[Talk-GB] Multi-lingual tagging in Wales

[David Woolley]

On 16/10/2020 14:08, Gruff Owen wrote:
> With that in mind, and admittedly polemicising the debate a little. If 
> we accept the premise that the native language of Wales is Welsh and 
> that OSM is a community mapping project where we have an opportunity to 
> respect native communities in a way that past colonial mapmakers didn't. 
> Could we take this as an opportunity to prioritise authentic Welsh place 
> names where that's possible? I understand that there will be objections 
> to this, but I'm not sure we can disregard it completely as an option?
> 

My understanding of how it works is that it is up to the local 
communities to ensure that road signs, etc., in the local area, reflect 
the community preferences, and OSM will reflect whatever the signage 
says.  This is even more important in areas where people are shelling 
each other over such issues.  Using what is on the ground is the only 
way that OSM can avoid taking sides.

There is nothing to stop a Welsh language supporter running a map tile 
server that uses name:cy, in preference to name, where it exists.