Monday 26 October 2009

€30,000 lost in translation by Clare County Council

The high mullah of Ireland’s Gaeliban, Eamon O’Cuiv, has a lot to answer for.

His Official Languages Act came into force in 2006, three years after he disclosed to a gathering of Irish Language enthusiasts in Spiddal that “the English speakers of the country do not know about the Bill and if they did there is a good chance that we would not succeed in putting it through" (Sunday Tribune, of 22nd June, 2003).

Now, though the boom money is long gone for such frivolities, we are left footing the financial "bill" to publish documents in Gaelic which will never be read, and which constitute a further financial burden on the taxpayer.

One example appeared in yesterday’s Sunday Times, where the Bar Council was reported saying that the requirement to translate new laws and legislation into Gaelic had resulted in hold-ups, meaning that lawyers were “not able to advise clients properly”.

Another was reported in The Irish Times of Thursday, October 15th, in relation to Clare County Council spending €30,000 to have three development plans translated into Gaelic. Not one was bought, while 190 copies of the English language version were purchased.

Green Party councillor Brian Meaney is quoted as saying that “It is insane that the council has to spend this money to comply with the Official Languages Act 2003… If the council is given a choice that has to be made in the future: spending €10,000 on translating an annual report into Irish or providing €10,000 in grants in improving homes for the elderly or people with disabilities, I know which choice I would make.”

Quite.


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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Clare is not unique. situation was the same for every Council.

Anonymous said...

Hi GM

Do you know how many English language reports were produced by Clare Co. Council (the ones where 190 copies were purchased).

My guess would be there are boxes and boxes of these sitting around Clare Co. Council, holding fire doors open.

That's certainly the case here in the UK. Every project we do must have a glossy dissemination report that nobody reads.

That's the real message here. NOBODY READS THIS S**T.

The Gombeen Man said...

Well, 190 isn't nobody; whereas 0 is.

Anonymous said...

Daft daft daft

Even gaelgoiri would have to agree there are better ways of promoting Gaeilge than this!

Anonymous said...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055711352

Some gaelgoiri on the thread linked above wouldnt agree actually !!!

But if you think thats bad what about the motorway slip road with "Wrong way turn back" signs in Irish only. The road in Dundalk with a "Pasti ag Imirt" sign (Remember how close Dundalk is to all those Anglophone Nordies) and in Galway the hybrid "Lána Bus ends 90m"

The Gombeen Man said...

I ceased being surprised by the f**ckers a long time ago, Anon - but even I am amazed by that sign you speak of.

What have the Road Safety Authority got to say about it, I wonder? "Speed kills", I suppose.

Anonymous said...

Michael Ring talks sense for once- shock

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8365573.stm

The Gombeen Man said...

Thanks for that one.