Amazon apologises for rejecting Welsh language book review

Amazon has apologised for rejecting a book review that was written in the Welsh language.

Cathryn Sherrington had submitted a dual-language review of the book Lladd Duw, by Dewi Prysor, which wasn’t allowed to be posted on the website of the online retail giant.

In her review she said that she’d enjoyed the book so much that she is “going to read more Welsh language books”.

However, she received an email from Amazon claiming that the review breached its community guidelines. The company came under fire for its decision.

A spokesperson for the company has now told Nation.Cymru that this was due to a “technical error” that has now been “resolved”, and for which they “apologise”.

The review said: “Gwych Brilliant. I haven’t read a Welsh book for years – sometimes the formality of written Welsh puts me off – this is brilliant though.

“Hawdd i ddarllen, stori gyffroes, cymeriadau diddorol. Wedi joio fo gymaint dwi’n mynd i ddarllen mwy o lyfrau Cymraeg (Easy to read, exciting story, interesting characters. Have enjoyed it so much I’m going to read more Welsh language books).”

The response from Amazon said: “Your review of Lladd Duw could not be posted to Amazon. Thank you for submitting a customer review.

“After carefully reviewing your submission, your review could not be posted to the website. While we appreciate your time and comments, reviews must adhere to the following guidelines.”

‘Common issues’ 

It added: “A few common issues to keep in mind: Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.

“Feedback on the seller or your shipment experience should be provided at www.arnazon.co.uk/feedback.

“We do not allow profane or obscene content. This applies to adult products too.  Advertisements, promotional material or repeated posts that make the same point excessively are considered spam.

“Please do not include URLs external to Amazon or personally identifiable content in your review.

“Any attempt to manipulate Community content or features, including contributing false, misleading or inauthentic content, is strictly prohibited.”

After being asked for more detail about why the review was rejected, an Amazon spokesperson told Nation.Cymru: “This was due to a technical error for which we apologise. It has now been resolved.”

There are a number of reviews of Lladd Duw written in the Welsh language on Amazon.

After receiving the rejection from Amazon, she Cathryn Sherrington tweeted: “@Amazon it’s a shame that I couldn’t leave a partly Welsh review for a book written in Welsh on your website.”

Amazon Help responded: “We’re sorry to hear about the trouble! Please refer to our Community Guidelines here.”

Cathryn said: “I have read the guidelines and it does not say that I can not use the Welsh language to review a book written in Welsh.”

Amazon Help said: “Please refer to the link posted above for any additional information about this issue. We appreciate your understanding.”

Cathryn added: “I don’t understand though. Why can’t I write a review in Welsh? I’m sure Google translate would help you.”