Holyrood staff to be taught Gaelic: 2 press reports

[faoileag]

From the Herald yesterday - the SENSIBLE report:

Holyrood staff to be taught Gaelic

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/poli ... -1.1039905

Gaels have long complained that they don’t get the best reception from Scottish officialdom.

Now, at least, that reception will be in their own tongue.

The Scottish Government yesterday announced that the front-of-house staff in its buildings – its receptionists and commissionaires – are to be taught a smattering of Gaelic.

Culture and External Affairs Minister Fiona Hyslop yesterday said the move, along with a range of other measures, were “about increasing the visibility of the language in everyday life and motivating people to learn and use it”.

The Government, as part of a Gaelic Plan published yesterday, has also promised to put up bilingual “welcome” signs in all its foyers by August and to include a Gaelic-language logo on all its emails, business cards and letterheads by June of next year.

Our Arthur as usal has something sensible to say, and the emphasis is on using creative but cheap methods to maximise the visibility and confidence of Gaelic.

This will be of interest to some on here, I'm sure:

The Scottish Government, for example, has pledged to reply in Gaelic to letters and emails sent to it in the language.

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From the Daily Record - the STUPID version:


http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -22399799/

Scottish Govermnet to spend £26m on tr*nsl*t*ng road signs into Gaelic

Jul 9 2010

The snp have unveiled plans to spend £26million tr*nsl*t*ng road signs into Gaelic.

The Scottish Government will also adopt a bilingual logo with staff forced to take Gaelic training.

And secondary school pupils will be persuaded to take up classes instead of a foreign language.

The plan has been devised over five years following a request from quango Bord na Gaidhlig.

But Tory Ted Brocklebank said: "It's not for the government to go on a crusade to take Gaelic into every area of Scotland. Let's save it in the Highlands.

This is literally what gives Gaelic 'a bad press'.

See the comments too. One sensible one:

dimairt wrote:
Wrong, wrong and wrong again. £25m is to be spent on the language not road signs. Road signs will be bi-lingual when they are to be replaced and only where it is appropriate.
Staff are not being "forced to take Gaelic training", some front-of -house staff at the Parliament are to learn some basic greetings.
Gaelic is for Scotland not just the Highlands - the fastest growing school in Glasgow is our Gaelic school.
But hey, this is the Record - let's not allow facts to get in the way of a "story."

[Seonaidh]

Inntinneach - £26 millean dha chosg air a' Ghàidhlig am-bliadhna. 'S dòcha gu bheil 1% de shluagh na h-Alba a' bruidhinn Gàidhlig gu tric. Cia meud, smaoin, a bhios dha chosg air a' Bheurla am-bliadhna? B' fheudar a bhith timcheall air £2,600 millean - £26 millean, no £2,574 millean - canamaid £2,500 millean.

Ach chan e sin. Buidseat na h-Alba, am-bliadhna - £10,524.4 millean. Gun chosg na Gàidhlig, canamaid £10,500 millean.

Fiu 's buidseat foghlaim a-mhàin - 's e £2,500 millean - agus chan ann an raon foghlaim a bhios a h-uile cosg air Gàidhlig.

Tha Gàidhlig airidh air £80 millean a bharrachd.

[Caoimhin.MacGilliosa]

For years Gaelic was underfunded and Pupils discouraged from Speaking it.

Of course, we cannot force People to learn or should we force People to use it. I was in Oban/Mull at the Weekend and met a few Tourists who all said one thing in common ''We love the Signs''. It was mostly Americans and South Africans of Scots decent, but what People in Scotland who are against the Signs, seem to think that it will cost more money. The Government are going to replace the Current Signs with bilingual ones instead, and it's a great idea.

I think Holyrood Staff and Tour Guides should be able to speak a springle of Gaelic. It doesn't have to be anything major, but surely, ''Failte gu Alba'' when they talk about the 3 languages of Scotland.

The ''Waste of Money'' Brigade annoy me severly. No one is forcing Gaelic on anyone, if you don't want to speak it, you don't have to. It's making it available to People who DO want to learn some Gaelic or have an interest in it.
I grew up in Angus, where at School I could only learn French or German as a Second Language. A group of us (16) tried to get a Gaelic class together or organised, the School would have nothing to do with it and told us ''It's French or German''.
I understand it was funding issues as well probably, with them having to Hire a new Teacher.

For years the language had no funding at all, and now after a bit of funding for it - it seems to cause a fuss.

Gaelic speakers aren't forcing Gaelic on anyone. You don't have to speak it or learn it, but if it's officially classifed as one of the Scottish languages. Surely it should be available as regular as the other three?