Ask Chiara Sirianni

Chiara Sirianni, who works as a Breast Surgeon, recently completed a Learn Welsh course at Nant Gwrtheyrn.

The course was developed by the National Centre for Learning Welsh and is part of the Centre’s comprehensive range of services for the health and social care sector. It was created to support the Welsh Government’s ‘More than just words’ (‘Mwy na Geiriau’) strategy, which aims to provide healthcare services through the medium of Welsh.

Chiara shares more about herself and her Welsh-language journey.

Tell us a bit about yourself...

I’m Chiara. I’m from Italy but I now live in Dinbych (Denbigh). I work as a Breast Surgeon at Ysbyty Maelor Hospital, Wrexham.

What inspired you to start learning Welsh?

I love the culture in Wales, and I enjoy speaking Welsh. When I moved to Wales, I felt at home. I believe you can better understand the culture, the people, and their way of seeing the world when you speak the language.

I speak Italian and French. My son is bilingual too and is learning Welsh at school.  

How was the course at Nant Gwrtheyrn?

My experience at Nant Gwrtheyrn has been amazing. It gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in the language while also learning about the culture and history.

The course has been well structured, and we learned through a variety of activities, which made it a rich and engaging experience.  

I attended the course with a colleague, and it was great to learn something new together. I feel incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity.  

How will you use your Welsh at work?

I think starting with small interactions. I’ve written down a set of phrases in my notebook that I can use at work. Using short phrases regularly will hopefully build up over the years.

Interacting with patients in Welsh will also help me learn. You can see that patients feel more at ease when you speak a little Welsh with them. I’m looking forward to building on what I’ve learned at Nant Gwrtheyrn.  

More information about our taster courses for the Health and Social Care sector can be found below:
Taster courses for Health and Social Care | Learn Welsh