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From Welsh to English – Learning in my second language

, From Welsh to English – Learning in my second language, CARDIFF MET BLOG
, From Welsh to English – Learning in my second language, CARDIFF MET BLOG

Helo, fy enw i yw Amelia ac rydw i’n rhugl yn yr iaith Cymraeg. Rydw i wedi bod yn siarad Cymraeg ers fy mod i’n tair blwydd oed ac rydw i wedi cael fy nysgu yn yr iaith ym mhob pwnc yn ysgol. Ond ers dechrau prifysgol rydw i’n cael fy nysgu yn Saesneg, dyma sut rydw i’n ymdopi gyda dysgu yn fy ail iaith.

Hello, my name is Amelia and I am a fluent Welsh speaker. I have been speaking Welsh since the age of three and was taught through the medium of Welsh in every subject in school. However, since starting in Uni I am now being taught through the medium of English which has been a big change!

The first thing I feared when starting Uni, was not doing very well as I had never been taught in the medium of English (apart from English lessons in school) and my other concern was losing my Welsh language as I wouldn’t be speaking it every day.

Luckily, my fears were quietened as soon as I started University, as I met a few Welsh speakers on my course who I could speak to in Welsh regularly. I would speak to them often in Welsh – and they even help me learn new words as they are from a different area than me and Welsh can be different in different areas of Wales.

Amelia & welsh-speaking friend Hannah

Amelia & welsh-speaking friend Hannah

As for learning in English, it was a lot easier than I thought. At first, I thought I wouldn’t understand some terminology that lecturers or other students use, however I was able to request exam papers in Welsh to help me with terms that I may not understand in English. As the year progressed I found that as I was being taught in English it was easier to do the exams without a Welsh paper to help.

At first my writing technique wasn’t very good, as sentences in Welsh can sometimes be backwards when translated into English. I was translating my assignment questions into Welsh to understand them and then I would write my assignments in English. As time went on my writing technique had got better, I soon started to understand the terminology that the lecturers used and I didn’t have to translate questions anymore.

Although I don’t learn in Welsh anymore, I know I will never lose the language!