Kai-Oliver Geisler Celtic studies student

While covering the pre-World Cup friendly football match between Wales and Germany in May 2002, a German TV presenter proudly held a bilingual ticket up to the camera.

The 'indefinable and unpronounceable language' below the English words was, he told viewers, "Gaelic".

This more than anything can give you some idea of the ignorance about Welsh culture and language in Germany.

Maybe this is down to a lack of promotion, as I feel the marketing campaigns in Germany by the Wales Tourist Board have been much less successful than similar promotions by countries like Ireland.

But not all the blame can be heaped on the tourist board. Wales is a victim of generalisation - to the majority of working-class Germans, the UK and even Ireland is "England".

Flower girl takes part in the crowning ceremony

There is, however, a growing number of Celtic scholars in Germany.

And there is no doubt that like me, they would be amazed to be offered the chance to experience the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

As minority languages in Europe and elsewhere struggle for survival, it is up to the language communities themselves to preserve their culture.

The eisteddfod is an integral part of this, and a sign that the language is certainly not dead.

Having said that, as a non-Welsh speaker at the eisteddfod, one word sums up how I felt - excluded.

It began as I left the train at Haverfordwest. At that point, I realised the life unfolding around me was in Welsh.

People spoke Welsh everywhere and they expected everyone else - including me - to follow suit.

If you were not Welsh-speaking, you would encounter puzzled looks, and one might get the impression that non Welsh-speakers do not have a place at the eisteddfod.

Of course, you would get the answer to your question eventually, but it was not enough to get rid of the feeling of being an outsider.

Competitor in national Welsh costume

Even after I obtained a ticket at the entrance, this feeling prevailed for some time.

But, I found, that if I dealt genuinely with my lack of language skills and tried to make up for it with bags in enthusiasm, there was a way out.

As a German in the middle of west Wales, I found that it was indeed possible to break into this community and become a part of it.

In fact, people will take the time to talk about everything you like, and for as long as you like.

Eisteddfod-goers in general reacted positively and some even apologised for speaking Welsh.

A strange concept, when you consider that a German would not apologise for speaking German to a non-German speaker.

Neither should a Welsh-speaker.

At the end of the day, sitting in the bus back to the station, reflecting on what I had seen and heard, I left with the feeling that the eisteddfod was a huge family gathering with music, poetry and dance.

But the odd aftertaste of exclusion remained.

So, my advice to visitors from abroad is that the festival is worth seeing, but only if they are genuinely interested in sharing this sense of community.

What are your views? Whether you are in Wales or elsewhere, what is your view of the impact of the National Eisteddfod and the language and culture. Do you feel excluded or drawn in?

Email us at newsonline.wales@bbc.co.uk and we'll publish your views.

My husband and I felt warmly welcomed during our travels across Wales in July 2000. We found the Welsh people we encountered to be genuinely interested in us and our trip; eager to assist and often asking about life in California.

I had taken the trouble to learn a few simple words and phrases in Welsh and was rewarded with huge grins when I was able to say things like 'Bore da,' 'Diolch yn fawr,' or 'Croeso.'

The idea that folks from California had an appreciation of the distinction between English and Welsh cultures seemed to delight them.

We found the country and people of Wales to be utterly charming and we actively encourage people we know to travel there -- we can't wait to go back there ourselves.

When it comes to preserving cultures, we think Wales is an outstanding model of how to do it right.

Thanks to Welsh schools and events such as the eisteddfods, your language and traditions are alive and interest in them is growing. And you have wisely set aside vast portions of your country as national trust or parkland - thank you, Cool Cymru!

M Sweet, California, USA

I am a Welsh-American who has lived nearly three years in Wales in the last eight and have never felt excluded because I could not speak Welsh.

I lived in a Welsh-speaking family for the better part of a year once, and they spoke Welsh almost totally, but not to me, immediately switching to english with me without fanfare or self-consciousness.

I am quite surprised to learn of your German correspondent's predicament but not at his overall response.

I too have learned that the native Welsh, though not taking quickly to strangers, always reward most fondly the persistence of those strangers whose efforts to make contact and to gather what information they needed was characterized by patience and by not expecting things to move at lightning speed.

A cousin in Aberystwyth summed it up for me once as I was about to go foraging in a small town nearby for information regarding the history of my family.

He said don't act like a tourist and be prepared to be quite patient.

My reward in following this advice has uniformly been that my Welsh hosts would live up to the well-deserved reputation of the Welsh as being among the most verbal and most talkative of all peoples.

All the best,

D Jay Johns Phd, Nashville, Tennessee USA