needed.

Unfortunately, the e-mail response to Swansea council said in Welsh: "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated".

So that was what went up under the English version which barred lorries from a road near a supermarket.

"When they're proofing signs, they should really use someone who speaks Welsh," said journalist Dylan Iorwerth."

Friday, October 31, 2008 in BBC News

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