Cynulledifa IALC

Working for the Welsh Language Commissioner can feel like quite a unique job, and when someone asks what I do for a living, it can be difficult to explain in a single breath.

‘So you work for the government?’

‘Well, no, not exactly. We're independent of the Welsh Government, although the Government appoints the Commissioner, and we're responsible for implementing legislation passed by the Government.’

‘So is it similar to working for an ombudsman?’

‘Well... yes and no. We receive complaints and conduct investigations, but that's only one part of what we do. We're also regulate, influence policy, support businesses, provide practical advice, standardise Welsh place-names, and monitor the position of the Welsh language in Wales.’

In Galway at the beginning of September, however, there was no need to explain the work of the Welsh Language Commissioner or convince anyone of its importance and significance. Nor was our organisation or situation unique as language commissioners from across the world came together for the International Association of Language Commissioners (IALC) Conference. All sharing the same vision, the same challenges, and the same commitment to protecting and promoting their languages. This was the Association's ninth conference; the previous one was held in Cardiff in 2024, where the Association celebrated its tenth anniversary. This year, however, it was the Irish’s turn to host and welcome members of the Association to the ‘City of Tribes’, to Gaillimh or Galway. With the flags of world nations strung above some of the city's main streets (including the Welsh flag!), the welcome was warm and the city clearly embraced its international outlook.The IALC now has 16 members, some of whom are language commissioners and others ombudsmen with specific responsibility for protecting language rights. This year's conference provided an opportunity to welcome two new members, two brand-new commissioners from Northern Ireland: one serving as Irish Language Commissioner and the other as Commissioner for Ulster Scots. We also heard a very interesting presentation on the linguistic situation in Northern Ireland from Pól Deeds, the Irish Language Commissioner.

When explaining our work, we often refer to the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 as the legislation that gave official status to the Welsh language in Wales for the first time. That was also the starting point for Pól Deeds' presentation, as he referred to the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022, which officially recognised the status of the Irish language in Northern Ireland and established the office of Irish Language Commissioner. He also referred to the findings of a recent survey on public attitudes towards Irish, proudly noting that there was zero opposition to the language among 18 to 24-year-olds in Northern Ireland.

Promoting positive attitudes towards Irish was also something emphasised by Tomás Ó Siocháin, Chief Executive of the Development Agency for An Ghaeltacht. He highlighted the significance of actors Cillian Murphy and Jessie Buckley thanking people in Irish during their Oscar acceptance speeches. We ourselves returned from Galway to see Matthew Rhys doing the same in Welsh at the Emmy Awards.

Positive public attitudes were not the only thing that struck me. Equally important were the attitudes of the commissioners themselves. The Canadian commissioners challenged members of the Association to be confident in the legislative status of their roles and to view complaints positively, since they clearly identify where the gaps and shortcomings lie. Kelly Burke, Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages, spoke about her pragmatic approach to compliance failures by asking four questions:
1.    Is the problem rooted in a lack of willingness to comply?
2.    Is it lack of capacity?
3.    Does the organisation understand its statutory obligations?
4.    And finally, does it know how to fulfil them?

She also referred to the moral responsibility of organisations to recognise that Canda’s official languages are an integral part of the country’s identity, a country renowned for being a rich mosaic of diverse cultures.
The conference was launched the previous evening at the National Irish Language Theatre, where we heard an address from Éamon Ó Cuív, the former minister responsible for Ireland's Official Languages Act. We also heard from the Irish poet Louis de Paor, who recited several poems, including one that was a loose translation of a poem by an Armenian poet displaced during the Armenian genocide in 1915. The central theme of the poem was that the Armenian language is the home of the Armenian people, and Louis de Paor felt a strong connection to that sentiment in relation to Irish. I too can relate to that feeling when thinking about Welsh: a language can be much more than simply a means of communication.

A conference like this is, of course, an opportunity to share ideas and learn from one another, but it is also a chance to connect with other languages and cultures and to view our work in an international context. It provides an opportunity to rekindle the enthusiasm that drives our work, an enthusiasm that can naturally fade somewhat as day-to-day work becomes part of the routine. It is a reminder that we are carrying out important work to protect a language that is so dear to us.

So the next time someone asks me what I do for a living, I'll answer confidently:
‘I work for the Welsh Language Commissioner. Would you like to know more?’