Welsh Language Policy: Quick Guide

Academic Planning

  • Welsh medium provision is a central part of the University’s Teaching and Learning Strategy and of the planning work of each College and School.
  • Proposals for new courses and module will consider the appropriateness of providing the course or module in Welsh.

Submitting Assessments

  • Regardless of the language of teaching on a module, all students have the right to submit all written work and examinations in Welsh.
  • Students are also able to use the simultaneous translation services to do presentations in Welsh.
  • Arranging for students’ work to be translated is the responsibility of the module coordinator. Advice can be sought from the Translation Unit translation@bangor.ac.uk / 2038) and the procedure to be followed is outlined in the Regulations for Taught Programmes (6.5 Submitting Work in Welsh).

Support for Students

  • All Welsh speaking students should be allocated a Welsh-speaking personal tutor.
  • All University support services are available to students in Welsh.
  • Students have the right to use Welsh in meetings:
    • All Welsh speaking students should be allocated a Welsh-speaking personal tutor.
    • All University support services are available to students in Welsh.
    • Students have the right to use Welsh in meetings
    • The University will ensure that students, members of the public and representatives from organisations based in Wales have the opportunity to use Welsh in meetings.
    • Meetings with members of the public / representatives of organisations in Wales: see guide
    • Materials displayed (e.g. PowerPoints) in meetings open to students and the public must be bilingual.
    • Documents for public meetings will be bilingual (agenda, minutes, papers). Documents for internal meetings where simultaneous translation is provided will be bilingual.
    • If a member of university staff is attending a meeting in Wales organized by a 3rd party, the language used in the presentation should be carefully considered, for example in the context of the normal working language of the 3rd party.

Support for Staff

  • Staff can access all University services in Welsh.
  • Staff can access Welsh language tuition free of charge and during working hours.
  • Staff are encouraged to use Welsh at work and to develop their Welsh language skills.

Services

  • All University ‘services’ must be available to students, staff and the public in Wales in Welsh.
  • Services will be of the same quality in Welsh and in English by being equally visible, equally easy to use and equally effective. This applies to services provided:
    • Face to face
      - Reception services should always be available bilingually and staff should always greet visitors in Welsh and English.
      - Welsh speaking staff who work on reception should wear a ‘Iaith Gwaith’ badge to identify them as Welsh speakers.
      - Reception areas should have a sign indicating that people are welcome to use Welsh in the reception. The signs are available from the Corporate Communications department.
      Cymorth Cymraeg - Help with Welsh: Speaking
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    • On the phone
      - Telephone calls to should be answered bilingually (Bore da, Prifysgol Bangor / Bore da John Jones etc.) - The Welsh Language Standards require us to make it explicit that a Welsh language service is available. It is, therefore, recommended that staff say: Fyddech chi’n hoffi derbyn y gwasanaeth yma yn Gymraeg? / Would you like to receive this service in Welsh?
      - If a caller wishes to speak Welsh, the call must be dealt with in Welsh as far as possible, until it becomes necessary to transfer the call to a non-Welsh speaking member of staff as no Welsh speaking member of staff is available to provide a service on that specific subject matter.
      - When advertising telephone numbers, you must state that the University welcomes calls in Welsh (Mae croeso i chi gysylltu gyda’r Brifysgol yn Gymraeg neu Saesneg / You are welcome to contact the University in Welsh or English).
      - Central and departmental answering machines messages will be bilingual and will explicitly state that it is possible to leave a message in Welsh.
      - Automated telephone services must be available bilingually.
      - Welsh speaking students (as recorded in Banner) should be called by Welsh speaking members of staff whenever possible.
      - When you call members of the public / representatives of public bodies in Wales for the first time, ask what language they would like to use on the phone when dealing with the matter in hand and keep a record of this.
      - Language preferences for telephone calls should be respected as calls are transferred between individuals / departments. If transferring a call, please let the other member of staff know that the call has been conducted in Welsh to that point.

      * these guidelines refer to calls in relation to University services

      Cymorth Cymraeg - Help with Welsh: Speaking
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    • In writing
      - Corporate correspondence must be bilingual.
      - Emails / Letters / Notices sent to all students in a School must be bilingual.
      - Emails / Letters / Notices sent to individual students must be in their ‘language of choice’ (as noted in Banner)
      - Correspondence with members of the public / public bodies in Wales must be bilingual until you are aware of their preferred language.
      - Emails to groups of staff (e.g. heads of schools, administrative representatives, task group members) that relate to official matters (e.g. policy developments, important notices, formal meetings) must be bilingual.
      - If an email is sent to an individual member of staff with the intention of forwarding it to a group of staff (e.g. within a college) then the original email should be bilingual.
      - Correspondence in Welsh must be replied to in Welsh.
      Cymorth Cymraeg - Help with Welsh: Writing
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    • Online
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    • On self-service machines

Publications, Forms, Documents

  • University publications, forms and documents aimed at students and the public in Wales will be bilingual.
  • The English version of publications should explicitly state that a Welsh version is available (Mae’r ddogfen hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg / This form is also available in Welsh).

Website and Social Media

  • The University website and apps that contain information for students and the public will be bilingual. (Websites detailing research projects do not need to be bilingual).
  • Corporate and departmental social media accounts will be bilingual.

Marketing Campaigns

  • All marketing campaigns run in Wales must be bilingual.

Organising Events

Those responsible for organising events (e.g. Open Days, Concerts Public Lectures and Public Conferences) must ensure that the ‘services’ available (including signage) are bilingual. Welsh-speaking staff should be at hand to offer assistance. Welsh speaking staff are encouraged to wear ‘Iaith Gwaith’ orange badges to help identify them.

  • Publicity should be in Welsh and English (e.g. venue, time and date).
  • The title of any individual lecture should be in the language in which it is given. The title should be bilingual if a simultaneous translation service is to be provided
  • The publicity for the lecture or the conference should note clearly whether a simultaneous translation service will be available or not.
  • When organising a lecture or conference, the aims and objectives of the event should be carefully considered in the linguistic context. In order to be able to respond to enquiries, it is recommended, as an example of good practice, that a record is kept of these aims and objectives. In assessing needs, consideration should also be given to the following: a) the tone of the formal sessions, b) the tone of the discussion groups, c) the tone of the informal breaks, d) linguistic requirements with regard to chairing sessions, d) the subject matter of the lecture e) the likely audience for the lecture. Different linguistic models can meet various requirements, and the model most likely to achieve the desired aim should be selected. The following guidelines are offered as possible models.

Public Lectures

i. Departmental lectures
Public lectures are held with guest speakers, under the auspices of individual academic departments. For these lectures, Model D1 would usually be followed unless the lecture organisers opt for D2 on the basis of a needs assessment.

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ii. University lectures
An annual series of public lectures is arranged, with prominent guest speakers, For these lectures, Model D1 is followed.

Ìý Language of Delivery Translation Requirements
Model D1 Lecture delivered in Welsh or English with the Chair’s introduction in the language of the lecture or bilingual. No simultaneous translation provided.
Model D2 Lecture delivered in Welsh or English with the Chair’s introduction in the language of the lecture or bilingual. Simultaneous translation service provided when the lecture is in Welsh.

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Public conferences

Ìý Language of Delivery Translation Requirements
Model C1 Lectures wholly in Welsh only or English only. Discussion groups in English only or Welsh only according to the language of delivery. No simultaneous translation provided.
Model C2 Lectures in Welsh or English. Some discussion groups in English and some in Welsh. Simultaneous translation service for the Welsh lectures and/or other plenary sessions
Model C3 Lectures in Welsh or English. Discussion groups in English only Simultaneous translation service for the Welsh lectures and/or other plenary sessions.
Model C4 Lectures in Welsh or English


Some discussion groups in English and some in Welsh
Simultaneous translation service for the Welsh lectures and/or other plenary sessions.

Simultaneous translation for one or more of the Welsh groups. (The possible technical difficulties which may arise in requesting simultaneous translation in more than one location, in terms of the need to duplicate equipment and personnel, and possible problems with electronic interference, should be noted).

Research Projects in Wales

  • All communications relating research projects run in Wales must be bilingual (or in the individual’s language of choice).

Signage

  • Any public information signs (including temporary signs) in any location in Wales for which the University is responsible will be bilingual.

Responsibility of Managers

  • Deans, Heads of Schools and Heads of Services are responsible for the implementation of the Welsh Language Policy within their area of responsibility.
  • Managers are responsible for the compliance of third parties with the policy. If the third party will be delivering ‘a service’ as defined by the Standards, Welsh language requirements must be included in the tendering specifications. Advice can be sought from Head of Procurement and Canolfan Bedwyr.
  • Managers must adhere to the Code of Practice on Appointing Staff in Accordance with the Welsh Language Standards
  • Managers must promote the use of Welsh within their departments by, for example:
    • Making students aware of their rights to use Welsh
    • Allowing staff to learn Welsh during working hours
    • Sending bilingual departmental emails
    • Ensuring Welsh is used in departmental meetings
  • All Colleges must have a Welsh Medium Representative on its Executive. Each School must have a Welsh Medium representative from amongst its lecturing staff. Each service department / College should identify an individual to be responsible for facilitating the use of Welsh in the department and overseeing compliance with the Welsh Language Standards.

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