Which languages do you speak?

I speak Welsh and English as well as some French

Why did you decide to learn French?

My sister Ceri Brugeilles is married to a Frenchman and I therefore visit France regularly. My nephew also lives in France and so I have learnt French to communicate effectively when I am there.

Do you view the fact that you can already speak Welsh to be an advantage to you when learning another language?

Without a doubt, if you already have a second language, learning another becomes easier still. My nephew, Dafydd Owen speaks Welsh and French already and has started to learn some Spanish.

Your sister lives in France and speaks French fluently. Have you ever lived abroad or been tempted to do so?

No, I have never lived abroad but I have spent short periods in other countries. I love travelling. Since my sister lives in France, I have spent considerable time there. I regret that I haven't lived abroad because I feel that through not doing so, I have missed out on a great opportunity

Would you encourage students to carry on with language learning in schools?

Definitely, it is not only valuable for travelling purposes but also from the point of view of your career. Learning a language gives you access to a whole new perspective on life and enables you to view any situation from many different angles and perspectives

Would you say that speaking another language is an advantage for a career in the media? If so, how?

Of course. When I first started to work for Worldwide Television News, I was suddenly surrounded by broadcasters from all over the world, i.e. Canada, Korea and China and being bilingual was expected. In that environment it was taken for granted that everybody could speak more than one language.

From a financial point of view, speaking more than one language opens up double the opportunities for work and through this, a bilingual person is able to earn more money in the media. As a good example, the fact that I can speak Welsh and English means that I can accept work in both languages.

Are foreign languages used in the sphere of weather forecasting/meteorology?

IWP (International Weather Productions) produce and broadcast the weather forecast for countries all over he world. With this in mind, it is obviously
useful to be able to speak other languages in this field of work.

Do you hear many languages being spoken in the ITN studio?

Although ITN broadcasts through the medium of English in this country, ITN sells footage to television companies across the world. For example, the story of Ellen McCarthur was sold to many different television companies all over the world.

Has learning another language enhanced your life? If so, how?

Understanding another language has given me access to whole new culture. My life would be missing a great deal if I couldn't speak another language. Learning another language is so easy as there are plenty of CDs and tapes available to help you. There is simply no excuse!