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The truths they don't want you to read....

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Money well spent...

Opening a Scottish Parliamentary report, the first pages included the following (obviously standard) wording:

For information in languages other than English or in alternative formats
(for example Braille, large print, audio tape or various computer formats),
please send your enquiry to Public Information Service, The Scottish Parliament,
Edinburgh, EH99 1SP.
You can also contact us by fax (on 0131 348 5601) or
by email (at sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk).
We welcome written correspondence in any language.

Now this is just too good to miss.

Kenneth, if you are reading this, can you write in Japanese asking for any report to be translated and provided to you in Japanese? Please copy me in to the request and the reply (with translations), so readers can get the full benefit.

If there is anyone fluent in other languages - the more obscure the better - can they please pose questions in the style of Henry Root, and forward the results to me. Look, I'll write the questions if you will just translate them for me; this could run and run.....

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you encouraging them to waste money ? How will the afford new kitchens in their 2nd homes? which raises the point - Do they get the same perk as down south?

Anonymous said...

The Root letters mentioned are simply brilliant. What a way to pass a Friday morning!

Anonymous said...

tell you what I could be translator (ls)

Anonymous said...

How about Klingon, don't Google have a Klingon search engine?

Anonymous said...

Personally I DO want to live in a country that can cope with getting a letter in Japanese. Maybe not Klingon.

Captain Swing said...

I'm f****** fluent in Anglo Saxon is that any help?

Anonymous said...

anon 8:26 getting a letter in japanese is one thing - having every little thing translated (at a cost to the taxpayer) is quite another!

Anonymous said...

anon 12.16
I agree completely, but where, other than by implication in Angus's comment, does it say that every little thing is going to be translated? It says
1) write to us in foreign if you want (and, by implication, don't turn up at Holyrood expecting a Mongolian interpreter to sort you out) and
2) if you want something translated, make a request (and, presumably, we'll consider it)

Again, I think we're civil enough to provide a little translation for a good reason. It would be interesting to see if they can tell a good reason from an idiotic one, right enough.