I'm a complete beginner in Welsh and it would be very convenient to use Google Translate to show me how to pronounce words and phrases. Can a native speaker or advanced learner tell me if using Google would give me anything like a halfway decent accent?
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2My versions of Google translate have no sound output whatsoever, so if you're getting synthesized Welsh, you may have to specify how / what version.– user6726Commented Jun 4, 2022 at 15:15
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1Gweiadur has audio pronunciation for Welsh gweiadur.com/en (registration gives you more options), you need to click on the Welsh words if you want to use the English-Welsh dictionary to hear it– Alex B.Commented Jun 4, 2022 at 21:49
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@user6726 -- it's a bit weird, it only works for me if I put the Welsh word or phrase into the LH column (the L1, which is a bit counter-intuitive).– KorkyCommented Jun 5, 2022 at 16:08
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1So you put the Welsh spelling into the ?English column and play that? That is totally not what Welsh sounds like.– user6726Commented Jun 5, 2022 at 16:22
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1OK, thanks. That easy route out is barred then :)– KorkyCommented Jun 5, 2022 at 16:26
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1 Answer
Google Translate doesn't do that, and I'm not optimistic that it ever will. However, there is a synthesizing website for Welsh, where you can feed in text and it plays it back to you. I have no opinion of the phonetic accuracy of the system, but you could compare these recordings which is non-synthesized. The latter website notes:
The Welsh language is spoken with a different accent in different parts of Wales. In particular, Welsh spoken in North Wales sounds very different from that spoken in South Wales, and that in Mid Wales is different again! As most of my time has been spent in South Wales, my pronunciation of places in South Wales will be more authentic than for elsewhere
which explains why the first synthesizer diverges from the recordings.
