Overview
Embedding bilingualism in your research is key to delivering services that work in both Welsh and English.
Researching with Welsh-language users helps you to:
- involve users of services in Welsh
- understand their experiences better
- understand how they interact with services
- design and deliver services that meet their needs
- meet the Welsh language standards
Considering the Welsh from the beginning prevents problems in the future when language differences impact your service, saving you time and effort.
As a growing and evolving field in Wales, it’s an exciting space to explore and experiment with ways of working and collaborating, and develop best practice and guidance together.
Learn about:
Researching with Welsh-language users
Welsh-language users should be able to access public services in Welsh.
While it may not be possible for all teams and organisations to have researchers and other user-centred design practitioners who are fully proficient in Welsh at this stage, some research is better than no research.
It’s important to:
- find ways to do user research with Welsh-language users
- embed bilingualism from the beginning and throughout the entire service lifecycle
- build the capability to do user research fully in Welsh in the future
Consider how you can best embed the Welsh language in your user research as much as possible. Include extra time in your delivery plans and make sure you have the skills and resources you need.
Advocating for the Welsh language and its users is everyone’s responsibility, not only the Welsh speakers’.
Understanding Welsh-language users
There’s no standard Welsh-language user. Linguistic competence is complex and depends on many factors, including confidence.
We use ‘language user’ instead of ‘language speakers’ because it includes all users of the language in the context of products and services, regardless of their competence.
A Welsh-language user may speak fluent Welsh, but:
- prefer to use services in English
- struggle with the language services in Welsh use
- are disabled or use assistive technology
- use services bilingually, switching languages throughout their journey
Some users may expect a more sophisticated level of Welsh while others may use a mix of Welsh and English (Wenglish) in their everyday life.
A Welsh-language user may not speak fluent Welsh but understand others speaking it.
Or they may not speak or understand a conversation in Welsh, but understand written Cymraeg clir (clear Welsh).
They could prefer to speak Welsh on the helpline, but receive email or text alerts bilingually and access your website in English.