23 April 2023 , 16:45
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Mobile phone users in Wales noticed an error in the UK government's bi-lingual emergency alert message.
The alert was sent out in Welsh and English today, but many noticed the use of an error in the translation of the word 'safe'.
The Welsh words ‘ddiogel’ or ‘diogel’ were mistakenly replaced with 'vogel', but there is no letter v in the language.
In English, the message read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action."
"Eich cadw chi ac eraill yn ddiogel" is what is supposed to have been written, meaning "to keep you and others safe".
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Instead, the message read "Eich cadw chi ac eraill yn Vogel".
A Government spokesperson said: “A technical error caused one word in the Welsh language version of the emergency test alert to be misspelt.
“The fact that this occurred in a test alert will mean we can rectify it in future.”
The Cabinet Office said it would be reviewing the outcome of the UK-wide test (GOV.UK)Further problems were experienced by Brits, with some reporting that they received the message late or not at all.
Some have also taken to social media to flag that they have not been able to make or receive calls since the 3pm alarm went off on their device.
The Cabinet Office said it would be reviewing the outcome of the UK-wide test of the new emergency alert system.
The department said that, while the vast majority of compatible phones received the alert, officials were aware that a “very small proportion of mobile users on some networks did not receive it”.
The London Marathon, Premier League football matches and matinee theatre performances were all taking place while the 3pm alert sounded on spectator’s mobiles (James Marsh/REX/Shutterstock)It said that would be looked into as part of the review of Sunday’s test.
A UK Government spokesman said: “We have effectively completed the test of the UK-wide Emergency Alerts system, the biggest public communications exercise of its kind ever done.
“We are working with mobile network operators to review the outcome and any lessons learned.”
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The alert and buzzing sound associated with it was earlier described by newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden as potentially important in the future.
"This could be the sound that saves your life," Mr Dowden said.
An Emergency Alert seen on an Apple iPhone Cardiff (Getty Images)
Welsh language users were quick to spot the errorA number of customers with the mobile network reported not receiving the message at all and the company said in a statement that it was "working closely" with the government to find out what went wrong.
A spokesman for Three said: “We are aware that a number of customers have not received the test alert.
“We are working closely with the Government to understand why and ensure it doesn’t happen when the system is in use.”