In the Cornwall region of the UK, shoppers at Wal-Mart’s Asda stores are now able to find signs in both English and Cornish, the local language that appears to be undergoing a revival.
According to the BBC, the translations have been provided by the Cornish Language Fellowship, which says there are several thousand people in the area who are conversational in the language. Among the phrases included on the signs are "Welcome" (Dynnargh), "Always happy to help" (Lowen pup-prys dhe weres), and "Information" (Derivadow). And tutors from the Fellowship are helping checkout personnel with their understanding of Cornish.
Asda told the BBC that it also has signs in Welsh in its Wales units, and signs in Urdu and Punjabi in stores where appropriate.
Cornish, according to the BBC, is a member of the Celtic family of languages which includes Irish, Scots, Welsh and Breton.
According to the BBC, the translations have been provided by the Cornish Language Fellowship, which says there are several thousand people in the area who are conversational in the language. Among the phrases included on the signs are "Welcome" (Dynnargh), "Always happy to help" (Lowen pup-prys dhe weres), and "Information" (Derivadow). And tutors from the Fellowship are helping checkout personnel with their understanding of Cornish.
Asda told the BBC that it also has signs in Welsh in its Wales units, and signs in Urdu and Punjabi in stores where appropriate.
Cornish, according to the BBC, is a member of the Celtic family of languages which includes Irish, Scots, Welsh and Breton.
- KC's View:
- This is very smart, and not necessarily the kind of move that one would associate with Wal-Mart’s broad-strokes approach to retailing. What it means is that this is a company quite willing to market to local tastes and demographics where necessary and appropriate, which is the sort of thing that independent retailers have always believed they are superior at.
