Is it bore da or bora da ? Where are the vowels in Ystwyth? Those tongue twisting Welsh words not sounding right?

Thanks to a new CD and MP3 tracks called Sounds Good released on Monday 17 July by the Welsh Language Board, practical help will be available to pronounce Welsh words and phrases clearly and correctly. The CD is a new resource to help public bodies recruit staff with a basic ability to pronounce names and simple phrases correctly.

The Sounds Good CD and website includes names of people and places, greetings and simple expressions –

According to Meri Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board, making sure that officers pronounce names and greetings clearly and correctly is a matter of customer care for public bodies and if an individual is uncertain how to pronounce some names then it’s the employers responsibility to help that person. That’s where the audio tracks come in.

Meri Huws, Chair of the Welsh Language Board said,” Being able to pronounce names and greetings are a mater of basic respect towards Welsh speakers. I’m very pleased that we have prepared these simple tracks as a resource for public bodies to use and I hope that public bodies will develop a policy where applicants for jobs will receive the audio tracks in order to master their content as part of the recruitment and selection process"

Judge Phillip Richards asked the Welsh Language Board to prepare the CD after he received a copy of a similar resource from North Wales Police

Judge Phillip Richards said, “As Chair of the sub-committee of the Lord Chancellor’s Standing Committee on the Welsh Language which looks at training in Welsh for everybody that is involved with delivering justice in Wales – I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to welcome this CD prepared by the Welsh Language Board. I’m confident the CD will be a big help to many in the public sector in Wales as a practical aid to pronounce names correctly.”

North Wales Police give an audio CD with every application form and asses the proficiency of every applicant as a part of the recruitment and selecting process.

Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable for North Wales Police said,

“As a public body we have a responsibility to ensure that our staff can show courtesy and language sensitivity in Welsh when dealing with the public in Wales. That’s why we decided to create our groundbreaking CD ‘An Introduction to Welsh -1’, in partnership with Llysfasi College. Every new member of staff receives a copy of the CD and they have to pass a basic test to show that they can pronounce names of people and places correctly and a few simple expressions before being appointed. There haven’t been any problems since implementing this policy in the last 12 months and we have a success rate of 100%. We have also given every member of staff a copy of the CD and are encouraging them to use it.”

Public bodies have received copies of the CD and the Welsh Language Board has an assessment plan example so that anybody wishing to develop an assessment system can receive Support and advice from the Board.



ENDS