Unlike Scotland, Wales has adopted its language into signs across the country, most commonly seen in road signs. You may have heard about the place “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”, which is a mouthful in itself to say never mind trying and read the road sign displaying the name of that sign.
Road signs in Welsh also prove increasingly hard to decipher, even for native Welsh people who by the day are becoming less fluent in their native language. However, it is even harder for people from other British countries to understand, for example if you’re at a train station and you want to get to Cardiff, how on earth are you going to know that you should be looking out for Caerdydd?
The Debate
This confusion that people have in understanding welsh road signs has led to a controversial debate arising as to whether road signs should be in English as that is universally the business language.
For example, if you’re a pilot, you can’t fly unless you’re fluent in English, it is also used in business meetings, even between two continentally exclusive countries. However, the flip side of the topic is that road signs in Wales are in English as well as in Welsh. And it can be argued that especially in the more rural areas of Wales, people speak just Welsh and have a hard time understanding English and so for road signs to be in just English would lead to these people becoming alienated.
Signs and Symbols of Welsh Culture
Wales as a country has made heavy use of symbols and signs to identify its culture and also to promote it. For example, it is one of the few countries to adopt a mythical creature as part of its national flag, whereas most other countries opt for colours and symbols.
The daffodil as well is also part of Welsh culture representing our patron saint. The point we’re trying to emphasise here is that Wales represents itself through signs and symbols in a way that no other country does. This is what makes it stand out from the crowd and essentially what makes Wales great.
Uses of signs in Welsh Business
Wales has been the home the roots of some of the biggest names in business across a range of industries with the total turnover of all Welsh businesses amounting to just over £37.5 BILLION.
For example, the biggest business to come from Wales in the town of Oswestry is Iceland, the supermarket giant that has a turnover of just over 3 billion. And it is easily noticed by its logo, a sign that enhances its brand. If you are a business in Wales it is heavily worth considering investing in a sign in order to promote your products or services and if you’ve made that decision that you want to, you should head on over to Signomatic who have helped businesses across the UK promote themselves and their brand in order to grow their businesses.
