When E-mail Responses Go Bad

Anecdotes abound about how e-mail can result in miscommunication and lead to embarrassing errors. here's one found by Nextgov Web Producer Melanie Bender.

In an article posted on Friday, the BBC explained that in Wales, all official road signs must be bilingual -- both in English and Welsh. Typically, the English wording for a sign is sent via e-mail to a Welsh council for translation. In this case a sign that read (in English) "No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only." The Welsh council sent a reply, in Welsh. The problem was it was a reply meant for the author of the original email, not for the sign.

The Welsh reads: "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated."