If a sign isn't in your language can you ignore it?

[purplepoppy]

In London there are signs written in six languages telling you that feeding the birds carries a five year prison sentence. I think it's great they cater to the linguistic needs of the locals. Stuff like this is what makes London the safest city in the world.

But it got me thinking. If a sign isn't written in your language are you allowed to ignore it? Here in Wales there have been a few cases of people successfully challenging parking tickets because signs haven't followed bilingual regulations.

So why should an Italian, French, Spanish tourist etc end up in jail because that sign wasn't in their language?

Some say ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law but isn't that why we have lawyers, there's thousands of laws and we can't be expected to know them all?

[Tarifa]

I think it can only be enforced if it's in the official language of the country. Or in 2 or 3 languages, like in Belgium, or in parts of Spain where there is a second language only spoken in that province or region.

The rest is just a gesture towards people speaking another language.

What if the text has been badly translated? What if the person who speaks a little English gets it wrong and thinks the pigeons will be imprisoned and the reward is a job as city cleaner in the streets of London?

[AviatorTom]

@Tarifa Based on your first sentence, then every sign can be ignored in the United States, which is one of the few countries that has no official language. Yes, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order making English the official language of the US, but since Congress has not enacted it into law, that doesn't make it legally the official language.

[Tarifa]

@AviatorTom The Constitution is written in English. Every law in the US, as far as I know, is in English. Ask for a birth certificate and what language is it in? A country needs an official language to function on an administrative level. Otherwise, we might as well get back to prehistoric times.

If the US doesn't have an official language, so be it. For all practical purposes, it does have one.

[AviatorTom]

There's an unwritten part of the law, goes way back in Common Law, that ignorance of the law is not a valid defense. If a sign is not in a language a person understands, it still defines something legal, or illegal, and ignoring the sign can still get that person into trouble with the law.

[FreyaRed]

Five years for feeding birds, 20 social work hours for repetitive pedophilia. Oh Britannia, you might rule the wave but not sanity.

[RandomGirl42]

Can I drink with the birds?

[KostasKouvalis]

We have phone apps now where your camera can literally translate a sign, but not everyone has a fancy phone. Naturally, signs will be in the local language, and you can't expect tourists to know the language of every country they're visiting. Usually with tourists they are more lenient. In Puerto Rico, we were supposed to pay for the highway, but accidently went to the lane for prepaid passes. The guy knew we were foreign, so he just let us through and said he'll work it out with the bill company later. But in touristy areas, it's becoming more common for city officials to post bilingual signs, for the tourists they get the most of.

[Chazmatazz269]

Five years in prison for feeding birds?
That’s nuckin’ futz!
I don’t ignore signage that i don’t understand. There has been an increase in bathroom signage that makes no sense to me. I always ask someone for clarification. I think patrons who feel violated when someone of the wrong sex walks into their bathroom should sue the establishment for putting up nonsensical signs. That would put an end to it pretty quickly. As a white man though, i would surely be a casualty rather than a martyr.

[AyChingao]

Firstly this sign might easily be taken for "Playing yahtzee with the birds is unlawful". Next, I've known people that would stand next to such a sign and toss Alka Seltzer tabs at seagulls because something about "thumbs and noses". Average officer Odie would ticket you..."ignorance is no excuse", and toss you upon a random judge's sense of humor.

[nolabels]

I guess that playing craps with the birds is okay, then.

Officer Odie better have circles, arrows, and a paragraph on the back of each 8x10 color glossy photo of the crime scene if he hopes to get a conviction in the court of law.

Or was that Officer Obie?
Yeah, I think it was probably Officer Obie.
I'll have to go give a fresh listen to Alice's Restaurant.

[AyChingao]

@nolabels Nah, I was imagining the Garfield dog, and the birds may play craps with you whether you participate or not

[nolabels]

@AyChingao Lol.
Garfield!
Gotcha!

Yeah, the birds do have free rein to play craps whenever they like.
Ha ha.

[loveslongnails]

" Stuff like this is what makes London the safest city in the world." HUH?

London isn't close to being THE safest city in the world, no matter whose survey and metrics you look at. Why would you say that? Google is free, you know.

Many surveys (you can look them up yourself), rank London as only the 15th "best city in Europe" for what's considered light crimes, like phone snatching, pickpocketing, tourist scams. The good news is the homicide rate has dropped to around 1.2 per 100,000, which is good for a large city.

[AngryCarl3]

It's obvious what the sign means, without the gibberish translation. People just playing dumb to dodge the fine. I say lock the bastards up.

What do you say, Linda Day George?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ecksKcGhE_s

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

London, the safest city in the world? You got me thinking about another question now

About your question, well, I need a lawyer to answer this question for me lol

[Bricealan]

@purplepoppy That may be okay, but what about the Vulcans, like Mr. Spock, and Cylons, from The Death Star?

[Avicenna]

Given that there is a picture that even any non-English speaking European would understand means it's forbidden to feed the birds, that excuse won't fly (it's also not as if every language can be put on one of these signs).

[DryGermanGuy]

Funny idea! But that's where the pictograms come in. And everybody understands these.

[douride2]

The same thing happens here in Canada. English & French. Thing is most times it is someone crying it's not in French.

[Snakeyes7]

You know you're cooked when there isn't a single European language on that sign even though Europe is the closest continent to you.

[Crankor]

Id say if its not in the native language then thats on whoever put the sign up if it was unreadable.

[ohsheeT]

I thought it was saying to the birds no feeding the people

[exitseven]

I woukld definitely ignore it. This is America, if its not in English than it is not anything to worry about.

[Theunfadeable]

I always speak gibberish out loud and make it sound like I’m speaking Chinese

[robocop666]

Germany has many strange laws and if your new to the country you will be punished even if your a foreigner and were not aware.

[Dargil]

If it's only words with no symbols, it wouldn't make any sense to me.

[Drumlin2001]

Not really. I mean Danger cliff edge dosen't reduce in danger just because you can't read the sign

[Shiprex]

Of course it is necessary for you to not be antisocial in somewhere you aren't resident.

[Likes2drive]

We have most signs in English and Spanish only not in Hindu or Urdu, seems like you’ve been invaded by a lot of immigrants from mostly india

[Twalli]

If you're in a foreign county and you don't know their language it's your fault for npt knowing the rules.

[Anonymous]

I'm this day and age? No. Google translate fixes that issue.

[LC75LC71]

Most signs have English.

[Jeff51]

No. Maybe ask someone