English spellcheck 'to blame for statue typos'

[The Straight Story]

English spellcheck 'to blame for statue typos'

A row has broken out after it emerged that a monument in Oslo to Norwegian wartime resistance fighters was covered in typos. The designer says use of English spellcheck is partly to blame.

The memorial was unveiled in November, and honours members of the communist ‘Pelle Group’, whose achievements included the blowing up of six ships and one shipyard crane in 1944. The monument at Aker Brygge in Oslo, close to the scene of their attacks, was seen as belated recognition for the group.

But now it is under attack for a series of typos: the word ‘fellesskap’ (community) has been spelt ‘felleskap’. ‘Oslo-området’ (the Oslo area) is missing a ’t’. Some periods have been placed where they should not be, other periods are missing, according to Aftenposten.

“It’s particularly unfortunate when spelling mistakes are made on signs and statues which many people will see and which will be around for a long time,” Botlov Helleland, language expert at Oslo University, to Aftenposten.

http://www.thelocal.no/20131227/english-spellcheck-blamed-for-memorial-typos

[Orrex]

1. If only there were books that keep track of rules for proper spelling and punctuation

They should really invent such a thing.

[rock]

3. And scholars who had a formal understanding of subject matter

!

[bluesbassman]

2. Coulda been worse. They could've used an iPhone's spell checker.

Lord knows what fellesskap would've turned out as.

[KurtNYC]

6. Thought I'd try it...

Grabbed some text from the plaque: http://www.nrk.no/ostlandssendingen/minnesmerke-fullt-av-skrivefeil-1.11438341

Sollie under denknawnet pelle I arene
utforte norges
skipsverftene akers mek verksted
fellesskap

Accepted first offered corrections (with apologies to Norway...):

Sollie under Tennant Pele I Irene
ut forte Borges
skipsverftene agers meek vested
foolscap

[on point]

4. Perhaps they should have HIRED someone to check the spelling

[KitSileya]

5. Especially since the writing would literally be set in stone.

I must admit that sometimes I just want to grab my red pen when I see menus, ads, posters with tons of mistakes in them. It's the teacher in me. And I don't even use a red pen to grade - I use green ink, because red has such unfortunate associations for many of my students. I'm willing to bet that someone will deface that statue before long, tho' - but I'm not going to Oslo until May....

[Octafish]

7. An editer.

Proofeeder, to.

[NV Whino]

8. I have a bronze plaque with multiple typos

That's what happens when you give information over the phone to the caster, particularly when it involves Spanish names and tildes, that wiggly little mark that goes over the ñ.

[treestar]

9. Just amazes me they would not check it by their actual eyes

When it's something that will be set in stone for a permanent monument.

I get the right wingers will do it for big signs they make by hand, because they are ignorant, but a stone monument should be checked by real people, not spell check. Imagine how dumb the carvers must be, too, not to notice that.