Literary figures from Wales and from various other countries have criticised the Llangollen International Eisteddfod after it announced that it would change their motto for fears it could be misinterpreted. In a letter sent to the Eisteddfod and the Western Mail, 85 signatories asked the cultural festival to postpone any further action in replacing the "byd gwyn" part of their motto.
Their motto "byd gwyn" comes from the first part of a verse composed by Welsh language poet, T. Gwynn Jones. In the verse, the "byd gwyn" refers to "blessed world" but the literal translation in English is "white world". In the middle of March, the event was considering changing the motto to "reflect the world we live in now".
The festival's executive producer, Camilla King, said that during a recent review, feedback from Welsh and non-Welsh speakers found that they had spotted the potential translation confusion with "byd gwyn", and according to the executive producer it was "too great to be ignored".
Read more: Eisteddfod to change 'white world' motto due to mistranslation fears
In a statement on Friday, March 17, it was confirmed that the motto would be changed by 2024. A spokesperson for the Eisteddfod said: "In a meeting held on March 15 2023, the Board voted unanimously to collaborate with a Bard to develop a new motto that reflects the organisation's vision for the future".
They added: "T. Gwynn Jones’ words have travelled from Llangollen around the world, spreading the Welsh message of peace, and our motto has served us tremendously well for 75 years; we are rightly proud of it in its intended meaning and translation. Our current motto and much-loved shield will remain part of the Eisteddfod’s visual identity in 2023, and the Board will spend the next five months in consultation with our stakeholders on the best way forward for 2024 and beyond."
In a letter sent to the Chairperson and Council of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, the Professor Emeritus of Welsh at Aberystwyth Univeristy and Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, Gruffydd Aled Williams alongside 84 other literary figures, expressed their "unease and "concern" over the decision.
In the letter, they explained that the motto: "Byd gwyn fydd byd a gano, / Gwaraidd fydd ei gerddi fo" ('Blessed is a world that sings, / Gentle are its song'), was the work of "one of Wales's most renowned poets", T. Gwynn Jones. They pointed out that the Welsh motto had been used by the Eisteddfod "without objection" since the event's inception in 1947.
They also pointed out that the "gwyn" was a reference to W. S Gwynn Williams, who was the main founder and musical director of the Eisteddfod, as well as a friend of T. Gwynn Jones. In the letter, they also wrote: "A reason cited by one Eisteddfod spokesperson in favour of replacing the motto is that it could, if translated online, cause racial offence.
"We utterly reject the premises of this argument. A multitude of expressions from many of the world’s languages could cause inadvertent offence to various parties if they were literally and inexpertly translated without regard for established linguistic usage and custom. Idioms should not be abandoned because of the limitations of web translation interfaces, which not infrequently translate literally without conveying correctly and adequately accepted meanings and nuances."
They added: "We do not know of any languages whose speakers would abandon the use of innocuous and acceptable expressions for fear that literal, inadequate, and inaccurate translation might cause offence to someone, somewhere. It appears that the International Eisteddfod would make an exception of Welsh in this regard, thereby subjugating and degrading the language in comparison to others."
They described the matter as being induced by "error and lack of understanding", and had brought the Eisteddfod into "disrepute and made it the butt of ridicule". As a result, they had urged the event to postpone any further action in regards to changing the motto until the matter had been discussed in a meeting of the Council.
The letter has been supported by 85 academics and cultural figures from six countries, including Wales, England, Germany, Italy, the USA and Canada. It has been signed by the likes of Myrddin ap Dafydd, who is the Archruid of Wales, J. K. Bollard, who is the former managing editor of the African American National Biography from the USA, Richard Wyn Jones, who is the Professor of Welsh Politics and the Director of the Wales Governance Centre, as well as Welsh poet Twm Morys.
A spokesperson for Llangollen International Eisteddfod said: "In response to this review being picked up by media and individuals on social media, we wish to provide some additional context that we feel has been misunderstood or misrepresented. We want to clearly state that we have not at any point implied any racism. The Eisteddfod is, and has always been, a beacon for togetherness.
"We also wish to emphasise that we fully understand that the majority of Welsh speakers do not read the words ‘byd gwyn’ within the context of the motto as anything other than ‘blessed’. This is a matter of translation by the method most likely to be used by non-Welsh speaking audiences around the world. And finally, we cannot state enough that we stand by the sentiment of the words as intended by T. Gwynn Jones.
"To clarify some of the points in Professor Gruffydd Aled Williams’s letter to the Western Mail on 22 March 2023, we would like to make it clear that the Arts Council of Wales did not advise the Eisteddfod to discontinue the use of our current motto. The advice offered on this subject was in the context of an informal conversation about the consultation on a new brand.
"They agreed with us that discussing the motto, and the nuances and impact of words and language in an international context, was part of a process of examining a new brand identity. They added: "Our small staff team and invaluable group of volunteers will now focus on delivering the exceptional 2023 Eisteddfod that our audiences expect and deserve."
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