London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 09, 2026

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

0:00
0:00
Close
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
Royal Navy Monitored Russian Warships and Shadow Fleet Tankers for 21 Days in July
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
×