Looking for writing-related posts? Check out my new writing blog, www.larrykollar.com!

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Lost in Translation

Another gem from Techcomm.

There were red faces in the Ordnance Survey office when its English surveyors returned from compiling a list of house names in mid- and north Wales. The results contained an unusually high number of properties called “Gwyliwch rhag y ci” or “Caewch y git,” better known in English as “Beware of the Dog” or “Shut the Gate.”

2 comments:

  1. Of course.

    It helps to understand that many houses in the UK have names — a practice that predates street numbering. So you could write a letter to Thomas Crapper at Sunrise Cottage, Blargham, and it would get delivered.

    I had to post this because my place also has a name... I just haven't gotten around to putting a sign out front.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not exactly — there was a Thomas Crapper, and he was a plumber, but the rest is... well, you can fill in the blank. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome, and they don't have to be complimentary. I delete spam on sight, but that's pretty much it for moderation. Long off-topic rants or unconstructive flamage are also candidates for deletion but I haven’t seen any of that so far.

I have comment moderation on for posts over a week old, but that’s so I’ll see them.

Include your Twitter handle if you want a shout-out.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...