Firm seeks Glaswegian interpreter

A translation company is looking to recruit Glaswegian interpreters to help business clients who are baffled by the local dialect.

Today Translations placed an advert in The Herald newspaper on Tuesday seeking speakers of "Glaswegian English".

Successful candidates, who could earn up to £140 a day, must understand "vocabulary, accent and nuances".

The firm said that so far 30 people had applied for the positions - some of them in Glaswegian.

SOME GLASGOW PATTER Baltic (very cold) Boost (head off) Buckie (tonic wine favoured by youngsters) Cludgie (toilet) Eejit (idiot) Hampden roar (score) Hee haw (nothing) Hen (term used to address a woman or girl) Laldy (enthusiastic participation) Maw (mother) Midden (rubbish tip) Pure (very) Moroculous (drunk) Messages (shopping) Scooby (clue, rhyming slang - Scooby Doo) Shoot the craw (leave in a hurry) Stooky (plaster cast) Swatch (look) Toaty (small) Ya dancer (fantastic) Yersel (yourself)

Today Translations spokesman Mick Thorburn said: "Over the last few months we've had clients asking us for Glaswegian translators.

"After some consideration we've decided this is a service we would like to offer.

"Usually, the role would involve translating documents but in this case it's more likely to be assisting foreign visitors to the city whose 'business English' is not good enough to understand the local dialect."

Mr Thorburn said successful candidates may have to sit in on business meetings.

He added: "We're not necessarily looking for people who are particularly skilled in linguistics, just candidates who can help out clients who may struggle with native Glaswegian."

Today Translations said that depending on the volume of applications, it expected to contact the successful clients in the next few weeks.

Earlier this year a bus driver was recognised for teaching his Eastern European colleagues at First Glasgow bus company to understand Glaswegian slang.

James Lillis said: "When new employees come to Scotland and hear the Glasgow accent, it can be a problem. Drivers have to learn to understand what is meant when a customer says, for example, 'Gie us an aw day tae the toon' (Give me an all day ticket to the town)."

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