E-mail Error Ends Up On A Road Sign In United Kingdom

When officials asked for the Welsh translation of a road sign, they thought the reply was what they needed.

Unfortunately, all the e-mail response to Swansea council said in Welsh was: "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."

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."

When the prompt reply duly came back, 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.

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