Dr Martin Rolles

Arbenigwr cancr Dr Martin Rolles: Defnyddio’r Gymraeg gyda chleifion a gyda’r teulu / Cancer specialist Dr Martin Rolles: Using Welsh with patients and with family

Mae Dr Martin Rolles yn arbenigwr yn y maes canser, ac mae e wedi dysgu Cymraeg felly mae e’n gallu siarad â’i deulu a chleifion. Gwnaethon ni drafod hwn dros beint…

Dr Martin Rolles is a specialiset in the cancer field, and he has learnt Welsh so that he can speak with this family and patients. We discussed this over a pint…

Shw mae Martin. Felly, ti'n gweithio fel oncolegydd a ti wedi dysgu Cymraeg. Yn gyntaf, beth wyt ti'n wneud fel arbenigwr meddygol?
Dw i’n gweithio fel meddyg yn Ysbyty Singleton a dw i’n trin bobl sydd â chancr drwy ddefnyddio cemotherapi a radiotherapi. Mae’n ddiddorol iawn, ac mae’r maes yn newid yn gyflym- mae’r triniaethau yn gwella drwy’r amser.
Hello Martin. So, you work as an oncologist and you have learnt Welsh. Firstly, what do you do as a medical specialist?
I work as a doctor in Singleton Hospital and I treat people with cancer by using chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It’s very interesting, and the field changes quickly- procedures improve all the time.
A beth oedd dy reswm di dros ddysgu Cymraeg?
Er mod i’n dod o Loegr, sbel yn ôl es i i Ysgol Feddygol Prifysgol Caerdydd. Gwnes i aros yn llety Plas Gwyn gyda llawer o fyfyrwyr Cymraeg. Wedyn gwnes i briodi Betsan, sy’n dod o’r Preseli yng ngogledd Sir Benfro, ac mae hi’n Gymraes go iawn. Felly roedd cymhelliant i fi astudio’r Gymraeg, ond wnes i ddim dysgu mewn dull ffurfiol. Symudais i i Abertawe yn 2005 a gwnes i ddechrau mynd i ddosbarthiadau dwywaith yr wythnos i oedolion achos bod tri o blant ‘da ni, a dim ond Cymraeg roedd Betsan yn siarad ‘da nhw. Roedd hi’n wych dechrau siarad Cymraeg gyda phobl yn y gymuned ac yn y gwaith hefyd. Sylweddolais i mor ddiddorol oedd dysgu Cymraeg yn y byd go iawn; ro’n i wedi dysgu Ffrangeg a Lladin ar gyfer Lefel-O yn yr ysgol, ond roedd hynny’n rhywbeth roedd rhaid i fi wneud. I fi, mae’r iaith Gymraeg yn iaith y stryd, nid iaith llyfr - mae’n ffordd o siarad a sgwrsio â phobl. Dydy gramadeg gywir ddim yn bwysig iawn- jest mwynhau siarad. Mae’r agwedd fodern at yr iaith yn dod â hi’n nes at bawb.
And what was the reason for you to learn Welsh?
Although I’m from England, I went to Cardiff University’s Medical School a while ago. I stayed in the Plas Gwyn accommodation with lots of Welsh-speaking students. Then I married Betsan, who is from Preseli in north Pembrokeshire, and she is a real Welshwoman. So I had an incentive to study Welsh, but I didn’t study in a formal way. I moved to Swansea in 2005 and I started going to classes for adults twice a week because we had three children, an Betsan was speaking only Welsh with them, It was great to start speaking Welsh with people in the community and in work as well. I found that it was interesting to learn Welsh in the real world; I learnt French and Latin to O Level standard in school, but it was something that I had to do. To me, the Welsh language is the language of the streets, not books- it’s a way to speak and converse with people. Correct grammar isn’t important- just enjoy speaking. The modern attitude to the language is opening it up for people.
Dw i’n falch o glywed bod gramadeg yn her i ti weithiau hefyd- mae’n rhywbeth anodd i bob dysgwr. Gan fod dy wraig a dy blant yn siarad Cymraeg, ydy'r rhan fwyaf o dy sgyrsiau gyda nhw yn y Gymraeg neu thua hanner hanner?
Hanner hanner gyda fy mhlant gan fod fy ngwraig a mhlant yn siarad Cymraeg yn unig gyda’i gilydd. Dw i’n gwrando arnyn nhw ac mae’n ok, ond ambell waith dw i’n gorfod gofyn ‘beth yw’r gair ‘na’ neu ‘dwe’d e ‘to’. Maen nhw’n deall, felly dydy e ddim yn broblem. Mae’r plant yn hollol rugl ac maen nhw’n gallu mynd o’r Gymraeg i’r Saesneg heb feddwl
I’m glad to hear that grammar is a challenge for you as well sometimes- it is something difficult for all learners. As your wife and children speak Welsh, are most of your conversations with them in Welsh or about half-half?
Half and half with my children because my wife and children speak with each other through Welsh only. I listen to them and it’s OK, but I find that sometimes I ask ‘what is that word’ or ‘say that again’. They understand, so it’s not a problem. The children are completely fluent and move from Welsh to English without thinking.
Ac ydy dy blant yn mynd i ysgol Gymraeg?
Ydyn, maen nhw’n mynd i Ysgol Bryn-y-Mor a Gŵyr. Mae’n bwysig i fi wybod beth sy’n bwysig iddyn nhw, helpu gyda gwaith cartref a chynnig cefnogaeth. Mae fy ngwraig yn gweithio fel Meddyg Teulu mewn uned Gymraeg ym Mhowys, ac ar ddiwedd y diwrnod mae hi’n gallu dweud wrtha i am ei gwaith yn y Gymraeg.
And do your children go to a Welsh school?
Yes, they go to Bryn-y-Mor and Gwyr. It’s important for me that I can know what is important to them, help with homework and give support. My wife is a GP in a Welsh unit in Powys, and at the end of the day she can tell me about her day in Welsh.
A pha les mae defnyddio’r Gymraeg wedi bod i dy deulu?
Mae’n agor y drws i ni i’r diwylliant Cymraeg, gyda llyfrau, chwaraeon, teledu- popeth. Mae’r plant yn mynd i Eisteddfod yr Urdd bob blwyddyn ac i’r ysgol Sul bob wythnos. Mae ysgolion Cymraeg yr ardal yn wych, ac maen nhw’n cael tyfu gyda llawer o ddiwylliant, llenyddiaeth a cherddoriaeth. Mae’n rhoi rhywbeth ychwanegol iddyn nhw i fod yn rhan ohono.
And what benefit has using Welsh brought to your family?
It has opened the door to Welsh culture to us, such as books, sport and TV- everything. The children go to the Urdd Eisteddfod every year and Sunday School every week. The Welsh schools in the area are great, and they grow up with lots of culture, literature and music. It gives something additional for them to take part in.
Ac yn dy weithle - sut wyt ti'n mantoli siarad Cymraeg gyda chleifion a chydweithwyr pan fod angen llawer o derminoleg manwl gywir?
Mae’n broblem ddyrys defnyddio’r iaith pan fo angen geiriau meddygol a thechnoleg. Fel arfer dw i’n troi i’r Saesneg i esbonio rhaglen feddygol. Mae fy Nghymraeg yn ddigon da i’w defnyddio mewn tafarn a gyda’r teulu, ond dydy hi ddim yn ddigon manwl i gynnal ymgynghoriad meddygol llawn. Ond, mae fy ngwraig yn gallu gwneud hynny. Os yw fy nghleifion yn gallu siarad Cymraeg wedyn dw i’n ffeindio fod e’n eu helpu nhw, yn enwedig mewn sefyllfaoedd lletchwith. Fel dysgwr, mae’n hollol iawn i ddefnyddio ambell air Saesneg os nag wyt ti’n gwybod y geiriau Cymraeg.
And in the workplace- how do you balance speaking Welsh with patients and colleagues when there is a lot of precise terminology needed?
It is a real problem with the language and medical and technical words. Usually I move to English to explain a medical programme. My Welsh is good enough to use in a pub and with the family, but it is not precise enough to hold a full medical consultation. But, my wife can do that. If my patients can speak Welsh then I find it helps them, especially in awkward situations. As a learner, it’s completely OK to throw English words in if you don’t know the Welsh words.
Ac oes unrhyw argymhellion gyda ti i helpu dysgwyr eraill?
Jest dal ati a chael hwyl! Siaradwch Gymraeg achos mae’n cadw’r iaith yn fyw. Cyn i fi ddysgu’r Gymraeg ymarferion ar bapur oedd dysgu ieithoedd yn ôl fy mhrofiad i, ond gyda’r Gymraeg mae’n hollol iawn ei siarad mewn tafarn dros beint. Peidiwch a theimlo’n chwithig!
And do you have any tips to help other learners?
Just keep going and have fun! Speak Welsh because it keeps the language alive. My experience of learning languages before Welsh is that they were paper exercise, but with Welsh it’s completely OK to speak in a pub over a pint. Don’t feel embarrassed!

Dydy gramadeg gywir ddim yn bwysig iawn- jest mwynhau siarad. Mae’r agwedd fodern at yr iaith yn dod â hi’n nes at bawb.

Ymwadiad / Disclaimer
Ysgrifennwyd rhai o’r erthyglau ‘Syml’ gan bobl sydd eisoes wrthi’n dysgu Cymraeg. Efallai y dewch ar draws rhai camgymeriadau ieithyddol yn y Gymraeg o bryd i’w gilydd. Yn yr erthygl hon, dw i wedi trawsgrifio sgwrs fyw.
Some of the ‘Simple’ articles have been written by those who are still learning Welsh. You may therefore come across some linguistic errors in the Welsh from time to time. In this article, I’ve transcribed a live conversation.

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