Luisa's story

Luisa tells us how learning Welsh has been helpful in building relationships at work and shares her tips to help other learners.

Luisa is a Learning and Development Co-ordinator at Careers Wales, based in South-East Wales. Luisa did not learn any Welsh at school but had a few lessons when she trained as a primary school teacher 28 years ago. She picked up Welsh lessons again in 2020 to improve her skills.

Our questions to Luisa

1. What inspired you to start improving your Welsh language skills?

During the first lockdown in 2020 I started using Duolingo to learn Welsh, as a positive way to spend time during the pandemic. I have maintained a continuous “streak” since that time, spending at least a few minutes on it every single day. I knew that being fluent would be a big advantage to me at work. In 2023, my employer offered me the opportunity to sign up to online Welsh classes, and my skills have improved a lot more since then.

I knew that being fluent would be a big advantage to me at work."

2. How has learning Welsh impacted your daily work at Careers Wales?

Colleagues who speak Welsh as a first language have commented on how much they appreciate learners making an effort to communicate with them in Welsh. I have started using Welsh greetings, chatting about the weather, and writing simple emails in Welsh. I also try to remember to use simple Welsh phrases and greetings when I deliver training sessions.

3. What do you feel are the biggest advantages of being bilingual at work?

As an entry-level learner, I am a long way from being fully bilingual, but it feels great to be able to make people feel welcomed and included by speaking to them in their first language. I have also been able to connect with other Welsh learners across the organisation, whom I might not have had the opportunity to get to know otherwise.

Using Welsh is a great way to build connections" 

4. How has your confidence in using Welsh developed since you started improving your skills?

Since having lessons, I am now much more willing to have a go at basic conversations in Welsh and am learning new vocabulary all the time. It is lovely to be able to send messages or write people’s birthday and Christmas cards in Welsh, knowing it means a lot to them. I find I can understand more of the Welsh I hear too. I still find it a bit daunting, but I have even had a go at ordering lunch in a café through the medium of Welsh and my Welsh-speaking sister-in-law was delighted to see that I was willing to give it a try.

5. What advice would you give to other adults who already have some Welsh language skills?

Welsh lessons are fun and a great workout for the brain too - I would recommend them to anyone who would like to improve their skills in the language. Online lessons are easy to fit in alongside other commitments, but there are lots of face-to-face opportunities too if that suits your learning style.

It’s worth mentioning Welsh language skills on your CV because even being able to use simple greetings and phrases makes you more of an asset to any organisation."