Lack of Welsh signage on IET fleet

[whole diary]

[Rob on the hill]

I thought I had heard that the 800s weren't being named?

Queen Elizabeth
Queen Victoria

Also 800 004 named Isambard Kingdom Brunel / Sir Daniel Gooch, with more to follow I understand.

[TonyK]

A bit rich, given that they have the Welsh for "husband" written on the side of all the trains. And "outskirts", so they know where the train goes after leaving Cardiff Central. First have even demonstrated the opportunity-opening nature of the new services by naming the trains "gate" in Welsh.

[bobm]

I thought I had heard that the 800s weren't being named?

Queen Elizabeth
Queen Victoria

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Daniel Gooch

As for Welsh signs - the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) are missing a few English ones - including one for where to load bikes and marking the crew door behind the cab as "Not for passenger use".

[ellendune]

A bit rich, given that they have the Welsh for "husband" written on the side of all the trains.....

No the accent over the w is important it changes the meaning

... And "outskirts", so they know where the train goes after leaving Cardiff Central....

See you do know the difference the accent makes.  Presumable you consider West Wales the edge of the world.

... First have even demonstrated the opportunity-opening nature of the new services by naming the trains "gate" in Welsh.

[Tim]

It seems very reasonable to insist that trains operating in Wales should have bilingual signage. It seems very unreasonable to suggest that any train that might operate in Wales should have bilingual signage. But if it's just a matter of configuring software based on route and location, then GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should consider that.

The key to this is the word reasonable; if you're not careful you end up with the utter absurdity of utility companies putting up Welsh-first warning signs in Bristol. And that's not a joke, by the way; they do!

Agree that GWR and ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) are and should be different as to the degree of Welshness they show.  However, once GWR have got the trains introduced properly (which ought to be the priority at the moment), it would not be unreasonable to include something on naming them which gives a connection to all of the areas they serve including Wales. 

[PhilWakely]

If GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) name an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) set "Y Cymro / The Welshman" and add dragon decals, that will at least match the current Welshness of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) fleet.

Not entirely correct as I believe two current GWR HST power cars that have not yet moved north of the border carry names in the Welsh language....
43140  Landore Diesel Depot 1963 Celebrating 50 Years 2013 / Depo Diesel Gandwr 1963 Dathu 50 Mylnedd 2013;
43141  Cardiff Panel Signal Box 1966-2016 / Blwch Signalau Panel Caerdydd 1966-2016

[The Tall Controller]

All IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) will be named after people from the areas GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) serve and there are plenty of Welshies on the list.

[grahame]

All IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) will be named after people from the areas GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) serve and there are plenty of Welshies on the list.

I suspect all the names may have been chosen judging by Rob T's comments - in case not, I looked up a list of famous people from my home town - and two in particular strike me as having a steam engine and / or railway connection too.  Alternatively, there's a name there famous for making sh*t less of a problem, and his could be a fitting name for one of the trains too.  Better not choose Andy Park; we would be sen to be encouraging a Christlas day service every day of the year!   From Wikipedia:

Matthew Bound, footballer
Edmund Wright Brooks (1834–1928), Quaker philanthropist
John Fowler (1826–1864), agricultural engineer
James Hurn, cricketer
Phil McMullen, writer, music critic, events organiser
Ken Gill (1927–2009), trade union leader; caricaturist
Sidney Leslie Goodwin, child victim of the sinking of the RMS Titanic
Robert Martineau, Anglican bishop; curate in Melksham
Henry Moule (1801–1880), pioneer of the earth closet
Andy Park, known as "Mr. Christmas", he celebrated Christmas every day from July 1993 until December 25 (Christmas Day) 2015
Diana Ross, children's author, lived at Shaw for many years
John Dunlop Southern, cricketer
George Thicknesse, 19th Baron Audley, died, and is buried, in Melksham
Ann Yearsley (ca. 1753–1806), poet; died in Melksham

[patch38]

Now that's something to have on your tombstone: 'Pioneer of the earth closet'. Excellent.

[chuffed]

I was surprised how old this story was (31/10/2008)

E-mail error ends up on road sign
Mis-translated bilingual road sign
The English is clear enough to lorry drivers - but the Welsh reads "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated."

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.
   
 It's good to see people trying to translate but they should really ask for expert help.

Swansea council got lost in translation when it was looking to halt heavy goods vehicles using a road near an Asda store in the Morriston area.

All official road signs in Wales are bilingual, so the local authority e-mailed its in-house translation service for the Welsh version of: "No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only".

The reply duly came back and officials set the wheels in motion to create the large sign in both languages.
The notice went up and all seemed well - until Welsh speakers began pointing out the embarrassing error.


The sign was lost in translation - and is now missing from the roadside
Managing editor Mr Iorwerth said: "We've been running a series of these pictures over the past months.
"They're circulating among Welsh speakers because, unfortunately, it's all too common that things are not just badly translated, but are put together by people who have no idea about the language.
"It's good to see people trying to translate, but they should really ask for expert help.
"Everything these days seems to be written first in English and then translated.
"Ideally, they should be written separately in both languages."


A council spokeswoman said: "Our attention was drawn to the mistranslation of a sign at the junction of Clase Road and Pant-y-Blawd Road.
Other confusing signs
"We took it down as soon as we were made aware of it and a correct sign will be re-instated as soon as possible."

The blunder is not the only time Welsh has been translated incorrectly or put in the wrong place:
• Cyclists between Cardiff and Penarth in 2006 were left confused by a bilingual road sign telling them they had problems with an "inflamed bladder".

• In the same year, a sign for pedestrians in Cardiff reading 'Look Right' in English read 'Look Left' in Welsh.

• In 2006, a shared-faith school in Wrexham removed a sign which translated the Welsh for staff as "wooden stave".

• Football fans at a FA Cup tie between Oldham and Chasetown - two English teams - in 2005 were left scratching their heads after a Welsh-language hoarding was put up along the pitch. It should have gone to a match in Merthyr Tydfil.

• People living near an Aberdeenshire building site in 2006 were mystified when a sign apologising for the inconvenience was put up in Welsh as well as English

[Bmblbzzz]

It seems very reasonable to insist that trains operating in Wales should have bilingual signage. It seems very unreasonable to suggest that any train that might operate in Wales should have bilingual signage. But if it's just a matter of configuring software based on route and location, then GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should consider that.

The key to this is the word reasonable; if you're not careful you end up with the utter absurdity of utility companies putting up Welsh-first warning signs in Bristol. And that's not a joke, by the way; they do!

I'd always put that down to simply using whatever signs they had to hand, as opposed to any sort of policy.

[Chris from Nailsea]

All IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) will be named after people from the areas GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) serve and there are plenty of Welshies on the list.

I'll suggest Windsor Davies. 

[ellendune]

It seems very reasonable to insist that trains operating in Wales should have bilingual signage. It seems very unreasonable to suggest that any train that might operate in Wales should have bilingual signage. But if it's just a matter of configuring software based on route and location, then GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should consider that.

The key to this is the word reasonable; if you're not careful you end up with the utter absurdity of utility companies putting up Welsh-first warning signs in Bristol. And that's not a joke, by the way; they do!

I'd always put that down to simply using whatever signs they had to hand, as opposed to any sort of policy.

Since the (at least around these parts of the WR area) is Gas Distributor is Wales and West Utilities (the clue is in the name) it is not unreasonable that gangs around Bristol might work both sides of the border. 

Similarly Western Power Distribution, which is the Electricity distribution network operator in Bristol and further West also covers South Wales. 

Now if you saw a Wessex Water or Bristol Water sign in Welsh that would be a surprise. 

[PhilWakely]

All IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) will be named after people from the areas GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) serve and there are plenty of Welshies on the list.

I'll suggest Windsor Davies. 

Oh Dear! How Sad! What a Pity! Never Mind! Luvly Boy!   

[Red Squirrel]

Since the (at least around these parts of the WR area) is Gas Distributor is Wales and West Utilities (the clue is in the name) it is not unreasonable that gangs around Bristol might work both sides of the border. 

Similarly Western Power Distribution, which is the Electricity distribution network operator in Bristol and further West also covers South Wales. 

Now if you saw a Wessex Water or Bristol Water sign in Welsh that would be a surprise. 

Not unreasonable that they should work either side of the Hafren, but ludicrous to put up Welsh-first warning signs in Bristol. For the record, the top ten languages spoken in Bristol are, in order: English, Polish, Somali, Chinese (all variants), Urdu, French, Spanish, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali.