Why doesn’t isle20 have a Gaelic translation?

Le/By Rhoda

Scroll down on mobile to see the English version at the bottom 😉

Tha e iongantach cho beag ‘s a smaoinich mi mun Ghàidhlig nuair a chuir mi isle20 air bhog.

‘S e margadh air loidhne a th’ ann an isle20.com. Àite far am faodar bathar a cheannach bho air feadh eileanan na h-Alba. Tha na prothaidean uile a’ tilleadh gus pròiseactan sna h-eileanan a chuideachadh.

Tha e cuideachd iongantach cho beag ‘s a smaoinich mi mun Ghàidhlig nuair a chuir mi na gnìomhachasan eile agam air bhog – teatha, mar eisimpleir.

‘S e an trioblaid le bhith nam fhileantach gu bheil daoine an còmhnaidh am beachd gum bu chòir dhomh na rudan a tha mi a’ dèanamh a dhèanamh sa Ghàidhlig sa chiad dol a mach.

Reic mi pacaid teatha agus thuirt cuideigin nach robh gu leòr a Ghàidhlig air cùl na pacaid. Chuir mi isle20 air bhog agus nochd cuideigin an ìre mhath an aon latha gus mo chàineadh air Twitter air sàilleabh nach do rinn mi eadar-theangachadh air an rud mus do dh’fhoillsich mi an làrach-lìn.

An robh còir agam na rudan sin a dhèanamh? Seach gur e fileantach a th’ annam, am feum mi a h-uile nì a thionndadh don Ghàidhlig? Tha mi an dòchas nach ann mar sin a tha e. Tha sinn sgìth gu leòr a’ feuchainn ri grèim a chumail air ar cànan ‘s ar cultar gun riaghailtean mar sin a bith againn!

Dè tha cudromach, ma tha, ma tha sinn a’ sealltainn air gnìomhachasan beaga air an ruith far a bheil Gàidhlig air a bruidhinn, no a sealltainn air gnìomhachasan beaga air an ruith le neach aig a bheil Gàidhlig?

Dhòmhsa, ‘s e an rud as cudromaiche gu bheil an gnìomhachas a soirbheachadh. Gun sin, chan eil cànan no pacaid gu mòran feum.


‘S e cnag na cùise gum bu choir dhuinn Gàidhlig a chleachdadh far a bheil i iomchaidh, agus nàdurra, agus feumail.

Can nan robh mi air seachdain no dhà a chur seachad ag eadar-theangachadh isle20?   Tha a’ mhòr chuid den luchd-ceannachd againn ann an Sasainn. Tha ùidh aca anns na h-eileanan, agus ‘s dòcha sa Ghàidhlig fhèin, ach son a’ chuid as motha dhiubh bhiodh margadh air loidhne sa Ghàidhlig cho feumail ri seann bhàt’-aiseig sa Ghearran. Chìtheadh iad Gàidhlig air an duilleag ceart gu leòr ach, mar a chanas iad sa chànan eile, so what?

Dè tha mi ris, ma tha, gus dèanamh cinnteach gu bheil Gàidhlig beò anns na tha mi a reic agus a’ cur air-loidhne?

Uill, cha do thionndaidh mi isle20 gu Gàidhlig fhathast, ach tha sinn faiceallach Gàidhlig a chleachdadh far a bheil e iomchaidh. Tha sinn a’ cleachdadh Fàilte, Moran Taing agus Slàinte anns na brathan naidheachd gun eadar-theangachadh sam bith. Tha duilleag air isle20 a tha a’ nochdadh nan gnìomhachasan aig a bheil luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig, no a tha a’ reic bathar a tha a’ cleachdadh na Gàidhlig.

Leis a sin, tha Gàidhlig a-measg na tha sinn a’ dèanamh, gu nàdarra. Thug mi am prionnsabal bhon teatha agam. Chan eil àite gu leòr air na pacaidean gus an eadar-theanagachadh, agus fiù ’s nan robh cha dèanann sin. Ach, air gach pacaid tha abairt ann “What’s the Gaelic for…”. Air gach bogsa le cupan ann, tha abairt co-cheangailte ri teatha ann –  gach cuid an Gàidhlig agus am Beurla, agus ‘s e abairtean Gàidhlig a bh’ annta sa chiad àite!

‘S dòcha gu bheil sibh a’ smaoineachadh nach ann ach a’ cluich a tha mi. Agus gu ìre ‘s ann – tha mi a’ cleachdadh na Gàidhlig gus rudan a reic agus gus gàire a nochdadh. Ach tha puing nas fharsainge ann. Ma tha sinn a toirt air daoine Gàidhlig a chleachdadh air a h-uile rud, anns a h-uile h-ait’, fàsaidh iad sgìth dheth gu math luath. Chan eil mise den bheachd gu bheil e idir feumail eadar-theangachadh a dhèanamh air a h-uile càil a sheasas son mionaid, no tionndadh Gàidhlig a thoirt air a h-uile facal ùr.

Ach, le sin a radh, tha mi am beachd gu bheil e cudromach Gàidhlig fhaicinn agus a chluinntinn gu nàdarra ann an Alba gu laitheil. Son sin a dhèanamh a thaobh gnìomhachas ged tha, tha mi air slighe an eadar-theanagachaidh fhàgail gu aon taobh. Chan e eadar-theangachadh a tha mi a’ dèanamh idir – ach cleachadh na Gàidhlig ri taobh na Beurla. Agus tha mi an dòchas, leis a sin, gun tèid aire dhaoine a tharraing ann an dòigh spòrsail gu cànan a tha nàdarrach dhòmhsa agus do mhìltean eile.

ps. Tha ainmean Gàidhlig air na pacaidean teatha as ùire, agus mar sin tha sinn air “What’s the English for” a chur air an cùil!

It’s funny how little I thought about Gaelic when I first set up isle20.

It’s an online market place. Somewhere where you can buy products from across the Scottish islands.

All of the profits are reinvested to support island projects.

It’s also odd how little I thought about Gaelic when I set up my other enterprises – tea, for example.

The trouble with being a fluent speaker is that people are always of the opinion that the things I do should be in Gaelic – if not in the first instance then immediately after.

I sold a packet of tea and was told that there wasn’t enough Gaelic on the packet. I set isle20 up and someone appeared almost immediately to berate me on Twitter because I hadn’t translated it before putting it online.

Should I have done that? Because I am a fluent Gaelic speaker, should everything I do be translated into Gaelic? I really hope not. We are tired enough trying to keep a grip of language and culture without rules like that!

So what is important then, when we are looking at small businesses run where Gaelic is spoken, or small businesses run by Gaelic speakers?

For me, the most important thing is that the business is successful. Without that the language on the packet is meaningless.

The crux of it is that Gaelic should be used where it is appropriate, and natural, and useful.

Let’s say I had spent a few weeks poring over the translation of isle20? Most of our customers are in England. They are interested in the islands and maybe in Gaelic itself, but for most of them an online shop in Gaelic would be about as useful as an old ferry in February.

They would see Gaelic on the page, right enough but as they say in the other language, so what?

So what am I doing to make sure that Gaelic is alive in what I am selling and putting online?

Well, two years on I still haven’t translated isle20 into Gaelic, but I am careful to use Gaelic where I can.

We use phrases like Fàilte, Moran Taing and Slàinte with no translation at all.

There is a specific page on isle20 highlighting businesses which are run by Gaelic speakers, relate to Gaelic or sell products whihc use Gaelic,

In that way, Gaelic is amongst what we do, in a natural way. I took the principle from my tea business. There isn’t enough space on the packets to translate everything and even if there was, I wouldn’t do it! However on each packet there’s a “What’s the Gaelic for…”. On every mug box there is a saying linked to tea drinking. It is in both Gaelic and English, and the original phrases are Gaelic in origin.

Maybe you think that I’m just playing. And to an extent that’s true – I am using Gaelic to sell things and raise a smile. But there is a wider point. If we force people to translate everything, everywhere they will quickly tire of the exercise. I don’t personally think it is helpful to translate everything that stands still long enough into Gaelic, nor do I think that we need a Gaelic version of every English word.

With all that said, I DO think it is important that Gaelic is seen and heard naturally in Scotland, and on a daily basis. To do that in terms of business though, I have left translation to one side. It is not translation that I am doing at all – but using Gaelic beside English. And I hope with that, that people’s attention will be drawn in a fun way to a language which is natural not only to me but to thousands more.

ps. The latest island blends have Gaelic names, so we changed the backs of the packets to read “What’s the English for” instead!

From the shop