Liability lost in translation
As this blog has pointed out previously (posts passim), it is not unusual for bilingual signage to have text that tells the speakers of one language one thing and those of the other language something completely different.
The bad advice given can cover such varied topics as how far one has to travel to legal liability for loss of or damage to private property.
The latter is the subject of a photograph which appeared in your ‘umble scribe’s social media feed this morning and concerns legal liability at an unknown railway station operated by Trafnidiaeth Cymru, also known as Transport for Wales.
In translation, the Welsh text on the sign reads:
You can leave your bike here for free, but at your own risk
On the other hand, the English text reads:
Bicycles may be left here free of charge but at our risk
Judging by the patina on the sign, it’s been there a long time and somebody has yet to take the railway company to court to determine exactly where legal liability lies given the sign’s bilingual ambiguity.
Your correspondent wonders how many of these confusing signs have been installed across Cymru.