Sarcastic Tweet Gets Similar Response Shock

[306024]

Been in South Wales for three days now, the only place I have heard Welsh spoken is the announcements on Cardiff Central station. Hopefully ATW's apology is for public consumption only, and their staff member is given a bonus.

 

[paulravuslante]

On various visits to Wales in recent years, I have only heard it spoken in Snowdonia. Those instances were limited to when I/we entered shops with two or more locals speaking in English. On seeing me/us enter, they would immediately switch to something that sounded like Welsh, so that they could talk about me as an intruder, presumably confident that I/we wouldn't understand them.

Paranoid much? :roll:

 

[Flamingo]

When I was with the Rail Psssenger Council for Wales we went through the issue of Welsh language announcements at Cardiff stations and they'd just all blur into one on the island platform at a queen st and 6/7 at Central as the length it took to do everything bilingual would mean the train would be gone and the next one approaching. There's too many trains per hour it would be a complete shambles if it was all bilingual. The position taken by then Wales and Borders was endorsed by the official passenger watchdog.

There's the answer. Thank you. Pity ATW couldn't explain, instead of just apologising!

 

[Redonian]

And then there's the question about all those Welsh language notices at ATW's stations in England.

 

[Darandio]

How predictable, a Welsh language zealot

 

[yorkie]

How many people in Wales don't understand English?

The intention is not to assist passengers, it's got nothing to do with people not understanding announcements.

It's purely political, hence why this particularly obnoxious politician is so angry about nothing.

For evidence of this, look at lowland areas of Scotland; places where Gaelic was never spoken have bilingual signs in Gaelic, not Scots. They've even had to invent fake names in Gaelic to suit a particular political agenda.

 

[TheEdge]

Because the poster implies that only a very small area is Welsh speaking whereas with just a small amount of research it would have shown that our language is spoken throughout the whole Principality, therefore insulting to all the rest of us.

Unfortunately it is stereo-typical as some people who also think that Wales is just (closed) coal mines, male voice choirs, narrow gauge railways and sheep!

It is about as silly as me saying that everyone in England speaks with a Black Country accent because that is what I hear often.

Its hardly true that the whole of Wales regularly uses Welsh. Yes, it is heavily used in certain areas, as pointed out, the Valleys, Northwest Wales and some of West Wales. Outside of that its use is patchy and once you get into the Marches you hear barely any of it. You cannot argue with that as its just fact.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I'm just waiting for the Cornish nationalists to demand bilingual announcements...

 

[Flamingo]

It's purely political, hence why this particularly obnoxious politician is so angry about nothing.

To be fair, he's not that obnoxious - just a bit of a twit(ter)!

 

[Emyr]

To what extent do ATW count a "Public Sector" such that they are required by the Welsh Language Act 1993 to treat English and Welsh equally? Are they voluntarily opting in where convenient?

 

[jon0844]

Paranoid much? :roll:

No need to be paranoid! We've had that happen when travelling abroad, 'on foot' and even in our car. Steering wheel on other side, foreign plates... At some traffic lights and some kids shouting at us in the car alongside (pre air conditioning where the windows would now be shut!), which my wife understood perfectly and replied to.

They weren't being particularly nasty, just taking the **** but they soon shut up suitably embarrassed!!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Paranoid much? :roll:

It's happened to me also in the same area. I think it was a Spar shop on the main road in Llanberis. It also used to happen to some family friends who used to live in the area. It may not be common (it has only happened to me that one time, never had problems on other many visits to Wales), but it does sadly happen.

I know it's very rare. The vast majority of Welsh people are absolutely lovely and it's a lovely country I like very much. But these things do and can happen.

 

[Simon11]

Why didn't he raise the question in Welsh on Twitter rather than English.....

 

[Busaholic]

Down here in Cornwall there is a group of people, some elected but mostly unelected, trying to get everything translated into Cornish, a language that died a natural death two centuries ago. Not all of them are Nationalists, I regret to say the Labour Party (or elements of it) have got in on the act too. They propose to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money on this fatuous exercise and, if successful, will no doubt attempt to browbeat FGW or whoever into following suit. It is particularly ridiculous as there are factions within this tiny Cornish Language Movement which cannot agree on spelling, pronunciation or probably the time of day but they claim the moral high ground.

 

[Emyr]

"Oppressed language refuses to go away" isn't the post-summary you're hoping for, is it?

 

[table38]

Imagine how much more irritating a hologram continually telling you to use the "elevator" in both English and Welsh would be

Oh google translate suggests the Welsh for "elevator" is "elevator" so maybe that's OK

 

[talltim]

Why didn't he raise the question in Welsh on Twitter rather than English.....

neges gorau

 

[NX]

Personally I find it highly annoying listening to the next train announcement in welsh twice then English. Then the security, platform edge again in welsh first.

The departure screens scrolling through welsh multiple times, then finally English!
It can take a good two minutes sometimes if you've just missed the English screen.

I'm a very proud Welshman by the way!

NX

 

[LateThanNever]

Down here in Cornwall there is a group of people, some elected but mostly unelected, trying to get everything translated into Cornish, a language that died a natural death two centuries ago. Not all of them are Nationalists, I regret to say the Labour Party (or elements of it) have got in on the act too. They propose to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money on this fatuous exercise and, if successful, will no doubt attempt to browbeat FGW or whoever into following suit. It is particularly ridiculous as there are factions within this tiny Cornish Language Movement which cannot agree on spelling, pronunciation or probably the time of day but they claim the moral high ground.

Absolutely agree - it can be a very interesting academic and historical exercise to know about Cornish (or Welsh) - or even speak it - but in the end if language is for the purpose of communication then you either pull up the drawbridge and talk amongst yourselves or the majority rules.
Anyway in times past in the UK it was important to speak Latin or Norman French so I think we should start a petition to insist that all station names are provided with suitable comprehensible alternatives. How dare this usurper English language become so widespread. The sooner all station name boards are as long as LlanfairPG the better......
What do you mean practically every airline announces in English - and often only in English? What's all this flying anyway?

 

[richa2002]

Personally I find it highly annoying listening to the next train announcement in welsh twice then English. Then the security, platform edge again in welsh first.

The departure screens scrolling through welsh multiple times, then finally English!
It can take a good two minutes sometimes if you've just missed the English screen.

I'm a very proud Welshman by the way!

NX

It's bad enough hearing the constant bombardment of announcements just in English, can't imagine what it's like with the Welsh equivalent too.

 

[HowardGWR]

Personally I find it highly annoying listening to the next train announcement in welsh twice then English. Then the security, platform edge again in welsh first.

The departure screens scrolling through welsh multiple times, then finally English!
It can take a good two minutes sometimes if you've just missed the English screen.

I'm a very proud Welshman by the way!

NX

I visited Wales earlier this year and was disappointed everything was in English as well as Welsh. If it had been all in Welsh, I should have felt more 'abroad', and thus have got more value out of my holiday.

At least I now know what 'gorsag' means!

 

[table38]

I always thought Flint was a sensible compromise, where the signs alternately say "Flint" and "Y FFlint". You can just about see it here:

I think it's great, gives me that "holiday" feeling and one of the things that makes Wales unique and a great place to visit. (Or to live, as my parents did happily for about 30 years).

There's joke about the Welsh version of "Countdown" where the contestant says "I'll have a consonant please Carol, and another consonant... and another consonant... and 3 more consonants..." but it's probably a bit patronising to some so I'd resist

 

[yorkie]

Down here in Cornwall there is a group of people, some elected but mostly unelected, trying to get everything translated into Cornish...

Will they do as the Gaelic-obsessed ones are doing and insist that places where Cornish was never spoken also get translated?

Or are they not quite so militant as the Gaelic lot and stick to places where the language really was spoken? Still, even that would be a waste of money IMO!

 

[harz99]

Will they do as the Gaelic-obsessed ones are doing and insist that places where Cornish was never spoken also get translated?

Probably; Lockerbie which is my local station has had the bilingual signs imposed, and having lived in Dumfries and Galloway for 12 years in Stranraer, Newton Stewart and Lockerbie I have yet to hear Gaelic spoken anywhere!

If the waste of money wasn't enough, neither Scotrail nor the Scottish Government can be arsed to provide a single train from Lockerbie, instead relying on the English/UK Government side of the border to provide all services via FTPE and Virgin.

 

[Yew]

Absolutely agree - it can be a very interesting academic and historical exercise to know about Cornish (or Welsh) - or even speak it - but in the end if language is for the purpose of communication then you either pull up the drawbridge and talk amongst yourselves or the majority rules.
Anyway in times past in the UK it was important to speak Latin or Norman French so I think we should start a petition to insist that all station names are provided with suitable comprehensible alternatives. How dare this usurper English language become so widespread. The sooner all station name boards are as long as LlanfairPG the better......
What do you mean practically every airline announces in English - and often only in English? What's all this flying anyway?

The train now departing platform V is the X:L to Lindum Colonia Medius

 

[Tetchytyke]

Down here in Cornwall there is a group of people, some elected but mostly unelected, trying to get everything translated into Cornish, a language that died a natural death two centuries ago.

How dare people campaign on things they feel strongly about!

It's hardly breaking the bank to put both languages on road signs as and when they need replacing. The French, far more restrictive about their language than we are, have bilingual road signs in most of Brittany, especially in Breton-speaking Finistere.

The Cornish language was oppressed out of existence, but they still see themselves as a Celtic nation just as much as the Welsh or Manx do, and rightly so.

The train now departing platform V is the X:L to Lindum Colonia Medius

They've done it on Tyneside...

 

[Waldgrun]

I live in a Village in Wales, which is on the English side of Offa's Dyke! and the nearest border with England is, about 300 yards to the West of my house. The 1911 census. showed very few, if any Welsh speakers, in the village, and so it remains, to this day! (I am told about 4 households use the Language of Heaven!) So should our local supermarket make announcements in Welsh? I don't thinks so, it's more than likely that if a second language was to be used, it would likely be an eastern european one!

 

[paulravuslante]

No need to be paranoid! We've had that happen when travelling abroad, 'on foot' and even in our car. Steering wheel on other side, foreign plates... At some traffic lights and some kids shouting at us in the car alongside (pre air conditioning where the windows would now be shut!), which my wife understood perfectly and replied to.

They weren't being particularly nasty, just taking the **** but they soon shut up suitably embarrassed!!

Well surely that's an incentive to learn a few choice phrases in Welsh and get your own back here!

It's happened to me also in the same area. I think it was a Spar shop on the main road in Llanberis. It also used to happen to some family friends who used to live in the area. It may not be common (it has only happened to me that one time, never had problems on other many visits to Wales), but it does sadly happen.

I know it's very rare. The vast majority of Welsh people are absolutely lovely and it's a lovely country I like very much. But these things do and can happen.

I just don't get it. If you don't speak Welsh then how does one know you're being talked about? Unless they're obviously making rude gestures towards you, in which case further action should rightly be taken. Most Welsh speakers I know alternate between English and Welsh all the time.

 

[sor]

It's hardly breaking the bank to put both languages on road signs as and when they need replacing.

My understanding is that this is current council policy anyway. Certainly the only Cornish road signs I've seen have been Cornish-ish for years, or they're brand new signs that were likely replaced for other reasons so the expense of adding Cornish is probably fairly minimal (I hope, but this is the public sector).

They still haven't replaced the perfectly serviceable road signs from some of the former district councils which have the old name emblazoned across the top, and they've been quite slow to rebrand places like depots. Seems like a sensible approach overall.

I wouldn't agree with Cornish being wedged into the FGW announcement system (although maybe the pronunciation of some places would improve ) or the pointless replacement of signage though. Unlike Wales and Welsh I don't think there are actually any native speakers anymore, and certainly no one who doesn't also understand English.

 

[paulravuslante]

Oh google translate suggests the Welsh for "elevator" is "elevator" so maybe that's OK

I think it hasn't worked for you. Google and most other translation services tending to return the phrase you put in when they can't translate rather than just saying they can't translate.

For your benefit, it's called a lifft in Welsh!

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At least I now know what 'gorsag' means!

Do you mean gorsaf?