Councils lack ambition and intent on language: Bethan Williams

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has responded to proposed standards for use of the Welsh Language and has told the Welsh Language Commissioner that it seeks more time to comply with some standards and wants to be excepted from compliance with others.

On the key standard of providing a translation service from Welsh to English and English to Welsh, the Council has challenged the proposed standard on the basis that translation service providers are unable / unprepared to provide a translation service from English to Welsh. The Council has requested that the requirement for a translation service from English to Welsh be deleted from the standard.

In addition, the Council has claimed that it should be excepted from equal use of Welsh on social media on the basis that “the timescale for translation are prohibitive taking into consideration the “real time” nature of social media”.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Cymraeg have responded to the Council’s responses with disbelief to the Council’s wish to excuse itself from following twelve of the standards or to have an extension of time from compliance with them.

Bethan Williams, area officer for Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Dyfed said: “There will be a new Welshmedium primary school in Tenby, and Welsh-medium secondary school in Haverfordwest over the next few years, but the Council itself has asked not to have to fulfil some basic Welsh Language Standards.

“What impression does that give? That Welsh is the language of education, but everything in the ‘real’ world takes place in English.”

Bethan continued: “The Council’s reason for not wanting to ensure that their Council twitter stream and press releases are in Welsh is that there are no Welsh speakers in the relevant departments; they also claim that simultaneous translation from English into Welsh cannot be provided in meetings.

“Where is the ambition? The Council has an opportunity here to change the language of the Council, gradually. Instead of tackling that challenge, the Council is opposing Standards.

“Cymdeithas have a similar message for Ceredigion Council, which intends to challenge the two Standards relating to public meetings and public announcements.

Bethan Williams added: “We have been calling on Ceredigion County Council, like Carmarthenshire County Council, to move towards working in Welsh for more than twenty years, and all the councils have known for long enough that they will have to comply with the Standards. Why wait until regulations are in place?

“At a recent meeting of the full Council in Ceredigion, one Councillor asked why one document was in English with only a summary in Welsh. The responsible officer and leader of the Council apologised that they had not been translated. The Council should not be translating into Welsh but working in Welsh.”

A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council told The Herald: “We support the principles enshrined in the Welsh Language Standards and we are working hard to meet those standards within the required timescale.”

They continued: “We do envisage some practical difficulties in complying with some of the standards, hence the challenges we have raised.

“However, our priority remains to be able to provide a Welsh Language service to any individual who requests it.”