8th March 2014 - Confusing the English

Early start this morning and a trip across the border into England. As you leave Wales over the Severn Bridge - (either one) you find the large signs saying "Croeso i Loegr".

For most this translates as welcome to England - however it actually states "Welcome to the lost lands!".
However wanting to establish this and confirm it I decided to search on Google at which I found confirmation indeed... November 12th 2012 - Croeso i Loegr   - sadly I found that it was my own blog ...  and therefore not much of a confirmation.

Further research does tell me that Bernard Cornwell in his trilogy of Arthurian novels decided that it means "lost lands" but, at best, this seems to be very doubtful.  Slightly more problematic is the possibility that Lloegr originally only referred to what is now Southern England, with what is now 
Northern England still then being in the hands of the British (Welsh) inhabitants.

As I always say - of in doubt, don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Of course there can be other confusions in the Welsh Language... This wonderful picture appeared on my desktop today ...

A simple message - unless you can speak Welsh in which case you see that there is a small issue between the English and the Welsh translation (which says Look Left!!).

Now the devious part of me thinks that this is put there to increase the danger to foreigners in crossing a one way street ..  or it could just be a mistake.. really!!

This is my favourite of course - the Welsh translation says "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated"

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 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 written in Welsh as well as English.

Personally I think it is good that the English and Scottish had the benefit of the Welsh Language...

Apparently there is some sort of Rugby match on tomorrow - I shall not be watching. But it is something between the Welsh and the English...  

Glass of diet Coke and an early night I think....