Northern ticket machines - french

[matacaster]

Idly waiting at Mirfield. Impressed by availability of French language. Chose it, directed me correctly in French to choose ticket type I wanted. Once you've chosen simple (single) or retour (return), specific ticket options only in English!

Merde!

 

[Wallsendmag]

Seeing as the manufacturer is French I would have hoped that they'd got that right.

 

[47271]

Merde!

Is that who makes them? They must be the French subsidiary of Scheidt.

 

[Haywain]

Ticket types are not translated as they are names, rather than text. So, an Off Peak Return will remain as that regardless of which language is selected. This ensures that the selection will match what is printed on the physical ticket.

 

[philthetube]

Sory of linked, I was playing with a machine at Blackpool Pleasure beach the other day, loking at fares to Watford, and was offered two options for off peak singles, fares are approx as I cannot remember exact.

£97 not london, No issues there,
Or
£107 via London only, Can I not get off at Watford on the South then should I get lucky and find one of the few trains that stop there

 

[Hadders]

£107 via London only, Can I not get off at Watford on the South then should I get lucky and find one of the few trains that stop there

You are not compelled to travel via London with that ticket, you could alight at Watford southbound if your train stopped there.

There are around 14 trains an hour between Euston and Watford although only one of these is operated by Avanti

 

[TUC]

Ticket types are not translated as they are names, rather than text. So, an Off Peak Return will remain as that regardless of which language is selected. This ensures that the selection will match what is printed on the physical ticket.

I wonder if it returns to French for the transaction stage?

 

[jfollows]

The keypad on the one in Wilmslow has a button "V" to confirm the transaction, with no explanation. Presumably most people see that it's coloured green and is at the bottom-right of the keypad so use it without thinking. Pretty lazy implementation in my opinion.

 

[Haywain]

I wonder if it returns to French for the transaction stage?

The ticket name, along with the origin and destination stations, remain in English throughout which, I believe, is considered normal for real names.

 

[philthetube]

You are not compelled to travel via London with that ticket, you could alight at Watford southbound if your train stopped there.

There are around 14 trains an hour between Euston and Watford although only one of these is operated by Avanti

I did realise that, though not all may, It is the fact that via london only was stated, implying no option to not travel that way.

 

[exesoundtech]

The ticket name, along with the origin and destination stations, remain in English throughout which, I believe, is considered normal for real names.

Correct. In summary, the machine only translates the text that is part of it's own programming. Everything that comes from an RDG (Rail Delivery Group) or other third party "feed" is in whatever language it was entered to the feed in (which, to be honest, is often better described as "railway" rather than English...). So, you wouldn't expect to see ticket names, places, restrictions, or disruption information translated. The reason these wouldn't be translated is the risk that someone at a TOC or RDG changes the intent or meaning of the feed text, and that then isn't changed in the translation therefore misleading the consumer.

I'm sure both @Haywain and @Wallsendmag can attest to examples of restriction text in the feed that make no sense to folk in the industry, let alone the public!

 

[exesoundtech]

The keypad on the one in Wilmslow has a button "V" to confirm the transaction, with no explanation. Presumably most people see that it's coloured green and is at the bottom-right of the keypad so use it without thinking. Pretty lazy implementation in my opinion.

That's a problem you'll see around the world on vending machines of many types from many suppliers. The common factor is Ingenico who for reasons best known only to themselves (other than being French) only supply PIN Pad hardware with a "V" for Validate (French verb for "accept") no matter where in the world they are supplying it. Yet, on the firmware for the device insist on translating the validate to accept, so that's what appears on the LCD display...

 

[Wallsendmag]

That's a problem you'll see around the world on vending machines of many types from many suppliers. The common factor is Ingenico who for reasons best known only to themselves (other than being French) only supply PIN Pad hardware with a "V" for Validate (French verb for "accept") no matter where in the world they are supplying it. Yet, on the firmware for the device insist on translating the validate to accept, so that's what appears on the LCD display...

Maybe that’ll change now Worldline has bought them

 

[matacaster]

I can understand that the options on the screen are in English to mimic the writing on the ticket, but that's not much help if you are French and don't understand what the ticket options described in English mean - eg what is an off-peak return etc. Surely they could put a French translation underneath the English ticket description, isnt the intention of having a French option to HELP someone who speaks French to get the right ticket? - the screens are big enough.