A chara, – Seldom have I read a contribution to your Letters page so lacking in the Christmas Spirit as that of Darragh McHugh’s tuppence worth (November 18th) on the possibility of Santa being a Gaeilgeoir. There are thousands of children throughout Ireland for whom the Irish language is not a hobby but a part of their daily lives. Are they not as entitled to believe in Daidí na Nollag as others believe in Santa or Père Noël or St Nicholas? Is it unreasonable to assume that Santa, a resident of the North Pole and a well- travelled individual by all accounts, would have picked up sufficient “cúpla focal” to respond to a child’s letter in the language in which it was written? It would appear to be a common courtesy and no one has ever impugned Santa’s good manners until your correspondent did so.
There is a less festive aspect to this controversy. An Post, as Santa’s facilitators in Ireland, should be bound by the Official Languages Act 2003. I write “should” because An Post was set a deadline of August 2009 to implement a Language Scheme but has yet to do so. A child who dips into his or her savings for the price of a stamp, be they Irish-speaking or English-speaking, is entitled to the same courtesy from Santa and it ill behoves your correspondent to question this or for An Post to fail to facilitate it.
The problem with the translation of many official documents to Irish is that the documents are of insufficient interest to generate a readership in whichever language they are published.
If Santa takes the trouble to acknowledge the children who write to him in Irish with a response in the same language, it is certain that his letter will be read avidly by its recipients. It wouldn’t stretch the resources of his operation at the North Pole to provide the necessary translation of an acknowledgment note from English to Irish. In fact I’m fairly sure that any number of elves proficient in the craft of translation – such as Gabriel Rosenstock (November 17th) – could assist in the seasonal spirit. – Is mise,