From the Daily Record

Original article found:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc...6908-23837686/

A FIRE brigade have been left embarrassed when they found out they chose the wrong Gaelic name for a new training base.

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue called their newly-opened £22million centre in Cambuslang, near Glasgow, “Uaill” because it means pride.

However, amused Gaelic speakers pointed out the word has a double meaning and is more accurately translated as vanity or arrogance.

They called for the base to be renamed “prois” – another word for pride.

Cambuslang resident John Summers said: “Gaelic originates as a mainly spoken language, with numerous dialects and variations.

“Lots of words have several meanings and connotations, depending on which part of the country you are in.

“While uaill can be translated to mean pride, it is mainly used in a negative context. The more common use and translation of uaill is to describe arrogance and vanity.

“This is not what Strathclyde Fire & Rescue wish their values to be. Surely a hasty rethink is in order.”

One experienced firefighter who has worked in Cambuslang said: “When we first heard about it we thought it was a joke. When we found out the meaning of the word we were quite embarrassed.”

The fire brigade tried to pour cold water on the mistake.

A spokesman said: “Just as it does in English, pride has more than one meaning in the Gaelic language.

“For us, it represents our service values of professionalism, respect, integrity, dedication and excellence.

“Uaill was chosen to reflect the pride Scotland takes in training the firefighters of tomorrow and the justifiable pride every firefighter takes in the lifesaving service they provide to their community.”