With the high street gradually re-opening many of us are thinking about returning to normality bit by bit. Everyone is doing their best to look after the safety of their staff and service users. In doing so, we need to remember that we live in a bilingual country where the Welsh language has legal status.
The Welsh language is prominent on our high streets, hospitals and public spaces. So, as organisations reopen, we need to ensure that any new safety signage is in line with the same high standards of bilingualism that are appreciated by service users and are required by funders.
The Welsh Language Commissioner’s Hybu Team are here to help. Here is an excerpt from our guidance on bilingual design:
Signage
“Language separation is particularly important on signs, and consideration should be given to font, format, colour, size, clarity, prominence and quality. Certain signs could be designed to share titles which are common to both languages, and pictograms can sometimes be more effective than words, if appropriate.”
Here are some useful phrases -
English |
Cymraeg |
|
Welcome Back |
Croeso nôl |
|
Please |
Os gwelwch yn dda |
|
#staysafe |
#cadwchynsaff |
|
Please queue here |
Ciw ffordd yma |
|
We’re open |
Rydym ar agor |
|
Keep a distance of 2m apart |
Cadwch 2 fetr oddi wrth eich gilydd |
|
Pay by card when possible |
Talwch gyda cherdyn os yn bosibl |
|
Please use hand sanitiser provided |
Defnyddiwch yr hylif golchi dwylo |
|
Thorough cleaning routines in place in this store |
Mae’r siop yma yn cael ei glanhau yn drylwyr yn gyson |
Effective design and language accuracy
Any good designer or sign maker will be able to produce high quality bilingual signage. Some examples are below. If you’d like some help finding a designer or sign maker that can meet your needs, or with proofreading your signs, then please email hybu@welshlanguagecommissioner.wales
We've just updated our system for supporting businesses and charities. So, if its signage or not, now is a great time to get in touch.