A chara, – I read Dermot Doody’s letter (July 11th) regarding Irish translation “extravagance” and I was not at all surprised that he listed misconception after blatant misconception to support absolute wanton flouting of the law.
I am a professional Irish translator who on an average day will translate anything from a simple two-word sign to a full-blown annual report or policy document. I receive some of this work from public bodies, which are required under the Official Languages Act to offer documents bilingually, and some from private companies who see the obvious advantage of serving customers in whichever language they personally prefer.
I found the HSE swine flu sign in question on its website and analysed it as I would any document I receive for translation – it was 62 words in length. This would have cost the HSE about €8 (probably less) in total to translate. Mr Doody’s nonsensical apprehension that this €8 could somehow be turned into “improved conditions for patients” is beyond my comprehension. Even the overall annual cost of translation for the HSE would pale in comparison to any of the various and often reported inefficiencies of the HSE.
According to Census 2006, Irish speakers number about 400,000 people in the Republic of Ireland alone (even excluding people who state they have it but never speak it, and those who speak it only within the education system). I am constantly surprised by people like Mr Doody who would consider any one of these number who wishes to carry out business with the State through the first language of the State on the most basic of levels as a “fanatic”.
Perhaps Mr Doody would be correct to brand me an Irish language fanatic if I were to write in to The Irish Times and advocate the removal of all English from signs around the country or the publication of official documents in Irish only. But what would that make him? An English language fanatic? – Is mise,
JAMES PELOW,
Snasta Translation Solutions,
Bóthar Ghort na Mara,
Cill Iníon Léinín,
Co Átha Cliath.
A chara, – Os rud é go raibh HSE an Deiscirt ábalta Fliú na Muc a fhógairt i gCiarraí/Corcaigh, is léir nach ceist airgid a bhí ann do HSE an Iarthair amhlaidh a dhéanamh, ach ceist pholasaí agus conas sin a chur i gcrích. Is deacair a chreidiúint go bhfuil “an enormous amount of respect for the Irish Language” ag Dermot Doody (a litir 11ú Iúil) agus é ag glaoch “fanatics” orthu siúd gur mhaith leo seirbhís trí Ghaeilge agus ag moladh don Stát neamhaird a dhéanamh ar an nGaeilge. Is é an neamhaird céanna ar pholasaithe an Stáit a fheidhmiú a d’fhág eacnamaíocht na hÉireann i gcré na cille. Ná deinimis amhlaidh leis an nGaeilge, ach dea-shampla na hEorpa i leith teangacha a leanúint agus í a úsáid gan náire. – Is mise,
ROIBEARD Ó hEARTÁIN,
Baile an Fheirtéaraigh,
Co Chiarraí.
A chara, – The exclusion of a language from public life is a tried and tested method of hastening that language’s demise. Practical steps towards official bilingualism in Canada and Wales in order to encourage the use of French and Welsh respectively have borne fruit. Because Irish has had a low social status for centuries, bilingual signs and announcements annoy people like Dermot Doody (July 11th) who feel uncomfortable seeing or hearing Irish.
For people who speak Irish habitually or at home (fanatics as Mr Doody calls us) public bilingualism assures us that we are an accepted part of this society. Diversity and tolerance for our linguist minority can also benefit the Anglophone majority by opening up to them the primary language spoken in Ireland for most of its history and which gives every hill and stream here its name. – Is mise,
DÁITHÍ MAC CÁRTHAIGH
BL,
An Leabharlann Dlí,
Na Ceithre Cúirteanna,
Baile Átha Cliath 7.
Sir, – I take exception to Páid O’Donnchú’s reference (July 12th) to “fanatics” and “extremist” to refer to those who despair at the waste involved in producing official documents in both English and Irish.
There is nothing radical in wishing to see public money saved by the simple expedience of using half as much ink and, in many cases, half as much paper, not to mention the savings that can be made in postage costs.
On the other hand it is definitely extreme to insist that the vast majority of citizens receive documentation and correspondence half of which is in a language that they do not understand, just to appease the minority who, while understanding the main language of this State fluently, have a desire to be mollycoddled by instantly seeing the same message in their language of choice.
This is not to say that anyone wishing to receive correspondence in Irish hasn’t got a perfect right to do so, but they can surely be provided with cost-effective ways of indicating their preference rather than imposing unnecessary waste on taxpayers as a whole. – Yours, etc,