Welsh Language Standards: Cardiff briefs for niche influencers

Applicable standards : Requirements assigned to a particular public body through its compliance notice.

Compliance notice : The notice that identifies which standards apply to a public body.

Commissioning body : The organisation instructing or funding a campaign, whose status is the starting point for checking duties.

Equivalent provision : Welsh and English content made available on equivalent terms, without requiring word-for-word translation.

Welsh-language adaptation : Copy developed for Welsh-speaking audiences with attention to meaning, tone and natural phrasing.

Approved terminology : Welsh names for services or campaigns supplied or approved by the commissioning body.

Advertising disclosure : A clear label identifying advertising, presented in the language of the post.

Approval record : A written log of published material, timing and the people who approved it.

Identify the duty through the commissioning body

Start with the commissioning body, because standards attach to particular public bodies and the relevant compliance notice, not automatically to an influencer because they live or work in Cardiff. A private brand may still need Welsh-language delivery where a public-sector contract or funding agreement makes that a condition.

The Welsh Language Standards replaced the former Welsh Language Schemes and are made under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. The Welsh Language Standards (No. 1) Regulations 2015 are one set made under that Measure. Which standards apply depends on the body and its compliance notice, issued by the Welsh Language Commissioner.

Welsh Government, Cardiff Council, health boards and national park authorities are examples of bodies with applicable standards. Check the Commissioner's published list and the relevant notice, then record the standard numbers and campaign requirements. Do not assume that one Cardiff brief has the same scope as another organisation's campaign.

A grant agreement may include Welsh-language conditions for a charity, even when the charity is not itself subject to the public body's standards. Put those contractual requirements into the brief and contract. A private brand is not directly bound simply because it is based in Cardiff, though public-sector work may bring requirements with it.

A social platform does not, by itself, remove a public body's communication duties. An Instagram, TikTok or YouTube campaign may fall within them when the body communicates with the public. Where the scope is unclear, check the compliance notice and ask the body's Welsh-language compliance officer before assigning work to creators.

Convert the compliance notice into deliverables

Turn the notice into a production map by naming each deliverable, its language and the person responsible for the copy.

Set out Welsh provision at briefing stage, rather than treating it as a late translation request. This makes the requirements visible to the commissioning body, agency and creator before work begins.

Specify whether Welsh and English mean separate posts, separate versions of one item, or another agreed arrangement. List the platforms, timing and required outputs in the same place, so creators do not have to infer what a broad request for bilingual content means. Confirm the intended versions with the commissioning body.

Research the intended audience in Welsh as well as English, because search behaviour, hashtags and community groups can differ by language. Use audience research to inform the work, then refine the target audience for the chosen creator and platform.

A UK-wide campaign that targets Welsh audiences should state its Welsh content in the original assignment, rather than adding it as an afterthought. Use briefing micro-influencers to make language, platforms, timing and deliverables explicit. The body commissioning the work can then confirm which versions meet its requirements.

Make Welsh adaptation part of the creative task

Welsh-language adaptation is creative work, not simply translation. Copy needs natural phrasing for its intended audience while retaining the campaign's meaning and purpose. Brief the creator on the role of each language, so bilingual delivery is not left to an assumption about how one version should relate to another.

Set the tone and call to action in both languages. Welsh copy should carry the same intent and urgency as the English version, rather than relying on literal wording that sounds flat. Supply approved terminology for services and campaigns, and invite the creator to flag wording that feels unnatural.

Agree who handles Welsh comments, who monitors them and which team responds. Ask for separate fee lines for translation or adaptation, review, Welsh- and English-language creator work, and bilingual moderation. Comparing quotes for the same scope is more useful than assuming a universal rate for work that needs time and review.

Machine translation may help with a first draft, but Welsh copy should not be published without review by a fluent Welsh speaker. A machine draft can miss tone or approved terminology. When finding bilingual creators, treat Welsh-language networks and events such as Menter Caerdydd activities and Tafwyl as places to explore, not guaranteed creator directories.

Put review and sign-off on the production timeline

Build the approval record into the campaign timeline before publication. Name the Welsh-language reviewer, set a clear sign-off point and log who approved each version. These steps make responsibility visible to the client, agency and creator, and help prevent late changes or unapproved copy appearing in public.

Agree who drafts or adapts the Welsh text, who supplies approved terminology and who checks tone and meaning. Send the Welsh version to a fluent Welsh speaker and the named client approver, resolving changes before sign-off. Keep one source of truth for the copy so creator edits do not become unapproved public text.

Use this sequence to show how the work moves from checking the duty to recording publication:

Allow at least five working days for translation and review on a small campaign, with more time for multiple deliverables. A fluent second reader can catch Welsh that is accurate but sounds wrong for a young TikTok audience.

A planning template can include fields for language, translator, reviewer and approval date. Record who approved the Welsh version and when. If a complaint reaches the Welsh Language Commissioner, the log helps show how the copy was handled and signed off.

Keep advertising disclosure clear in each language

The advertising disclosure should be clear in the language of the post. The ASA and CMA influencers' guide and the CMA's hidden ads guidance apply across the UK, including Wales. Advertising disclosure requirements do not change between English and Welsh.

Place the label prominently, in the language of the post, and do not bury it among hashtags. If the main copy is Welsh, an English-only label may be less clear to its audience. Agree wording for each language before publication and keep the approach consistent across creators.

Where a public body commissions the post, make clear in Welsh and English who is behind it. Write the check into a disclosure policy, naming who approves the Welsh label before publication. The CAP Code and the CMA's hidden ads guidance remain relevant to campaign delivery.

Send a brief that can be checked later

A usable brief names the applicable standards or contractual Welsh-language requirements, the language work, the owners and the approval route. A concise record of what was produced in Welsh and when can help demonstrate how the agreed process was followed, particularly where the commissioning body expects evidence of bilingual delivery.

For example, a Cardiff health board could ask three micro-influencers for an Instagram Reel and a story in Welsh and English, with a translator, Welsh-speaking reviewer and client approver involved before filming. The Welsh post could carry the Welsh word for advertisement near its start, followed by the English version the next day.

A filled-in example brief

This example is illustrative. The commissioning body is a hypothetical Cardiff health board, and the standard numbers must come from its own compliance notice, which this article does not reproduce.

The health board's bilingual team could respond to Welsh comments while the campaign log records the translator, reviewer and approval date. If the Welsh copy creates a risk or a complaint arrives, the record shows how Welsh was handled. The public body remains responsible for meeting its standards, while agency and creator duties may also be set by contract.

Agree translation, review and creator work in advance so Welsh receives time for proper review and approval. Quotes should itemise the work, allowing the client to compare like with like rather than treating bilingual delivery as an unspecified extra. Scope and recorded responsibilities make the language work easier to check before publication.