Street names

Vincent Borg of Naxxar (November 1) asked about the correct translation of Triq il-Miratur in Vittoriosa and in Floriana.

First and foremost, there is no translation for a name, and therefore the question does not crop up. Triq il-Miratur is Triq il-Miratur.

The names of the Maltese streets were in Italian. Both streets in question were called Strada Miratore (meaning a man aiming a firearm). Miratur is a marksman, while a gunlayer is somebody who adjusts a gun for firing.

Sniper is one who shoots, normally from a hiding place. So in this case of street names, "gunlayer" is more appropriate.

In the case of Vittoriosa, in the Government Gazette of August 13 and 16, 1940, Strada Miratore was officially translated to Gunlayer Street, while in the same gazette (January 21, 1943 and July 8, 1949) Gunlayer Street was translated to Triq il-Miratur. Also, and this is important in the case of "sniper", Observer Street was also translated to Triq il-Miratur.

Regarding Floriana, on the Government Gazette of January 21 1943, Gunlayer Street was translated to Triq il-Miratur. This Maltese version was confirmed on the same gazette of January 28, 1955.