Cardiff social commerce: Welsh-English listings side by side

What to take away

What Welsh language duties mean for a Cardiff social seller

Welsh language duties are the legal and contractual obligations that require certain organisations to treat Welsh and English on an equal footing. In practice, a Cardiff seller selling through social channels may meet them in two ways.

The seller may be a public body or funded by one, or a public body may be a customer and expect bilingual service.

Welsh language standards are the specific duties set for named public bodies under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. They cover correspondence, signage, websites, and increasingly social media accounts. A Cardiff seller working with a health board, council or university may be asked to show bilingual product content as part of the contract.

The Welsh Language Commissioner oversees the standards, monitors compliance and investigates complaints. Standards apply to the bodies named in the relevant regulations; a private supplier should check its contract rather than assume the standards apply directly to it.

For a private Cardiff seller with no public funding, the duties do not automatically apply. But the commercial case is strong. Welsh speakers in Cardiff expect to see Welsh on packaging, listings and replies, and a bilingual listing signals that a seller understands the local market.

This is where social commerce in Wales differs from generic UK advice. The audience is not just "UK shoppers". It is people in Cardiff and the wider region who may switch language mid-conversation. A seller who only posts in English is not breaking the law, but is leaving reach on the table.

If you are defining who you are actually selling to, it helps to look at recent buying behaviour rather than assumptions about who speaks Welsh. The data on bilingual purchasing in Cardiff is thinner than in north and west Wales, so test rather than guess.

Building bilingual product content for social commerce listings

Bilingual Welsh and English product content means the same product information is available in both languages, not a machine translation bolted on. For a Cardiff seller, that starts with the product title, description and key attributes.

Write the English version first, then have a Welsh speaker produce the Welsh version from the meaning, not word for word. A literal translation often reads oddly in a caption or a short video script. The goal is parity of information, not identical sentence structure.

Keep prices, sizes and delivery terms identical in both versions. If the Welsh listing says free delivery over a threshold, the English listing must say the same. Inconsistency between languages is a common source of complaints and returns.

Worked bilingual listing example: this uses the Welsh cakes hamper and price already described in the article.

Add the seller's actual size, ingredients, delivery and returns details in both languages; none are specified in this example.

Social commerce platforms vary in how they handle two languages. Some allow one description field, so sellers often put Welsh first and English second, or use a bilingual title separated by a slash. Others support variants or multiple locales. Check your channel strategy before deciding where each language lives.

Named options to assess include Shopify's Translate & Adapt for translating Shopify store content, including product details, and Meta Commerce Manager for managing product catalogues with language and region versions. Check current Welsh-language availability and channel compatibility, and preview the actual listing: a translation in a storefront does not guarantee that a social checkout will show Welsh and English together.

For advertising claims, the CAP Code applies to bilingual content just as it does to English-only ads. Misleading claims in Welsh are still misleading claims. The Non-broadcast Code - ASA | CAP sets out the rules on substantiation, comparisons and pricing that apply whichever language you use.

When you handle customer data collected through a Welsh language form or chat, the same data protection rules apply. The UK GDPR guidance and resources | ICO explains lawful bases, retention and individual rights. Language choice does not change those duties.

Welsh and English captions, video and customer service scripts

Captions are where bilingual social commerce in Cardiff lives or dies. A short caption in Welsh followed by the English version works on Instagram and Facebook. On TikTok, on-screen text can carry both languages without doubling the spoken script.

A practical pattern for a product caption:

Use this sequence: product name, verified product detail, price or another confirmed term, then a call to action. Give both language versions the same facts, then place them in the order your platform supports.

Example: Hamper o gacennau Cymreig: £24. Archebwch drwy'r ddolen i dalu. / Welsh cakes hamper: £24. Order through the checkout link.

Video is harder. Subtitles are the cheapest route: burn in Welsh subtitles on one version and English on another, then post both. If you only have one video, put Welsh first on screen and English underneath, and keep each line short enough to read.

Customer service scripts need the same treatment. Prepare Welsh and English versions of your greeting, delivery times, returns policy and complaint handling. Staff do not need to be fluent in both, but they need to know which script to use and when to switch.

If you work with creators, your disclosure policy should state how ads are labelled in Welsh and English. The ASA expects ad labels to be clear, and a Welsh-only label may not be understood by an English-speaking follower, and vice versa.

Welsh Government business support and where to find it

Business Wales is the Welsh Government's business support service. Cardiff sellers can ask it about current advice, training and funding routes, and contact Cardiff Council's economic development team about local provision. Availability and eligibility vary, so confirm directly before budgeting for translation, training or equipment.

One named training option to check is Cymraeg Gwaith (Work Welsh), the National Centre for Learning Welsh's workplace Welsh-language training programme. It is training, not a general grant for bilingual product listings; do not assume a scheme will fund translation unless its current terms say so.

At UK level, the Department for Business and Trade - GOV.UK leads on business support and regulation, and its guidance is worth checking alongside Welsh schemes. If you are setting up a new Cardiff business, the Start your business - GOV.UK pages cover registration, tax and licences.

Remember that VAT registration and Making Tax Digital apply across the UK. A Cardiff seller using TikTok Shop or Instagram checkout still has to account for VAT on sales, and social platforms do not do that for you.

When asking about support, explain how Welsh and English product content, captions and customer service fit your plan. Check the current eligibility rules and terms before relying on funding for any particular cost.

Testing bilingual assets before a campaign goes live

Testing bilingual assets before a campaign goes live is not optional. A mistranslated caption or a mismatched price can spread quickly on social channels.

Start with a small soft launch. Post the Welsh version to a subset of followers, then the English version, and compare engagement. Look at saves, shares and replies, not just likes. A Welsh caption may get fewer likes but more saves from a specific audience.

Run a comprehension check with five to ten Welsh speakers who are not involved in the business. Ask them to read the Welsh listing and explain what the product is and what it costs. If they hesitate, rewrite.

Check the English version for the same information. The two versions should not contradict each other on price, delivery, returns or claims. Use a samples what changed approach: after any edit, re-check both languages before publishing.

Have a pause plan. If a bilingual post causes confusion or complaints, you need a complete request to pause and recovery process. That means one person can stop the campaign, correct the asset in both languages, and post a clear correction.

A bilingual asset checklist for Cardiff sellers

Use this checklist before any bilingual campaign goes live in Cardiff.

Worked example: a Cardiff seller of Welsh cakes lists a hamper at 24 pounds. The Welsh listing says "pris 24 punt" and the English says "price 24 pounds". The caption opens in Welsh, repeats in English, and links to the same checkout.

Before launch, a Welsh-speaking colleague reads the Welsh version and confirms the delivery date. The seller posts the Welsh version first, then English, and compares saves. After launch, the seller checks that the checkout confirmation email is bilingual too.

Common questions