Estyn Llaw's Services

From time to time, voluntary and community organisations need to be able to pick up the phone to ask for advice on a particular matter, and more intensive support regarding a more complex matter is sometimes needed over a longer period of time. Whatever your needs, please contact Estyn Llaw to take advantage of the specialist support that we offer in a wide range of linguistic fields.

'Estyn Llaw' means 'to lend a helping hand', and that's exactly what we're able to offer large and small organisations in the voluntary and community sector on a local, regional and national level, to help them to develop their use of the Welsh language.

Training
Language Schemes
Bilingual Design
Finding and Working with a Translator
Organising Bilingual Events
Holding and Chairing Bilingual Meetings
Recruiting Bilingual Staff / Volunteers
Developing a Bilingual Website
Information Technology and the Welsh Language
Conducting a Language Skills Audit

Training
Estyn Llaw is able to offer workshops and language awareness and language practice training sessions tailored specifically to meet your organisation's needs. A fee is usually charged for these training services. From time to time, Estyn Llaw holds training sessions in collaboration with the Mentrau Iaith (Language Initiatives), County Voluntary Councils or the Communities First Support Network. For further information please visit the Training page.

IAITH cyf., the company that administers the Estyn Llaw scheme, also offers a comprehensive training programme. For further information please visit www.iaith.eu.

Language Schemes
If you are eager to produce, modify or revise a Language Scheme or need support to implement certain aspects of a scheme, please visit the Welsh Language Schemes page.

Bilingual Design
Preparing bilingual materials can broaden your organisation's appeal and strengthen its public bilingual image. Estyn Llaw can give you advice on how to prepare bilingual materials - signs, leaflets, publications etc - that will be equal in terms of content and design. When designing a piece of work, you should remember to take both languages into consideration from the outset. The individual responsible for producing the work and the designer responsible for typesetting the work must be aware of the fact that Welsh and English will be treated equally. You should take both languages into account when designing a logo and visual images or when deciding on a subheading or a slogan for a campaign or a project.
See the Welsh Language Board's A guide to bilingual design.

Finding and Working with a Translator
It is essential to ensure that all translations are of a high standard and that all documents are proof-read. This can help you to avoid unnecessary errors that can be embarrassing and expensive to rectify. It is sometimes difficult to know where to find a competent and experienced translator who is able to provide written or simultaneous translation services for your voluntary organisation. We ourselves do not offer translation services, but Estyn Llaw can direct you to the translators best placed to serve your purposes and meet your budget. See our information sheet: Working with Translators.

Organising Bilingual Events
If you are considering organising an informal social event, why not make an effort to ensure that the occasion gives equal consideration to both Welsh and English? Generating a bilingual tone is a means of acknowledging and reflecting the bilingual nature of Wales and acknowledging the Welsh speakers in your area. It also demonstrates an inclusive approach involving members of the two main language communities. You should think of measures that could be taken to ensure that the Welsh language is seen and heard in your activities.

Holding and Chairing Bilingual Meetings
Welsh speakers are more likely to attend and contribute to a meeting or conference if it is seen as a bilingual and inclusive event. There are specific steps that the organisers and chairperson can take to create a welcoming atmosphere where those attending feel sufficiently comfortable to be able to contribute in their preferred language. See our information sheet: Arranging and Chairing Bilingual Meetings Effectively.

Recruiting Bilingual Staff / Volunteers
It may seem like an obvious thing to say, but an organisation with some bilingual staff and volunteers will find it easier to operate bilingually and offer language choice to its clients than an organisation with no bilingual staff or volunteers. Voluntary organisations sometimes find it difficult to recruit bilingual volunteers or staff, and this in turn makes it more difficult for them to increase their use of the Welsh language. Estyn Llaw has experience of assisting various voluntary organisations in responding to these difficulties.

Developing a Bilingual Website
One of the initial points of contact between a voluntary organisation and members of the community/prospective clients will often be the website. Most people are aware of the importance of having an attractive, useful and user-friendly website, but have you ever considered having a website that will manage to achieve these aims using the two official languages of Wales?

Information Technology and the Welsh Language
If your voluntary organisation is intent on making greater use of Welsh both internally and externally, there are several software packages that would allow members of staff who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers to use the language on their computers. Existing software includes Welsh-language interfaces for the most popular systems, language improvement packages and spellchecking packages. The provision is constantly increasing and expanding, so please contact Estyn Llaw for advice.

Conducting a Language Skills Audit
As part of the process of producing a Language Scheme and measuring your organisation's ability to operate bilingually, it is valuable to be able to assess your organisation's current language skills. Awareness of these skills will enable you to ensure that you are making the best possible use of your staff or volunteers' language skills. Estyn Llaw can advise and help you to conduct an audit of this kind.

If Estyn Llaw is able to assist you in any way – by phone, by e-mail or by arranging a visit and a face-to-face meeting – please feel free to contact Estyn Llaw's officers. You will find their contact details here.