A Welsh supermarket sign has humoured shoppers after it was put up accidentally at an English store. The sign was unusually installed last week at the Aldi in Cowes, near Newport on the Isle of Wight.
The sign saying "hunan checkouts" guides shoppers to newly-installed self checkouts at the branch, adding Welsh words for cash which is arian and card which is cherdyn.
Such was the confusion over the sign that pictures of it were shared with local newspaper the Island Echo and it’s proved a talking point on the island since. Some on the island off the south coast of England praised the chain for welcoming its Welsh-speaking customers, while others laughed at the “blunder".
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“I think it matters not. The English is there, clear as day, and I’m sure the island’s few Welsh speakers find it quite adequate and comforting/endearing,” Kay Ounsworth wrote in response on Facebook. Aaron Knight wrote: “Surely someone would read the sign, noticing the blunder before putting the sign up?”
Nicky Ferkins said he would have understood the situation better if the sign had ended up at a supermarket in Newport on the island. “You can’t even blame confusing Newport Isle of Wight with Newport Wales, as there isn’t an Aldi in our Newport,” he added. The supermarket said it was an "honest mistake" and has now removed the sign.
It is common for Welsh-English signs to hit the headlines in Wales and supermarkets often feature. Last month in Swansea Tesco shoppers were bewildered by another funny translation error. They found a list of various soft drinks on one aisle included the word 'sboncen' for squash. The Welsh word 'sboncen' refers to the game of squash, not the drink.
According to some Welsh language dictionaries, the correct translation would be 'diodydd frwythau', which literally translates as 'fruit drinks'. However, the Welsh Government website TermCymru suggests that the relevant translation should be 'sgwosh'. In response a spokesperson for the retailer said: "We are sorry for this misunderstanding and are arranging for the sign to be replaced. In the meantime, the sign has been taken down."
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