There I was early one morning, out walking the dog, minding my own business. I was walking down Old Youghal Road, up by Collins Barracks. I spotted the sign above. I was convinced that I had spotted another mis-translation from English into Irish. I recalled that ‘Bell’ was translated as ‘Cloig’ – and there was no ‘Cloig’ in the Irish translation on the sign. The sign translated, using my poor Irish, as ‘Crescent of the Lovely View’. It was only later when I observed all the other signs in the area that I realised that the mis-translation appeared to have happened with the English version rather than the Irish. The former Cameo Cinema appears to have dropped the ‘E’ and is called Bellvue Court. All other signs in the area are ‘Bellevue’ or even ‘Belle Vue’ – both of which would be consistent with ‘an Radharc Álainn’. My guess is that when the residences were built in ‘Bellview/Bellevue Crescent’, the signwriter received the details verbally and may not have been well versed in French and so he heard ‘Bellview’ which is exactly what went on the sign. The person translating into Irish heard ‘Belle Vue’ and he translated that correctly. So my suspicion is that the mis-translation was from French to English and not from English to Irish. Whether this is true or otherwise, probably only the signwriter can confirm. |