Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

Welsh language oath asks people to curse at God

Welsh language oath asks people to curse at God

A citizenship oath written in Welsh has been criticised for an error asking people to literally curse at God.

Wales' education minister Jeremy Miles says he will write to the UK government to remind them to use the language accurately.

It comes after an emergency mobile text alert in Welsh used a made-up word.

The Home Office, which produced the oath of allegiance, said it recognises the "importance" of correct translation.

People taking part in a citizenship ceremony have to give either the oath or the affirmation of allegiance to the King, as well as a pledge of loyalty to the UK.

A Home Office website, which is still live and has not been corrected, gives the English version of the oath of allegiance as: "I, (name), swear by Almighty God that, on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, His Heirs and Successors, according to law."

But in Welsh it uses the term "rhegi", which means to curse. The Welsh for swear an oath is "tyngu llw".

It also uses the word "omnipotent" - which is not a Welsh word - as a translation of "almighty", instead of the Welsh "hollalluog".

Jeremy Miles is the government minister responsible for the Welsh language


The alternative affirmation of allegiance in Welsh includes mutations that should only be used for a female monarch.

Mutations are ways in which words change according to context.

There is also a grammatical error in translating "freedoms" in the Welsh pledge.

Last month, a translation blunder that saw a Slovenian ski resort mentioned in the Welsh version of the emergency alert test was blamed on autocorrect.

For the Welsh for "others safe", the test message read "eraill yn Vogel" instead of "eraill yn ddiogel".


'Status of the Welsh language'


Earlier this week Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd told the Senedd while mistranslations or spelling errors can be amusing at first sight "they do send a very unfortunate message in terms of the status of the Welsh language, when we see these examples being tolerated far too often".

He called on the education minister to write to public sector bodies in Wales, and to the UK government, "to encourage them and to remind them of their responsibilities in this regard".

Mr Miles replied that he is "very happy to do that", adding "if there was less emphasis on complaining about renaming Bannau Brycheiniog, and more emphasis on accuracy, we might all be happier".

Rishi Sunak said last week he will keep using the English name Brecon Beacons, which the national park has dropped.

An e-mail out of office message ended up on a road sign in 2008


Mr Miles said that the Welsh government facilitates Welsh language accuracy "through funding resources such as Welsh language spell-checkers and grammar checkers".

The Home Office said: "We recognise that a correct translation of the citizenship oath and pledge on gov.uk is important to reflect the significance of becoming a British citizen."

Manon Cadwaladr, chair of Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru, the Association of Welsh Translators, said: "More and more people are using translation machines and we recognize that the quality of those machines is gradually improving.

"Nevertheless, good and accurate translation is specialist work. It is a craft. It requires specific skills, as well as experience".

She added that "to translate correctly into Welsh requires a real understanding of our language, our culture and the audience".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×