Post by Cath, Senior User Researcher, Welsh Revenue Authority
The Welsh Revenue Authority is creating a new online registration service for visitor accommodation providers in Wales. In this blog post, we share our findings from a recent round of research with Welsh-speaking users.
Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
Testing in Welsh, not just translating
When we started designing our registration service this year, we set ourselves a simple goal: if we’re building a bilingual service, then we need to test it bilingually too. Not just by translating content after we’ve built everything, but by actually putting the Welsh version in front of Welsh-speaking users and getting their feedback throughout the design process.
In our latest round of user research, we did exactly that. We met with 3 first-language Welsh speaking users. We asked them to review a key section of the service through the medium of Welsh and invited their feedback on the language we were using.
Those users were prominent accommodation providers in the Welsh tourism industry. We spoke with Eisteddfod, the largest cultural festival in Europe and Yr Urdd, who run Eisteddfod yr Urdd and multiple permanent youth accommodation sites throughout Wales. We also tested with Portmeirion, who provide a range of visitor accommodation in their iconic village in Gwynedd.
Why we did it
On paper, the Welsh version of the service looked good. The translation had been checked. The words were correct. But as with all user research, we knew that we couldn’t be sure until we tested it with real users.
By testing with real Welsh-speaking users, we wanted to:
- check whether the Welsh content actually made sense to people in context
- understand how natural or “official” the tone felt
- spot any terminology that didn’t work
- make sure we were treating Welsh as a first-class language, not an afterthought
We talk a lot about designing services that work for everyone. For us, this was a chance to put that principle into practice.
The reality of testing in another language
Even with only 3 participants, the sessions were extremely useful. The Welsh version of the service was “correct”, but it could have been better.
We quickly learned that:
- some phrasing that was translated “correctly” didn’t resonate with people
- a few sentences were too formal, making the service feel less welcoming
- small wording choices had big impacts on how well people understood the questions
- Some wording worked well for some users, and poorly for other users
Testing this reminded us that you can translate content “correctly”, but you only know it works when real Welsh speakers try to use it. That’s why testing is essential and why doing it early means we can make changes long before anything goes live.
What we’re doing next
We know that Welsh testing can’t be a one-off. If we want the bilingual version of the service to be genuinely usable, not just compliant, then Welsh-speaking users need to be part of our ongoing research. We need a range of Welsh speakers to test our service with us.
That means:
- building Welsh testing into our research throughout, not just at the end
- recognising that tone, clarity, and plain language matter just as much in Welsh
- recognising that there are different dialects across Wales, so what works for some Welsh speakers may not work for others
- remembering that bilingual doesn’t just mean available, it means equal.
We’ve also seen the value of having Welsh speakers involved earlier in the process, not just in the review stages. It speeds things up, avoids rework, and protects the quality of the language.
Take part in user research
We’ll continue to test our bilingual journey with Welsh-speaking users as we build out more of the service. The more we test, the more confident we’ll be that what we’re building works for everyone.
To achieve this, we need more Welsh speakers to volunteer to take part in our research. If you’d like help test content or user journeys in Welsh, or want to learn more about how we’re approaching bilingual design, please get in touch: nationalregistration@wra.gov.wales.
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Please note: Everything we share is work in progress and may change as we continue developing the service based on your feedback and what we learn through testing.