Background
The Welsh Government's Cymraeg 2050 strategy aims to increase Welsh language usage and the number of Welsh speakers in Wales to one million by 2050.
A crucial aspect of this strategy is to improve and maintain a modern linguistic resource infrastructure.
The immediate aim is to make it easier for people who are learning or using the Welsh language to find and use accurate and up-to-date Welsh linguistic tools and resources to enable them to confidently use the Welsh language in all aspects of their lives.
Currently, many Welsh linguistic resources (e.g., dictionaries, translation, and terminology tools) exist but they are produced by various organisations and dispersed across various websites and apps.
This means it is confusing and difficult for Welsh language users to know what to use and how to find the most accurate, reputable, and up to date Welsh language tools and resources. Many turn to translation tools like Bing and Google Translate which aren’t always accurate.
If access to reputable resources is not made easier for people, this may discourage them from using the Welsh language. This will hinder the Welsh Government’s ability to achieve the goals outlined in their Cymraeg 2050 strategy.
Project aims
The Welsh Linguistic Infrastructure policy recommends to initially coordinate information about resources through a central webpage to signpost users to ‘official’ Welsh language tools and resources.
However, it is currently unclear how a central webpage can best meet the needs of everyday Welsh language users, specifically learners, new speakers, and non-Welsh speakers.
The overarching aim of this research is to help Welsh Government decide how best to design a central webpage to improve awareness and access to the most accurate and reputable Welsh language tools and resources that meet the diverse needs of different Welsh language users.
What we were trying to achieve
We created the following objectives to help us achieve the research aim:
- Understand the current resource and support needs of users when learning or using Welsh language.
- Investigate user's current approaches and preferences for accessing and using Welsh language tools and resources.
- Evaluate users’ experiences with accessing and using existing Welsh language tools and resources.
- Explore users’ attitudes towards language accuracy and confidence in Welsh language resources.
- Identify opportunities to improve their experiences.
Partners
We worked closely with the Welsh Government linguistics team to understand the project aims, context and background of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy and current challenges they were facing.
What we did
Research
A research planning workshop was undertaken with the team to identify user groups and decide which users were a priority for the first round of research.
The team decided to focus on the experiences and resource needs of non-Welsh speaking parents supporting their children in Welsh-medium schools.
We conducted 6 one-to-one remote semi-structured interviews on Microsoft Teams with non-Welsh speaking parents that have children in Welsh-medium schools.
During the session, parents were asked about their experiences and were also asked to use some of the recommended resources and provide feedback.
Findings
Parents we spoke with were deeply committed and proud of their children's Welsh language education.
Those who grew up in Wales often felt a sense of regret for not mastering the language themselves at school. They wanted to ensure their children have a strong connection to their heritage, better prospects for the future, including employment and the cognitive benefits of bilingualism more generally.
Non-Welsh speaking parents wanted to feel empowered to support their children’s Welsh education and have opportunities for more holistic and targeted resources to help them fully engage in their children's Welsh-language education.
The research identified the following high-level themes:
- parents of primary school children value speed over accuracy
- translation tools alone aren’t enough to support non-Welsh speaking parents
- resources recommended by schools are not accessible to non-Welsh speaking parents
- recommended resources are viewed as credible but less accessible and overly academic for the needs of parents supporting primary school children
- parents view schools as their primary source of reliable Welsh language guidance and resources
“It’s hard to do the reading books with them – going from words to full sentences, it’s so hard to do. Google doesn’t give you the proper pronunciation... it a robot voice, so you can't be sure it’s the right pronunciation… makes me feel awful, because I want to help but can’t.”
“Sometimes, the school will ask us to download apps but sometimes [I] don’t know where to go because it’s all in Welsh. We need these but maybe title them in Welsh and English, so we know what it is.”
Recommended next steps
Our recommended next steps are to:
- prioritise accessibility, inclusion, and ease of use
- expand resources to include support for pronunciation and reading
- improve visibility and awareness of recommended resources
- continue with user-centred design approach
Recommended future initiatives
As the initial step of creating a Welsh Government webpage to signpost existing Welsh language resources progresses, there are opportunities to consider more long-term initiatives that could provide a more comprehensive and supportive ecosystem for ‘everyday’ Welsh-language users.
These recommendations once piloted and tested, could address the deeper needs of non-Welsh speaking parents, and ensure the sustained engagement and effective learning of the Welsh language.
These are:
- Work with existing resource providers.
- Develop a dedicated app.
- Build online communities and forums.
- Feedback and continuous improvement.
