Transport related stupid spelling mistakes thread

Chris_533976

Ok I've been noticing recently that the number of spelling mistakes I'm seeing on anything official has skyrocketed. Anyone else noticed this?

For example, in Cork airport, on each check-in desk theres a little sign that talks about various security restrictions.

They've spelt the word security as 'securtiy'.

Well done lads, ensure the public of your competence.

carlmango11

Dublin Bus is terrible for mistakes. They're info boards at stops are just full of errors, I really dont get how you can make all this info up, check it through, then print it 400 times without noticing stupid mistakes that jump out at you!!!

Theses are the ones I always see
"Ticket Mahines"
"Accesshibel"
"School Cild Fare"

There are even stops with signs saying you are here with the arrow pointing off the map! :D

Wishbone Ash

carlmango11 wrote: »

Dublin Bus is terrible for mistakes. They're info boards at stops are just full of errors, I really dont get how you can make all this info up, check it through, then print it 400 times without noticing stupid mistakes that jump out at you!!!

parsi

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Ok I've been noticing recently that the number of spelling mistakes I'm seeing on anything official has skyrocketed. Anyone else noticed this?

For example, in Cork airport, on each check-in desk theres a little sign that talks about various security restrictions.

They've spelt the word security as 'securtiy'.

Well done lads, ensure the public of your competence.

Ahem ??

mikemac

I don't think it's a mistake but in West Clare there are signs for Lahinch and Lehinch.
Noone seems quite sure which is the correct version.
Lehinch is not the Irish version, I've checked that

Saruman

Caher Cahir
Of course then there is Dingle and An daingean

I posted recently that on the north quays where the signs for the new bus lane are, its mon - sath
They put in an extra h for sathurday
Of course like i said that time, they could have been shortening the irish spelling, but then why use the English short for Monday?

E92

Saruman wrote: »

Caher Cahir

He he he the Mitchelstown inner relief road promises that a place called "Caher" is 29 km up the road(in the Dublin direction by the Fir Grove). The Irish translation assures us though that "An Cathair" is 29 km ahead.

I hate this simplification for Irish placenames, the proper translation for Cahir in Irish is "Cathair Dún Iascaigh"! Same with "An Daingean" instead of "Daingean Uí Chuís" aka Dingle!

Slice

It's one thing to make a spelling or grammatical mistake on a web forum but i think we should expect more from national companies.

My gripe is not a spelling mistake but, in a similar vein, I find the announcer on the Irish Rail trains really annoying when he says; "Will passengers disembarking the train please make sure they take their personal belongings with them". Shouldn't it be "Will passengers disembarking the train please make sure to take your personal belongings with you" ? Who is he addressing? Is he telling other passengers on the train to make sure those passengers getting off the train take their stuff with them?

SeanW

Not really, since he's addressing such passengers as a group.

The better thing (if you want to be pedantic) would be to address the individual.

"We are approaching 'Station X.' If you are disembarking at this station, please be sure to bring all your personal belongings with you."

Victor

For some reason the always seem to spell 'parking bay' as 'bus stop'.

Chris_533976

I think "Dont forget your sh*t" would be better

Flukey

There are so many illiterate people making signs. People making the same kind of mistakes highlighted in this thread and mistakes in their own posts. "They're " and "Their" or "Theres" and "There's" are to be occasionally expected on discussion boards. However you expect better from people who are in the profession of making signs.

Going around the shops over the past few days, it is amazing how many you see. From handwritten signs to officially printed ones to shopfront signs to titles on actual products that have been professionally mass-produced. Basic spelling and grammatical mistakes are everywhere.

Slice

If you're addressing a group you'd still proceed to address the individual a part of that group so the use of you over them would be correct, no?

Why is the IE announcer referring to the group in the third person when it's actually the people in that group he is addressing? If the announcer wanted to keep the address to the group as an address to the group collectively instead of proceeding to address the individual a part of that group then wouldn't it be more appropriate to continue with something like "please make sure to bring your personal belongings with you all / with all of you" instead of switching to the third person and confusing everyone on board as to who he might be talking to?

Or if the announcer was really keen on the use of them over you maybe he could just do away with addressing the people disembarking altogether and run with something along the lines of "will all the passengers loyal enough to continue their custom with IE please make sure those passengers disembarking take their personal belongings with them"

corktina

Flukey wrote: »

There are so many illiterate people making signs. People making the same kind of mistakes highlighted in this thread and mistakes in their own posts. "They're " and "Their" or "Theres" and "There's" are to be occasionally expected on discussion boards. However you expect better from people who are in the profession of making signs.

Going around the shops over the past few days, it is amazing how many you see. From handwritten signs to officially printed ones to shopfront signs to titles on actual products that have been professionally mass-produced. Basic spelling and grammatical mistakes are everywhere.

my fav shop sign on a now closed shop but still visible in Buttevant Co Cork, is a home made sign saying "Coke a Cola is it" ...

Run_to_da_hills

CIE have taken on heaps of non nationals in recent years some would have little or no English, these guys could have been given the job of putting the signs together.

Wishbone Ash

Why do so many 'boardsies' spell the plural of 'taxi' as 'taxi's'?

The new Sword Express bus service has 'The Pavilions SC' spelt as 'The Pavillions' on their timetables (but then again, half of the shops there have it spelt incorrectly on their receipts). :rolleyes:

Flukey

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Why do so many 'boardsies' spell the plural of 'taxi' as 'taxi's'?

It is everywhere, people not knowing when to use an apostrophe with an s and when not to, from Boardsies right up to those who are in the profession of making signs. There is no apostrophe when it is plural and when it is relation to something belonging to something or someone, then the apostrophe is used. So if you see a sign like "We sell CD's" you'd wonder what it is they sell.

E92

Not forgetting all the people that think we're in America and spell in American English on this board instead of Hiberno English!

vektarman

My favourite is the fishing tackle shop in Celbridge that sells 'bate'.

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Why do so many 'boardsies' spell the plural of 'taxi' as 'taxi's'?

Flukey wrote: »

It is everywhere, people not knowing when to use an apostrophe with an s and when not to, from Boardsies right up to those who are in the profession of making signs. There is no apostrophe when it is plural and when it is relation to something belonging to something or someone, then the apostrophe is used. So if you see a sign like "We sell CD's" you'd wonder what it is they sell.

I rest my case! .

Flukey

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I rest my case! .

That would be Wishbone Ash's case.

MDTyKe

Those that study IT related subjects are forced to use American English, eg: color, favorite. To me, colour.. favourite don't look right. However, I use jewellery not jewlry/jewelry and cigarette not cigaret I tend to use neighbour and neighbor interchangeably though.

And spelling mistakes are a big big gripe of mine. I seen one in Nationwide (Building Society) recently in Newry. A nice flipchart sized handmade sign; little house, dog, cars.. birds etc, advertising Morgages. Hadn't the heart to tell them...


Matt

PRND

You "seen" one, did you?
Judge not lest ye be judged!

Aquavid

Over the years there were many mistakes made on the destination blinds for Dublin city bus routes:

Back in the 70s we had:

Piedegon House (route 1)

Rathfarnham Tower (16A - supposed to be Lower)

Glenamuch (63)

Greenshills (55)

all of these were used for many years on the routes concerned!

More recently, digital displays on buses in Cork have shown "Ringsaskiddy".

In 2001, there was a sign at several of the doors in Busarus stating that "all buses from this bay run via Euston Station" to which someone had added a hand-drawn "H". (I have a picture of this).

The one I really wish I had a picture of, but don't, was removed very quickly from Busarus in 2001. It was hand-written, and on the door of the cafe.

It was not a case of spelling mistakes, but of the wonderful reassurance that the sign might give to a worried public:

"Foot & Mouth Comtaminated Food Disaster.

Please note that all food served here is safe to eat as:

* All our food is sourced either in Ireland or the UK

* We do not serve contaminated food

* All comtaminated meat is cooked before serving"

I came back the next day with the camera, but it was gone!!!

Aquavid

spurious

Regardless of the literacy level of the sign maker, which may or may not be good, presumably the person/manager who ordered the sign would have a look at it before it gets put up.

Person who wants sign.
Person (possibly the same) who writes out what is to be on sign.
Sign Maker.
Person who checks sign is OK.
Person who puts up sign.
Any higher level manager who sees the sign.

ALL of those people have to have missed the error, or not cared enough to do anything about it.

My own personal favourite is the Dublin Bus translation of Beresford place, which should of course leave Beresford unchanged since it is a personal name, but has been printed as Plás Dúinsméara (the place of the fort of the berries) on bus stops. A modern day classic.

bazzer

Try this one. :rolleyes:

Flukey

Many people go on a day trip to Glendalough on "St. Kevins Bus". Yep, it is written on all of their buses. Not far from its departure location, on a well known part of Dublin, which could be very well associated with tomorrow, we have "St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre" on the main entrance. A few other similarly named buildings in the area have the same error. What's funnier is in that some of those places they have a mix of the correct and incorrect versions of the same thing, often in very close proximity to each other. Similarly you'll have a mix of correct and incorrect versions in the one line. Things like "Hits of the 70's" or "1000's of items on sale".

Anyway, we are getting a bit away from the transport related signs now. It's a bigger issue in the summer months, but even now there are plenty of signs which are obscured by one thing or another, usually vegetation. Come the summer the councils tell us that they are barred from cutting back hedges during that time. Well then, the sensible thing to do would be to cut them well back in the next few months, so that even with the new growth they still won't get covered. The silly thing is to cut them back just to the edge of the signs which of course results in them beginning to be covered the moment growth begins. Plenty of the signs need a good washing too. I suppose a lot of that dirt and vegetation covers a lot of spelling and other mistakes.

Chris_533976

Yeah from I think as early as December they're not allowed to cut hedges due to nesting birds. (Most/all birds are protected and tampering with a nest or eggs is illegal. I dont know the letter of the law tho so dont quote me! )

That said, birds who nest on the very edge of roads next to loud traffic when theres a nice big quiet forest behind them are stupid

Wishbone Ash

MDTyKe wrote: »

spelling mistakes are a big big gripe of mine. I seen one in .......

I've seen it all now!

corktina

its all academic anyway as text speak (sorry txtspk) will change the English language radically in the future....thx c u l8r

SeanW

spurious wrote: »

My own personal favourite is the Dublin Bus translation of Beresford place, which should of course leave Beresford unchanged since it is a personal name, but has been printed as Plás Dúinsméara (the place of the fort of the berries) on bus stops. A modern day classic.

Irish translations of personal names are valid. Apparently so.

Take the fuel, Diesel. It's a person's name, that being Rudolph Diesel. Anywhere in the world, if you have a compression-ignition engine, you fill it with Diesel. Anywhere. Except in Irish Gaeltachts (and any Top petrol station) where you use "Diosál" instead :rolleyes:

Wishbone Ash

spurious wrote: »

which should of course leave Beresford unchanged since it is a personal name

But many street are 'personal names'!

O'Connell
Gardiner
Moore
Parnell
Pearse
McDermott
Grafton
Dawson

etc.

Wishbone Ash

........although in this example they have only translated the 'road' bit.

Alun

SeanW wrote: »

Take the fuel, Diesel. It's a person's name, that being Rudolph Diesel. Anywhere in the world, if you have a compression-ignition engine, you fill it with Diesel. Anywhere. Except in Irish Gaeltachts (and any Top petrol station) where you use "Diosál" instead :rolleyes:

... and France where it's called Gazole

Chris_533976

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

........although in this example they have only translated the 'road' bit.

Hahaha thats just lazy

Flukey

I got a book yesterday. On the back flap it says that the author is the "bestelling" author of a number of books.

armada104

SeanW wrote: »

Irish translations of personal names are valid. Apparently so.

Take the fuel, Diesel. It's a person's name, that being Rudolph Diesel. Anywhere in the world, if you have a compression-ignition engine, you fill it with Diesel. Anywhere. Except in Irish Gaeltachts (and any Top petrol station) where you use "Diosál" instead :rolleyes:

I love the Irish language, but the people who come up with these translations should be shot. FFS, they try to translate brands and trademarks, they're absolutely ridiculous! There is absolutely no better example than this:
http://ga.wikipedia.org/
Vicipéid! I ask you!!! What goes on in these people's minds?

Chris_533976

"Logáil isteach" makes me laugh too

Hagar

armada104 wrote: »

http://ga.wikipedia.org/
Vicipéid! I ask you!!! What goes on in these people's minds?

There's not much point changing a w for a v when neither letter exists in the Irish alphabet.

How about bhfuicípídía ? It sounds right.

RadioCity

Apologies for going off topic but my Irish teacher often talked about "Cnoc Uí Bhéitherlí..."

daymobrew

A few years ago I noticed "Exit to City Center" listed on a sign in Croke Park! It was at the Canal End. I kept meaning to inform those responsible.

ircoha

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

CIE have taken on heaps of non nationals in recent years some would have little or no English, these guys could have been given the job of putting the signs together.

We have had a literacy problem long before the recent influx of migrant workers so I dont think the above is fair.
From:

http://www.skillsireland.net/press/reports/pdf/egfsn0307_benchmarking_education_and_training.pdf

Adult literacy skills are extremely poor in Ireland, with over half the population found to be lacking
the literacy skills needed to cope with everyday life in 1996. While there are signs that literacy skills
are improving with a higher proportion of younger people having attained a higher literacy level than
older people, 17% of those aged 16 to 25 were found to be at the lowest literacy level.

As the data is for 1996, it pre-dates the current migration.

Rovi

ircoha wrote: »

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

CIE have taken on heaps of non nationals in recent years some would have little or no English, these guys could have been given the job of putting the signs together.

We have had a literacy problem long before the recent influx of migrant workers so I dont think the above is fair.

To be honest, I interpreted Run_to_da_hills' post as meaning that the non nationals with little or no English would have done a better job.