S4C Presenter Alun Williams

Cyflwynydd S4C Alun Williams: Straeon am fy ngyrfa ym myd teledu / S4C Presenter Alun Williams: Stories from my TV career

Mae Alun Williams yn wyneb a llais adnabyddus ar S4C, yn cyflwyno Dal Ati: Bore Da a rhaglenni chwaraeon.  Yma, mae’n siarad am ei yrfa fel cyflwynydd, rhai straeon doniol a chyngor i ddysgwyr…

Alun Williams is a recognisable face and voice on S4C from presenting Dal Ati: Bore Da and sports programmes. Here, he speaks about his career as a presenter, some funny stories and advice for learners…

Nodyn bach- mae’r erthygl hon yw’r trawsgript o sgwrs, yn iaith lafar i ddysgwyr, nid iaith ffurfiol
Note- this article is a transcript of a chat, in spoken Welsh for learners, not formal language.

Alun, sut gwnest ti ddechrau cyflwyno rhaglenni?Alun, how did you start presenting programmes?
Wel, o'n i wedi gadael ysgol am 16, a gwnes i ddim yn gwneud da iawn yn yr ysgol achos o'n i'n chwarae'r ffŵl reit aml. O'n i'n mwynhau'r ysgol, ond am rhesymau anghywir- gwnes i ddim rili mwynhau gwaith ysgol. Roedd Mam a Dad athrawon, ac efallai caeth e rhywbeth i wneud gyda fe. Felly gwnes i adael ysgol a ches i lot o swyddi gwahanol. Gwnes i weithio fel air stiward, fel holiday rep yn Ibiza; gwnes i weithio fel driving instructor. Well, I left school at the age of 16, and I didn't do very well in school because I played the fool quite often. I enjoyed school, but for the wrong reasons- I didn't really enjoy school work. My Mum and Dad were teachers, and maybe that had something to do with it. So I left school and I had lots of different jobs. I worked as an air steward, as a holiday rep in Ibiza; I worked as a dirving instructor.
Un diwrnod, gwnaeth Mam ddweud: "Mae rhaid i ti stopio mynd o'r un swydd i'r llall- mae rhaid i ti ffeindio gyrfa go iawn". Gwnaeth hi weld roedd S4C hysbysebu am gyflwynwyr plant. Doedd dim diddordeb gyda fi yn y cyfryngau, ro'n i'n byth yn meddwl ro'n i'n mynd i wneud rhywbeth fel hynny, ond gwnes i moyn symud i Gaerdydd. Ro'n i'n byw yn y Gogledd ac roedd y swydd yng Nghaerdydd. Gyrrais i lawr i Gaerdydd a gwnes i ddau neu dri phrawf scrîn, a phob tro dwedon nhw: "Da iawn, rwyt ti wedi cyrraedd yn y rownd nesaf"; teithiais i am y rownd nesaf ac yn y diwedd gwnaethon nhw gynnig y swydd i fi. One day my Mum said: "you have to stop going from one job to the other- you have to find a real career". She saw a S4C advertisement for childrens presenters. I didn't have an interest in the media, and I never thought that I would do something like that, but I wanted to move to Cardiff. I was living in the North and the job was in Cardiff. I drove down to Cardiff and I did two or three screen tests, and each time they said: "Well done, you've reached the next round"; I drove down for the next round and in the end they offered the job to me.
Gwnes i ddechrau cyflwyno rhaglenni plant. Mae hyn yn 16 blwyddyn yn ôl, felly dw i wedi gwneud stint gyda phlant ac wedyn gwnes i symud ymlaen i bethau fel dysgwyr a chwaraeon. Mae'n ateb hir, ond dyna hi!I started presenting programs for children. This was 16 years ago, so I did a stint with children and then I moved on to things with learners and sports. It's a long answer, but there we are!
Mae'n iawn- mae'n wastad yn ddiddorol i weld sut mae pobl wahanol yn mynd i mewn eu gyrfaoedd.It's ok- it's always interesting to see how different people go into their careers.
Mae lot o bobl yn mynd i goleg ac eisiau gwneud rhywbeth yn y maes cyfryngau, ond do'n i ddim.Lots of people go to a college and want to do something in the media field, but I didn't.
Mae'n neis i weld mae e llwybr gyrfa am bawb.It's nice to see there is a career path for everyone.
Ie, yn bendant.Yes, definitely.
Un peth sy'n ddiddorol am dy swydd yw'r ti'n cwrdd â phobl wahanol sy'n defnyddio'r iaith dros y wlad pob wythnos. Ydy e unrhywbeth mod ti wedi sylweddoli am sut mae pobl yn defnyddio'r iaith?One interesting thing about your job is that you meet different people who are using the language across the country every week. Is there anything that you have noticed about how people use the language?
Mae'n ddiddorol, ac mae'r hyder yn bwysig iawn. Nid jest gyda dysgwyr- mae e lot o bobl sy'n siarad Cymraeg ac maen nhw'n meddwl dydw nhw ddim yn ddigon da. Beth dw i wedi sylweddoli yw'r mae e lot o bobl yn y De sy'n sôn am bobl yn y Gogledd ac maen nhw'n dweud: "Dydw i ddim yn dod o'r Gogledd, felly dydw i ddim yn gallu siarad Cymraeg yn dda". Ond os set ti'n mynd i'r Gogledd, llefydd fel Caernarfon, lle mae'r pawb yn siarad Cymraeg, a gofyn nhw i wneud rhywbeth ar gyfer y teledu, maen nhw'n dweud: "Na, dw i'n medru yn siarad yn berffaith, dydw i ddim yn gallu siarad Cymraeg teledu". It's interesting, and confidence is important. Not just wth learners- there are lots of people who speak Welsh and they think they aren't good enough. What I have realised is that lots of people in the South talk about people in the North and they say: "I'm not from the North, so I can't speak Welsh well". But if you go to the North, places like Caernarfon, where everyone speaks Welsh, and ask them to do something for television, they say: "No, I can't speak perfectly, I can't speak TV Welsh".
Felly dydw nhw ddim yn meddwl mod nhw'n gallu siarad Cymraeg yn arbennig o dda, ac mae'r bobl o'r Dde yn meddwl: "Maen nhw sy'n siarad Cymraeg yn dda". Mae hon yn ddiddorol, nag wyt.
Ers gwnes i wneud y rhaglen Bore Da, dw i wedi bod ar draws pob math o berson, ac mae rhai pobl yn meddwl mae rhaglen yn rhy hawdd, ac mae rhai o bobl yn dweud mae'r rhaglen efallai yn rhy anodd. Mae'n anodd ffeindio cytbwys i'r pleser pawb- dyn ni'n i gyd yn wahanol. Ers gwnes i ddechrau gwneud Bore Da da, mae e wedi bod gwych i gyfarfod cymaint o bobl o wahanol gefnder.
So they don't think that can speak Welsh especially well, and people from the South say: "They can speak Welsh well". This is interesting, isn't it.
Since I've been doing the Bore Da programme I have come across all sorts of people, and some people think the programme is too easy, and some people say they the programme is maybe too difficult. It's hard to find a balance to please everyone- every one of us is different. Since I've started doing Bore Da, it has been great to meet lots of people of different backgrounds.
Est ti bant i Ffrainc am i gyflwyno yn yr Euros. Sut fath o brofiad roedd e, a sut roedd y cymunedau Cymry Cymraeg tramor?You went to France to present in the Euros. What sort of experience was it, and was there a Welsh language community overseas?
Roedd hynny'n arbennig. Y gair mod i'n defnyddio yw'r roedd e fel Eisteddfod yn Ffrainc. Y gêm gyntaf yn Bordeaux, sy'n ddinas eitha' mawr, ond mewn pob tafarn roedd e grysau coch ym mhobham, a jest llawer o Gymry Cymraeg. Dydw i ddim yn gwybod yn union beth roedd y stat, neu'r canran yna, ond baswn i ddweud roedd e mwy o Gymry Cymraeg yna na Saesneg. Roedd e'n od, ond mewn ffordd dda. Dw i wedi siarad gyda nifer o gefnogwyr sydd wedi bod mas yna a dod yn ôl, ac maen nhw'n i gyd yn ddweud yr un peth.That was amazing. The word that I use is that it was like an Eisteddfod in France. The first game was in Bordeaux, which is quite a big city, but in every pub there were red shirts everywhere, and lots of Welsh speakers. I don't know what exactly were the stats, or the percentage there, but I would say there were more Welsh speakers there than English-only fans. It was odd, but in a good way. I have spoken with lots of supporters who went out there and back, and they all say the same thing.
A dw i'n nabod un boi o Aberystwyth a'r Rhondda- gwnaeth e ddysgu Cymraeg achos o'r Euros. Roedd e'n mynd allan gyda chwpl o ffrindiau, ac roedd e'n clywed pobl siarad a chanu'r iaith, ac roedd e'n flin doedd e ddim yn gallu siarad Cymraeg. Daeth e yn ôl, a gan nawr mae e, mwy na llai, yn rhugl. Stori wir a phwerus.
(Nodyn- mae'r person yma yw'r Nicky Roberts ac mae e'n dweud ei stori yma).
And I know a fellow from Aberystwyth and the Rhondda- he learnt Welsh because of the Euros. He went out with a couple of friends, and he heard everyone speaking and singing the language, and he was sad that he couldn't speak Welsh. He came back, and now he is fluent, more or less. That's a real story, and powerful.
(Note- this person is Nicky Roberts and he tells his story here).
Roedd e'n mor od i fod tramor a chyfweld pawb yn siarad Cymraeg. Ac wrth gwrs, roedd y tîm pêl droed am y tro cynta' yn y llwyfan yn gwneud cynhadledd wasg yn y Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg. Siŵr o fod roedd e tro cynta' clywodd y Ffrancwyr y ddwy iaith sy'n cysylltu â Chymru, nid jest Saesneg.It was so odd to be overseas and interview people who spoke Welsh. And of course, the football team for the first time on the stage did a press conference in Welsh and in English. It was probably the first time that the French heard the two languages connected with Wales, not just English.
Rwyt ti wedi gwneud llawer o waith teledu- oes unrhyw straeon doniol o beth pobl wedi gwneud o blaen y camera gyda ti?You have done lots of television work- do you have any funny stories of what people have done in front of a camera with you?
Wel, neu fi wedi gwneud pethau doniol!
Ro'n i'n arfer cyflwyno'r rhaglen pêl droed o'r enw Sgorio. Ces i rôl fel pitch-side reporter yn y Stadiwm y Mileniwm. Roedd Cymru chwarae yn erbyn yr Almaen, ac roedd John Toshack y rheolwr Cymru ar y pryd. Doedd Cymru ddim yn gwneud da iawn ar y pryd, ac roedd e lot o bwys ar Toshack, a phobl yn meddwl roedd e'n mynd i gael y sac. Collodd Cymru'r gêm, a swydd fi ar y diwedd o'r gêm roedd i gyfweld y chwaraewyr a rheolwr. Dydw i ddim yn gwybod os mae'n dal yn digwydd, ond ar y pryd roedd yr iaith cyfryngau yn fyw ydy Saesneg. Ro'n i'n gwisgo earpiece, ac roedd dyn y tryc tu fas y stadiwm, y cynhyrchydd, yn siarad gyda fi i beth i ofyn Toshack. Ond doedd e berson yna ddim yn eitha' gwneud y sŵn 'r' yn wych, ac roedd y lein yn ychydig bach yn crackly, felly roedd e'n eitha' anodd i glywed.
Well, or funny things that I have done!
I used to present a football programme called Sgorio. I had a role as pitch-side reporter in the Millennium Stadium. Wales were playing Germany, and John Toshack was the manager at the time. Wales weren't doing very well at the time, and there was a lot of pressure on Toshack, and people thinking he was going to get the sack. Wales lost the game, and my job at the end of the game was to interview the players and manager. I don't know if it still happens, but at the time the media language when live was English. I was wearing an earpiece, and the man in the truck outside the stadium, the producer, was telling me what to ask Toshack. But the person couldn't quite make the 'r' sound very well, and the line was a little bit crackly, so it was difficult to hear.
Roedd fy nghwestwn cynta' yn fyw: "So John, disappointing result, what went wrong?". Roedd Toshck mewn foul mood, achos gwnaeth pawb yn gwybod roedd yn mynd i gael y sac. Gwnes i glwyed yn fy earpiece: "OK Alun, next question, ask about civil rights and then hand back to the studio". Gwnes i feddwl: 'Civil rights? Dw i heb wedi meddwl yn iawn', felly gwnes i ignoro fe a gwnes i feddwl o gwestwn fy hunan "The Millennium Stadium pitch John- it's not great is it, it's cutting up in a few places", a gwnaeth Toshock yn ateb. Dwedodd y dyn y stwidio eto: "Alun, you need to ask about civil rights and hand back to the studio". Gwnes i ignoro eto a gwnes i ofn Toshack: "A 4-5-1 formation John, we're chasing the game, should we maybe have gone to a 4-3-3". Ac roedd Toshack dechrau mynd yn bored. Dwedodd y cynhorchwydd: "For God's sake, ask him about civil rights and hand back to the studio". My first live question was: "So John, disappointing result, what went wrong?". Tochack was in a foul mood, because everyone knew he was going to get the sack, I heard in my earpiece: "OK Alun, next question, ask about civil rights and then hand back to the studio". I thought: 'Civil rights? I haven't heard correctly', so I ignored him and I thought of my own question: "The Millennium Stadium pitch John- it's not great is it, it's cutting up in a few places", and Toshack answered. The man in the studio said again: "Alun, you need to ask about civil rights and hand back to the studio". I ignored him again and I asked Toshack: "A 4-5-1 formation John, we're chasing the game, should we maybe have gone to a 4-3-3". Toshack started getting bored. The producer said: "For God's sake, ask him about civil rights and hand back to the studio".
Felly, oedd rhaid i mi ddweud: "John, I can't let you go without asking you about civil rights". Roedd Toshack gwilio arna i yn completely baffled, felly dwedais i: "John, civil rights, I'm just wondering if you have any opinion about them". Dwedodd y cynhorchwydd: "For God's sake, cut back to the studio, now". Dwedodd y cyflwynydd stwidio: "Dyna'r Alun gofyn am civil rights...ac nawr mae'n amser am egwyl bach". So, I had to say: "John, I can't let you go without asking you about civil rights". Toshack looked at me completely baffled, so I said: "John, civil rights, I'm just wondering if you have any opinion about them". The producer said: "For God's sake, cut back to the studio, now". The studio presenter said "There's Alun asking about civil rights...and now it's time for a short break".
Ar y diwedd ro'n i'n cerdded yn ôl i'r tryc, dal yn confused, ac roedd y cynhyrchydd rhedeg bant ata i: "You stupid boy, what are you doing- why on earth did you ask him about civil rights?". Dwedais i: "Because you kept telling me to ask him about civil rights three times and I kept ignoring you, but then I had to". Dwedodd y cynhorchwydd: "I said: 'Ask him about Sunday nights' not civil rights!'".
Roedd Cymru dechrau chwarae ar nosau Sul, ond gwnaeth y 'nights' come out as 'rights'. Felly roedd e peth mwya' embarrassing sydd wedi digwydd i fi yn fyw.
At the end I was walking back to the truck, still confused, and the producer was running out towards me: "You stupid boy, what are you doing- why on earth did you ask him about civil rights?". I said: "Because you kept telling me to ask him about civil rights three times and I kept ignoring you, but then I had to". The producer said: "I said 'Ask him about Sunday nights, not civil rights!'". Wales were starting to play on Sunday evenings, but the 'nights' came out as 'rights'. So that was the most embarrassing thing that has happened to me live.
Mae nifer o bethau eraill wedi digwydd rhywbryd i fi- ar nifer o amserau mae offer wedi mynd bant tra dyn ni'n yn fyw, neu dw i wedi anghofio enw o rywun ac maen nhw'n cywiro fi. A wastad mae e bobl yn y cefnder, pobl sy wedi meddw, ac maen nhw'n lico tynnu dillad bant, ond yn foddus dyn ni wedi gwastad yn symud yr ongl o'r camera mewn pryd. Felly, mae lot o bethau wedi digwydd i fi!A number of other things have happened to me- on many occasions equipment has gone off while we've been live, or I have forgotten the name of someone and they correct me. And always there are people in the background, drunk people who like to take their clothes off, but fortunately we have always moved the angle of the camera in time. So, lots of things have happened to me!
Ach, dw i'n falch mod i'n eistedd tu ôl cyfrifiadur, nid sefyll o'r blaen o gamera! Rwyt ti'n siarad â dysgwyr trwy'r wythnos- oes unrhyw gyngor amdanyn nhw gyda ti?Ach, I'm glad that I sit behind a computer, not stand in front of a camera! You speak with learners through the week- do you have any advice for them?
Fy nghyngor yn gyffredinol yw'r: paid â bod ofn o wneud camgymeriadau; mae e nifer o ddysgwyr sy'n poeni efallai dydy nhw geirfa ddim yn enfawr, neu dydw nhw ddim yn gallu cofio'r enw o'r gair. Ond dydw i ddim yn nabod unrhyw berson Cymreig sy'n ddim yn meindio dysgwr gwneud camgymeriadau. Felly jest gwneud eich gorau glas, does neb yn meindio taflu gair Saesneg mewn. Mae'r hyder i ddechrau sgwrs yn gynta' yn anodd hefyd, achos mae'n ddigon hawdd i sgwrs yn Saesneg.My general advice is: don't be afraid to make mistakes; a number of learners maybe worry that they don't have an large vocabulary, or they can't remember the name of the word. But I don't know any Welsh person who doesn't mind a learner making mistakes. So just do your best; no-one minds if you throw an English word in.
Confidence to start a conversation first is difficult as well, because it is so easy to speak English.
Fy Mam wedi dysgu Cymraeg, ac roedd hi gallu siarad Almaeneg a Ffrangeg yn barod, ond gwnaeth hi moyn dysgu Cymraeg achos oedd hi eisiau magu fi a fy chwaer yn y Gymraeg. Roedd hi wastad yn poeni am ddweud pethau anghywir, ond gwnaeth hi gyrraedd ar bwynt ble dwedodd hi: "Wel, os dw i'n byth yn dweud dim byd, dw i'n byth yn mynd i ddysgu. Yr unig ffordd dw i'n mynd i ddysgu yw'r trwy siarad, ac os dw i'n gwneud camgymeriad, ffein, dw i'n gwneud camgymeriad". Hefyd, mae rhai pobl yn jest siarad hanner Cymraeg a hanner Saesneg, ac mae'n hollol iawn.My Mum has learnt Welsh, and she could speak German and French already, but she wanted to learn Welsh because she wanted to bring up me and my sister in Welsh. She was always worrying about saying incorrect things, but she arrive at a point where she said: "Well, if I say nothing then I'm never going to learn. The only way I'm going to learn is through speaking, and if I make mistakes, fine, I make mistakes". Also, some people just speak half Welsh and half English, and that is completely OK.
Ac os oes unrhyw stori neu brofiad diddorol gyda darllenwyr yma, sut ddylwn nhw gysylltu â Bore Da?And if any readers here have an interesting story or experience, how can they contact Bore Da?
Mae Bore Da yn wastad yn chwilio am straeon ar gyfer dysgwyr. Mae e nifer o ffyrdd i gysylltu: [email protected], neu [email protected]. Dyn ni'n foddus iawn, mae pobl yn cysylltu â ni yn aml a sôn am beth maen nhw'n gwneud. Felly cysylltwch â ni, ac ewn ni fynd dod draw i ffilmio, neu dych chi'n gallu mynd i'r stiwdio i fod rhan o'r rhaglen.Bore Da is always looking for stories form learners. There a number of ways to contact: [email protected], or [email protected]. We are very fortunate, people contact us often and tell us about things they are doing. So contact us, and we will come to film, or you can go to the studio to be part of the programme.
Hyfryd- roedd e plesur i gael sgwrs â ti Alun. Diolch am bopeth bod ti â'r tîm Tinopolis a S4C yn gwneud ar gyfer dysgwyr!Lovely- it was a pleasure to have a chat with you Alun. Thanks for everything you and the Tinopolis and S4C teams are doing on behalf of learners!

Dydw i ddim yn nabod unrhyw berson Cymreig sy’n ddim yn meindio dysgwr gwneud camgymeriadau.

s4c.cymru/cy/adloniant/dal-ati / MrAlunWilliams

 

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