Polyglot Epistles and Succour for the Brollyless

[steepholm]

Occasionally I receive letters from Bristol City Council. When I do, there's invariably a message on the back, repeated in sundry languages, inviting non-English speakers to request the same letter in translation. As you'd expect, the choice of languages reflects Britain's imperial past: Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Gujarati are all there. Then there are Arabic, Kurdish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Somali. Finally, there are two European languages, of which one is, unsurprisingly, Polish. But what do you think the other might be? Any guesses?


It's Portugese. I wonder why? I don't think there are particularly large Portugese or Brazilian communities here. I'd be very surprised if there were more Portugese than Spanish speakers, at any rate - and yet Spanish isn't listed.

In other news, I was delighted yesterday to hear a radio interview with a man representing a number of groups devoted to helping ill-equipped hill-walkers who get into difficulties when bad weather sets in. The interviewer introduced him, without a trace of irony, as speaking for "an umbrella organization."

Comments

[sheenaghpugh]

It would never be Welsh. I went to uni in Bristol and they hated the Welsh. Years later, my kids, applying from a Welsh school, were advised by said school not to put any part of their address in Welsh if applying to Bristol. (They didn't, but still got turned down despite fine results/predictions and had to go get their Firsts elsewhere.)

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I think this is characteristic of border towns. My cousins in Chester, Welsh themselves, are fond of telling me that it's the ancient right - nay, duty - of people in that city to shoot any Welshman found within the walls after dark.

I haven't noticed any particular animus in Bristol myself, but I can well believe it's there. The city centre quay known as Welsh Back is popularly (if erroneously) believed to owe its name to being used by the Anglo-Saxons as a port of entry for trading Welsh slaves.