Drivers at Warburtons in Port Talbot have been fitting learning Welsh into their busy lives.
David Piles has been learning Welsh using Duolingo (www.duolingo.com).
David said:
“I knew very little Welsh before I started learning. On a scale from 1-10, I would say my level of Welsh is currently about 5. I did Welsh at school, but I did not take it any further than what was required, and I could not remember most of what I had learned anyway.
I am now learning Welsh using the Duolingo phone app. I have a son now and I would like him to learn Welsh. I want to learn Welsh so that I can help him with Welsh in the future. Another reason for learning is because Welsh is our language and I wish I had stuck with it during my school years.
I found out about the Duolingo app during a union visit to my workplace. Several different learning opportunities were brought up and Welsh interested me. I was shown the Duolingo app, and I have gone on from there.
It is not that difficult to fit learning into my day-to-day life. With my driver job, I regularly take 30-45 minute breaks a day, and instead of just scrolling through social media, I use the time to get a few lessons of Welsh done. If you find something that drives you, you will find the time to do it. I know my son would really benefit later in life from learning Welsh (hopefully, fluently when he is older) and it is his heritage. I push myself to keep learning so I can help, and I also get to learn a second language as a bonus”.
Gavin Davies has been learning Welsh with Say Something In (www.saysomethingin.com)
Gavin said:
“I receive emails from URTU Learning about the various learning opportunities and we also have a WhatsApp group at work where our Union Learning Rep posts learning updates. When I received a message about opportunities to learn Welsh, I looked at the various learning options available and came across an online learning platform called “Say Something In”. My level of Welsh is very basic, probably 2 out of 10. “ I want to learn Welsh” is what I can say at the moment! Before I started learning, I knew some words, but I was not able to put them into sentences.
I liked the look of the online platform – it was easy to learn as instead of having full and long sentences to deal with, I could learn a few words at a time and then make up a sentence. The platform is very user-friendly as you watch a video and at the end, you are able to construct two or three sentences. Basically, you hear a word, repeat it, then hear it again and repeat the cycle. When I get home from work, I have a bit of free time. It only takes about 30 mins each day, so it is not difficult to fit in.
I want to keep the language alive, and I also want to be able to converse in Welsh with my wife. She is fluent in Welsh and has given me the motivation as well as an opportunity to learn. I want to speak the language and regret not learning Welsh at school when I had the opportunity. I have set myself a learning challenge and promised my wife to learn 6 sentences in Welsh by the end of the year”.
You can find out more about opportunities to learn Welsh by visiting: