The perils of thinking you can save money by not employing a checker or proofreader are demonstrated by a story from Swansea in Wales. All road signs have to be written in Welsh and English in Wales, so council officials sent the phrase "No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only" to a translator by email. The reply came back, but unfortunately it was an automatic 'Out of office' message. The council went ahead and got the signs printed, so now Welsh-speaking motorists are faced with a road sign that reads "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated".
Swansea isn't a Welsh-speaking area but what most shocks me is that not a single member of the Swansea council staff involved had the slightest knowledge of the Welsh language, not even the word "please". Here is the story, a picture and more Welsh blunders.
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