[lg policy] UK: TripAdvisor criticised for refusing to publish review in Welsh

[Harold Schiffman]

 TripAdvisor criticised for refusing to publish review in Welsh

   - 11:14, 18 Nov 2015
   - Updated 12:09, 18 Nov 2015
   - By Tom Davidson , Cathy Owen

Tour guide described the site's non-Welsh policy as 'insulting'

[image: Tripadvisor under fire for refusing to publish Welsh language
review. Pictured is Emrys Llewelyn who wrote the review]
Tripadvisor under fire for refusing to publish Welsh language review.
Pictured is Emrys Llewelyn who wrote the review

An MP has slammed international website TripAdvisor
<http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/best-curry-houses-valleys-17-10222074>
for refusing to accept reviews in Welsh.

Plaid Cymru MP for Arfon Hywel Williams has written to the site after
learning it wouldn’t publish a review online of the Llyn Maritime Museum
written in Welsh.

Caernarfon <http://www.walesonline.co.uk/all-about/caernarfon> tour guide
Emrys Llewelyn’s was told his review violated TripAdvisor’s language
policy.

He described the policy as an “insult”.

TripAdvisor, the largest site of its kind in the world, currently allows 28
languages – including Finnish, Slovak and Thai – across 47 countries
worldwide.

MP Hywel Williams

Mr Williams has written to TripAdvisor’s UK headquarters in London urging
the company to update their guidelines and allow reviews written in Welsh
to be submitted.
'Amazed and disappointed'

He has also brought the issue to the attention of the Welsh Language
Commissioner Meri Huws.

Hywel Williams MP told the Daily Post
<http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/tripadvisor-refuses-publish-welsh-language-10456813>:
“TripAdvisor accept single language reviews in a wide variety of languages
from Czech to Norwegian, Serbian to Swedish and Vietnamese.

“I am amazed and disappointed they refuse to do so in the Welsh language.

*MORE: Businesses banned from advertising in Welsh on Twitter prompting
complaints from firms
<http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/twitter-ads-welsh-language-ban-9883899>*

“Do they suppose that Welsh speakers do not use their service?

“A review in Welsh would be particularly appropriate to this attraction
given its location in an area where Welsh is widely spoken and used.

“TripAdvisor say they represent the largest travel community in the world.

“Clearly they exclude some members of that community, either deliberately
or by default.

“Sampling the variety in people’s culture, heritage and language is one of
the very greatest joys of travel, if you have an open mind. I urge them to
change their policy to be inclusive of the Welsh language.”
Oldest language in Europe

Mr Llewelyn said: “It’s incredibly disappointing. Welsh is a major language
but TripAdvisor do not seem to think so.

“It’s difficult to keep a temper about something like this. It is one of
the oldest languages in Europe.

“There is a fight afoot for the rights of our language and TripAdvisor are
making fools of themselves.”

* MORE: The Top 20 hotels in Wales according to TripAdvisor
<http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/tripadvisor-reviews-top-20-hotels-7108157>*

A spokesman for TripAdvisor said: “TripAdvisor currently operates in 47
countries and 28 languages worldwide.

“In order to maintain the integrity of our site, we have to ensure that
every language in which we operate is fully integrated into our moderation
and fraud detection tools and processes.

“For this reason, we are not currently able to host reviews written in all
of the world’s languages, but as the world’s largest travel site we are
constantly exploring opportunities to extend support to additional
languages worldwide.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tripadvisor-criticised-refusing-publish-review-10460926


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