How 'out of the office' email ended up being a road sign!

London, November 2 : A council embarrassed itself by setting up a mistranslated street sign that read '"I am out of the office at the moment'.

The Swansea Council, that intended to set up a Welsh sign cautioning 'No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only.' put up the wrong sign in the Morriston area of the Welsh city.

The council, who had received an automated e-mail in Welsh saying: "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated," had not known the real meaning of the response and had had it printed.

It was the Welsh speakers who brought the error to the notice of the officials and the sign was consequently taken down.

"We took it down as soon as we were made aware of it and a correct sign will be installed as soon as possible," the Telegraph quoted a Swansea Council spokesman as saying.

However, Dylan Iorwerth from Welsh-language magazine 'Golwg' expressed his disappointment with the mistake.

The Managing editor said: "It's good that people want to have bilingual signs, but unfortunately they don't make sure someone with a real knowledge of Welsh checks the work through all the different stages."

ANI