Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Language and Government of Wales

From Ars Technica:

The Welsh government has used the Klingon language to respond to serious questions about UFO sightings in Wales. Rather than the native tongue of an extraterrestrial warrior species that inhabits the Star Trek universe, English and Welsh are usually the official languages of Wales.

It all started when Conservative politician Darren Millar, the shadow health minister, tabled three questions for Labour's Edwina Hart, the minister for economy, science, and transport:
  • Will the minister make a statement on how many reports of unidentified flying objects there have been at Cardiff Airport since its acquisition by the Welsh government?
  • What discussions has the Welsh government had with the Ministry of Defence regarding sightings of unidentified flying objects in Wales in each of the past five years?
  • What consideration has the Welsh government given to the funding of research into sightings of unidentified flying objects in Wales?
The response from the Welsh government was as follows: "jang vIDa je due luq. 'ach ghotvam'e' QI'yaH-devolved qaS." Using the Ars Orbiting HQ's universal translation matrix, that roughly translates to: "The minister will reply in due course. However this is a non-devolved matter."...MORE
 At least it's easier to pronounce.