Yakki dar, moi dear!

[Barry Shnikov]

One for DTS and Baruch.

Apparently Swansea Council emailed a translator for the Welsh language version of a road sign. The translator had an 'out-of-office' message on his email client which said - "I'm out of the office. Please send anything you need for translation"...

...so that's what the council wrote on the sign. Here's a photo.

Lucky someone took a picture before an embarrassed WELSH town council took it down.

[dave the scaffolder]

You just can't beat that, can you?

DTS XXX XXX

[Baruch]

Apparently Swansea Council emailed a translator for the Welsh language version of a road sign.
...
Lucky someone took a picture before an embarrassed WELSH town council took it down.

Indeed. That picture actually first appeared in the Welsh weekly, Golwg, as part of a semi-regular feature called "Sgymraeg" (sgym + Cymraeg, i.e. "scum Welsh"). While in itself it's hilarious, it's just one of a long line of similar idiocies by people who don't speak Welsh and assume nobody else does, and thus don't check their translations. IMO it shows disrespect to our language and to those of us who speak it. After all, it's not as if there's a shortage of Welsh-speakers in the Swansea area to check their translations with.

Further examples here ("Fire exit only" becomes "Lonely fire exit"); here (Friday becomes Tuesday); here (they meant "Welsh Wellies" but actually wrote "Welsh-speaking Wellies"); here ("Road Closed" becomes "Road on a Can"). Here's a picture I took myself, in which "Bridge Closed" becomes something approximating "Bridging is a Lid".

Finally, there's this classic in which the words used to translate "manhole" would be taken by a Welsh-speaker to mean "arsehole".

By the way, what the heck is "yakki dar"?????

[Dreadful Scathe]

an attempt at 'cheers' ? google says : "Iechyd da"

[jivecat]

By the way, what the heck is "yakki dar"?????

I think it roughly translates as "arseholes up, me old sweetheart."
Oops, maybe that gained something in the translation.

[Baruch]

an attempt at 'cheers' ? google says : "Iechyd da"

"Iechyd da" means "good health", but it's nothing like "Yakki dar"!

[philsmove]

I always like the story of the English couple who name their Cottage “Ty Bach”

Ty Bach (House Small) is the common Welsh term for outside toilet

[ducasi]

Here's an example of something similar happening in Chinese/English...

Language Log » Honest but unhelpful

[Barry Shnikov]

"Iechyd da" means "good health", but it's nothing like "Yakki dar"!

I had a book - still around somewhere, I expect - which had chapters devoted to each of the dialects of Britain, detailing the unique slang words (together with pronunciation assistance) so that you could understand and make yourself understood. It was a laugh, not a serious book.

I - um, roared - with laughter when I read the chapter on Lancashire and saw that the advice was to say 'roared' for the english word 'road', and that's why I bought it. There was a lot like that. (I wonder where it is?) Another one was that in Tyneside 'smoke' is pronounced 'smirk', as in "Ah smirk tabs, me."

Relevance? The book was called Yakki dar, my beauty! and the first chapter was about Welsh.

[Baruch]

The book was called Yakki dar, my beauty! and the first chapter was about Welsh.

The author obviously didn't have much of a clue about Welsh, then!

"Yakki dar" is one of those English-isms that makes me cringe whenever I hear it. Strangely, it often seems to be the first thing most monoglot English speakers say to me when they first find out I speak Welsh. Weird.

[Barry Shnikov]

The author obviously didn't have much of a clue about Welsh, then!

"Yakki dar" is one of those English-isms that makes me cringe whenever I hear it. Strangely, it often seems to be the first thing most monoglot English speakers say to me when they first find out I speak Welsh. Weird.

In the same way that they say "Och aye, the noo" and "Top o' the marnin' ". Think yourself lucky. There are no phrases of, say, Dutch that your average monoglot English speaker knows. At least they make an effort with you Welsh people!!

[~*~Saligal~*~]

Here's an example of something similar happening in Chinese/English...

Language Log » Honest but unhelpful

Reading through that link was something along the same lines put on a birthday cake... goodness me
Language Log: Error message iced on cake

[Baruch]

Think yourself lucky. There are no phrases of, say, Dutch that your average monoglot English speaker knows. At least they make an effort with you Welsh people!!

You call that making an effort? Making an effort would involve actually learning to say something properly in the language!

The "effort" most monoglot English-speakers (and I don't just mean those from England) make in Wales is exactly the same as the "effort" they make in Holland, Spain, France or anywhere else, i.e. speaking English and making no effort to learn the local language. Sad but true. In fact, the biggest current threat to the future of the Welsh language is English-speakers who move into Welsh-speaking communities and refuse to integrate. One or two such people may not make a huge difference, but when they reach a critical number and price locals out of the housing market, Welsh stops being the main language of everyday life in that community.

[Barry Shnikov]

You call that making an effort? Making an effort would involve actually learning to say something properly in the language!

The "effort" most monoglot English-speakers (and I don't just mean those from England) make in Wales is exactly the same as the "effort" they make in Holland, Spain, France or anywhere else, i.e. speaking English and making no effort to learn the local language. Sad but true. In fact, the biggest current threat to the future of the Welsh language is English-speakers who move into Welsh-speaking communities and refuse to integrate.

Well, you can hardly blame them when no-one in Swansea District Council can speak Welsh either...

[Dreadful Scathe]

You call that making an effort? Making an effort would involve actually learning to say something properly in the language!

The "effort" most monoglot English-speakers (and I don't just mean those from England) make in Wales is exactly the same as the "effort" they make in Holland, Spain, France or anywhere else, i.e. speaking English and making no effort to learn the local language. Sad but true. In fact, the biggest current threat to the future of the Welsh language is English-speakers who move into Welsh-speaking communities and refuse to integrate. One or two such people may not make a huge difference, but when they reach a critical number and price locals out of the housing market, Welsh stops being the main language of everyday life in that community.

same in the North of Scotland - no great attempt of new incomers to speak Gaelic even when it is still the first language of many local children in some areas. I think Gaelic is worse off then Welsh

[Beowulf]

at least the welsh never get accused of BEING a drink !!

Down here in London I'm continually being asked if I'm SCOTCH !

my usual answer?

"Yes, I'm actually a fine malt Whisky in the cunning guise of a human being. Aged 37 years you know !!"



And there's one guy in my office who thinks it's endearing to great me with his "brigadoon" accent every time we meet. The funny thing is.. when I do it back to him .. he doesn't realise I'm taking the P*ss

[Baruch]

Down here in London I'm continually being asked if I'm SCOTCH !

I've been "accused" of that a few times. What I was actually saying, though, was "Ah, you're a Scot!"

Then again, you Scots don't get named after American toffee (Taffy)!

And there's one guy in my office who thinks it's endearing to great me with his "brigadoon" accent every time we meet. The funny thing is.. when I do it back to him .. he doesn't realise I'm taking the P*ss

In a similar vein, I always find it hilarious when non-Welsh people tell me, with absolute sincerity, that I should have no problem understanding people with a strong Indian accent because I'm Welsh and the accents sound the same. Especially when they then proceed to try to demonstrate! Mind you, most English people do tend to sound more Asian than Celtic when they're trying to put on a Welsh accent.

[pmjd]

Down here in London I'm continually being asked if I'm SCOTCH !

Hilarious isn't it

And there's one guy in my office who thinks it's endearing to great me with his "brigadoon" accent every time we meet. The funny thing is.. when I do it back to him .. he doesn't realise I'm taking the P*ss

What's his accent? Try replying to him with a really bad impersonation of his accent, or start throwing in some randomly made up Scottish words, could always be fun if he actually tries to use them on anyone else he uses his Brigadoon accent on

In a similar vein, I always find it hilarious when non-Welsh people tell me, with absolute sincerity, that I should have no problem understanding people with a strong Indian accent because I'm Welsh and the accents sound the same. Especially when they then proceed to try to demonstrate! Mind you, most English people do tend to sound more Asian than Celtic when they're trying to put on a Welsh accent.

Reminds me of Eddie Izzard and his Welsh pimp impression that always ended up sounding like a strong Indian accent, but at least he knew it

[ducasi]

Reading through that link was something along the same lines put on a birthday cake... goodness me
Language Log: Error message iced on cake

Classic!!