bi4 Spring Issue 2021

Gaelic
speaking
staff are a unique
selling point for
Scottish businesses
A
surge
Simone Hogan
Administrative Assistant
Highland
01463 717 799
highland@bellingram.co.uk
of interest in Scottish
Gaelic saw more than
560,000 people sign up
to learn the language with
learning app Duolingo during the 2020
lockdown.
Statistics released by the company
revealed that a third of learners on the
site are from Scotland, with another third
from the US, and the remainder from
around the world, including eight per
cent from Canada.
The global popularity of Scottish Gaelic
comes as no surprise to Bell Ingram’s
Simone Hogan who had been learning
the language since 2009 having
emigrated to the UK from Australia in
1995 and living in Kent before finally
settling in the Highlands in 2019.
And Simone, who works as an
Administrative Assistant in the company’s
Highland office in Beauly, believes that
Scottish hospitality and tourism industry
is missing a trick by not weaving Gaelic
into their business plans and employing
more fluent speakers.
Says Simone: “From personal experience
I know that international visitors seek out
Gaelic speaking businesses when they
travel to Scotland.
“For example, when a friend I met
through online Gaelic classes travelled
to Scotland from the USA with a group
of her colleagues, she specifically sought
out accommodation, restaurants and
excursions which employed Gaelic
speakers. As a Gaelic learner, she
understood how intrinsically linked to
Scotland’s landscape, history, heritage
and culture the language is, and she
wanted to share this with her co-workers.
“It’s also worth pointing out that
Duolingo’s Facebook group alone has over
9,000 members worldwide who use the
forum; combined with members of other
learners’ groups, the number of potential
customers exceeds 18,000. Post-lockdown
many of these people will be looking
for opportunities to travel to Scotland,
practice speaking the language and
interact with fluent speakers. So, say you
have a café with a Gaelic speaker behind
the counter then learners are more likely
to pop into your establishment to get
some practice speaking.
“The #cleachdi Gàidhlig badge is also
popular with learners and when I
wore mine I noticed others who did
too, including at the local outdoor
markets. Businesses can apply for these
promotional materials once lockdown is
lifted.
fiath
is fàilte
romhad
tapadh
leat
halò
“The bottom line is that Gaelic groups
are full of people asking about
accommodation, tours, excursions,
restaurants, music venues, ceilidhs, etc.
where Gaelic can be heard, and spoken.
In addition, there are people who take
photos of everyday instances of Gaelic
to post on social media; in some cases
just to make the language, and culture
(at least appear) more accessible. Any
sign, poster, brochure, clothing, jewellery
or gift that has the Gaelic becomes a
collector’s item. Honestly, these pictures
– together with the information on where
to see and buy these Gaelic products
– are shared around Gaelic groups and
pages constantly.
“If you are a business employing Gaelic
speaking staff, make sure you shout
about it as it’s a unique selling point.
Learners will spend considerable time
seeking you out even if you just promote
and/or support Gaelic.”
After a decade living and working
in London and the South East,
Simone finally made the move
to Scotland permanent in 2019,
working first at the port of Nigg before
taking up her current position with Bell
Ingram in Beauly.
She continues: “Scotland has always
felt welcoming and inclusive and the
slàn
leat
first time I visited I knew instantly that I
wanted to make my home here. Learning
Gaelic felt like the best and fastest way
to immerse myself in the culture and
history of the country.
“My first time spontaneously speaking
Gaelic was at Bell Ingram when one
of our clients mentioned returning to
Uist. As I had only ever discussed Uist
in Gaelic classes, I instinctively asked (in
Gaelic) if she was from North or South
Uist – ‘Uibhist a Tuath, no Uibhist a
Deas?’, and our conversation continued
exclusively in Gaelic. It was exciting!
Weirdly, my very first use of
Gaelic in the workplace
was when I was in London
working for a Texan law firm.
They were drafting an agreement with
one of the parties having a Gaelic name,
and I noticed an accent was missing
during proofreading. Forgetting an
accent can be dangerous in Gaelic (you
might be referencing something rude!),
so I made certain the correct accents
were added.”
Despite the challenges of lockdown
Simone is committed to improving her
command and understanding of the
language.
She adds: “I am aware of other learners
àitefuirich
Gàidhlig
in my area, so once lockdown is lifted,
I hope to set up a Cofaidh & Craic
(coffee and fun) group in the area. More
particularly, I hope to find Gaelic friendly
venues to host the group as well as any
excursion providers who can expand our
working Gaelic knowledge, e.g. walking,
foraging, boating, cycling, etc.” n
Useful Links &
Articles
Visit Scotland’s Gaelic
Tourism Strategy: https://
www.visitscotland.org/aboutus/what-we-do/working-inpartnership/gaelic-tourismstrategy
A collection of available online
resources for (beginner) learners
can be found here: https://padlet.
com/Sgribhisg/storasan
There is also a Gaelic LinkedIn
group https://www.linkedin.com/
groups/4025859/
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