Cookies on the Defra digital service manual

We use some essential cookies to make this service work.

We'd also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.

View cookies
Skip to main content
Digital service manual
Legal content and translation

Welsh language translation

Public organisations and citizen-facing services operating in Wales must provide the same service in Welsh as they do in English.

Welsh language standards are set by the Welsh Language Commissioner and ensure that the Welsh language is not treated less favourably than the English language in Wales.

Under the Welsh Language Act 1993, several public organisations are required to prepare a Welsh language scheme. For examples see the APHA Welsh language scheme and the Rural Payments Agency Welsh language scheme.

Useful links

What needs translating?

You will need to arrange translations for all content in an online service such as:

  • buttons
  • cookies
  • hint text
  • error messages
  • privacy policies
  • maintenance pages
  • accessibility statements
  • hidden text used by screen readers

Letters, emails and texts sent to users in Wales also need translating. There is guidance from GDS about the translation of GOV.UK pages. You should also consider arrangements for users who need support over the phone.

How to get a Welsh translation

Through FCDO Services

Defra buys translation services from the Translation and Interpreting service at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Services (FCDO Services) under a Memorandum of Understanding that covers Core Defra customers.

Charges and timeframes for translations are dependent on the:

  1. number of words to be translated
  2. language you want the source text to be translated into

Email translationrequests@fcdo.gov.uk for a quote. The Translation and Interpreting service aims to reply to all enquiries with 12 hours of receipt.

It can take a couple of weeks between getting a quote for the translation from the Translation and Interpreting service to getting a purchase order (from your finance team). Your delivery manager can help you with the finance part of this.

The Translation and Interpreting service does not need a copy of the purchase order to start the translation. They will start the translation on receipt of written confirmation from the Defra customer that a purchase order in the amount quoted is being raised.

Purchase orders should be raised to FCDO Services (not FCDO).

Here's an example of how the 'Taking a pet from Great Britain to Northern Ireland' team did this:

  1. Estimated the number of words needing translation 2 to 4 weeks in advance.
  2. Asked translationrequests@fcdo.gov.uk for a quote.
  3. Sent the quote to their finance contact to raise a purchase order.
  4. Sent a PDF copy of the purchase order to the Translation and Interpreting service as soon as it had been raised.
  5. The translation was delivered by e-mail on the agreed delivery date.

Through Natural Resources Wales

Natural Resources Wales provides Welsh translation for certain Environment Agency services with funding arrangements in place - for example, the fishing licence service. They’re open to small, ad hoc changes during the process.

The request process is different from FCDO. Content is provided by email (for small changes) or updated in a table directly by the translator on Confluence (for longer or complex changes). In all instances screenshots are provided to show the content in the context shown to the user.

Sharing content with developers

Share Welsh content with developers in a way that suits the type or amount of content being provided. Find what works best for your team. You may want to consider:

  • adding the Welsh and English to a table directly on the Jira ticket
  • creating a table in a Word document – there is more flexibility to show personalised or conditional content here than on Jira
  • providing it in a prototype
  • adding the translations to a spreadsheet
  • creating a page on Confluence

You may like to create a Microsoft Planner to track translations in progress. When saving and storing translations, find what works best for your team.

Further information