to present in Welsh. The other students in the group, including two Welsh
speakers, presented in English. There was no opportunity during this session
to have a discussion after each presentation.
The lecturers were asked their opinion of the simultaneous translation
service, and the response of both was very positive. They agreed that the
simultaneous translation service facilitates bilingual sessions. One of them
explained that it was useful as he did not have to translate the students’
presentations himself to ensure that the non-Welsh speakers would under-
stand them. In an interview on 9 December 2008, the other lecturer said that
he could teach more successfully when the translator was present:
‘O’n i’n teimlo bod o’n fy rhyddhau i fel tiwtor i allu dysgu’n fwy
llwyddiannus.’
[I felt that it [the simultaneous translation] freed me as a tutor to be able
to teach more successfully.]Two group interviews were held to discover the students’ opinion of
the simultaneous translation service. One was attended by two Welsh-
medium students and the other by three English-medium students, who
also responded positively to the provision. The Welsh-medium students
said that, without the service, they would have presented in English as
they would have been worried that some of their peers could not under-
stand them. They were glad of the opportunity to present in Welsh as it
helped prepare them to teach through the medium of Welsh during their
school experience.
The English-medium students praised the provision and one suggested
that it should be used more extensively. The only weakness mentioned was
the fact that the Welsh-medium students’ PowerPoint presentations were in
Welsh only, and that it was not possible for the non-Welsh speakers to under-
stand them as only the oral presentations were translated. It was suggested
that all resources presented by students should be bilingual, and that the
University should organise the translation of these resources.
Perceived strengths and weaknesses of the bilingual lectures
‘I genuinely feel that the education of all students is enriched.’This is how the Head of the School of Education summarized the advan-
tages of bilingual provision in an interview on 16 July 2009. She explained
that, due to the small number of students in Welsh-medium classes and lim-
ited opportunities for discussion, it was felt that these students could benefit
from interaction in larger groups. In addition, there was an excellent oppor-
tunity for non-Welsh speakers and learners to benefit from the bilingual
sessions, as the setting could encourage them to learn Welsh or, in the case
of the learners, to improve their second language skills.
190 Part 4: Bilingual Education