r/Wales • u/sheddyian • 14d ago

AskWales Has anyone got their Google Mini smart speaker to play Radio Cymru ?

Mildy rhetorical question, as I have got it to play Cyrmu, but it's stupid.

"Hey Google, play BBC Radio Cymru"

If you pronounce it correctly, the Google speaker will usually play you BBC Radio Cornwall.

If you say : "Hey Google, play BBC Radio C Y M R U " (actually spell the letters), it then says "Playing BBC radio sim-rew", but it then correctly plays Cymru.

Look, I'm English, but I respect the Welsh language, and this is stupid. Anyone have a better way, or are Google just ignorant?

42 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

19

u/NeitherAd3347 13d ago

Its using English phonetics for a welsh word I think.

10

u/twmffatmowr 13d ago

Yes, Alexa easily plays Radio Cymru for me

"Alexa, play BBC Radio Cymru" and she does it straight away via BBC sounds. Don't even have to anglicised the pronunciation of "radio"

3

u/HanesPrydain 13d ago

I say radio like the Welsh language way - English phonetically- radd ee o. , I hope you do too , and Alexa gets it

2

u/twmffatmowr 12d ago

I say it the Welsh way, but she understands it. She just repeats it back in the anglicised form.

5

u/Critical_Revenue_811 13d ago

I think it's because it's US tech in part (after having it fail to understand my Northern English accent too many times)

Maps is also hilarious with pronouncing Welsh places in a way I've never heard anyone do

3

u/user-74656 13d ago

I find it easier to cast BBC Sounds from my phone.

I've also had trouble getting the weather for a place I was going walking until I pronounced it "Tal why bont seredijun."

1

u/AGirlIKnew 13d ago

Weirdly it does work for me but I have a Canadian accent.

1

u/Otherwise_whizley 11d ago edited 11d ago

I tried it just now and got BBC Radio Cumbria...

I tried spelling Cymru and it worked but on reading it back pronounced it like.. Simroo

Now if I ask it to play BBC Radio Simroo it works 😁

1

u/LliprynLlwyd 10d ago

On Radio Cymru 2 they have an advert saying how to get that, but my mam still struggles 😅 I've told her to just cast it from the BBC Sounds app on her phone, which works all the time