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Scotland ‘burned’ by translation blunder — Analysis

An official authorities Twitter account celebrated ‘Burns Night time’ with the nationwide bard’s surname ‘mistakenly’ translated

The Scottish authorities has drawn ridicule for an obvious translation gaffe after publishing greetings for Burns Night time – an annual celebration of nationwide poet Robert Burns – whereby officers mistakenly changed his surname with the Gaelic phrase for burns attributable to warmth or chemical substances.

The since-deleted tweet, which was shared with the nearly 5,000 followers of the government’s rural affairs department on Tuesday, featured an image of a traditional Scottish supper of haggis, neeps (turnips), and tatties (potatoes) with the words “Oidhche Losgadh Sona.” 

However, social media users quickly pointed out that “Losgadh” referred to physical burn injuries, and Burns’ surname should not have been translated. Several people speculated that the staffers handling the official government account had resorted to Google Translate when putting out the tweet.

Whereas some names do have Gaelic translations, Burns doesn’t, in response to Gaelic language consultants consulted by The Telegraph. Scottish Conservative lawmaker Donald Cameron advised the paper that the official accountable was seemingly “consuming their haggis with a little bit of a purple face tonight.”

“It’s simply as properly Burns confirmed extra consideration to element in his works, than this official did on this tweet,” he added.

Nonetheless, plenty of individuals advised that the official authorities account was merely making a “joke” by “intentionally enjoying on the phrase losgadh,” which may additionally imply “firing” or “capturing.”

The greeting was accompanied by a message that requested whether or not recipients had “managed to catch [their] haggis,” noting that some younger individuals thought that the standard dish was ready utilizing a “actual wild animal dwelling within the Highlands.”

Different Scottish commenters took the chance to criticize First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s authorities for spending thousands and thousands in public funds to advertise the Gaelic language, which is now broadly used alongside English on all the things from street signage to emergency autos. In its most up-to-date price range, it reportedly dedicated £25.3 million ($34 million) to Gaelic studying and an extra £3 million ($4.05 million) to a “Gaelic Capital Fund.”

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