27 Nov /18

Language Police

Language Police - EVS Translations
Language Police – EVS Translations

Apparently, there are some people in the world who don’t appreciate the invasive and dominant nature of the English language. Though English may have become the modern lingua franca, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone desires to abandon their own language for it. On the contrary, being irrevocably tied into culture, heritage, and identity, language is very important. So, while we may be inclined to meet the news of The Commission for the Enrichment of the French Language (CELF) substitution of “infox“ for “fake news” with an eye roll, there’s probably a very substantial minority in France who would disagree.

While attempting to exchange a now widely-used term for an in-language solution is guaranteed to garner press coverage, it perhaps overshadows the typical work of language regulation institutions. Being mostly private bodies, these language institutions typically work to promote and purify their language by: actively encouraging its use socially, commercially, and governmentally; attempting to codify linguistic rules and address discrepancies; and especially publishing materials on and in the language. In many cases, these bodies address minority and regional languages, such as Sorbian in Germany (as well as the Czech Republic and Poland), West Frisian in the Netherlands, Cornish in Cornwall (Southwest England), and even Mirandese in in the northern Portuguese town of Miranda do Duoro.

Don’t be fooled though, large international languages have these institutions as well. Aside from France, which has already been mentioned, Italian, through the Accademia della Crusca, seeks to regulate Italian in Italy, San Marino, Switzerland, and the Holy See; moreover, comprised of 18 representatives from Germany, 9 each from Austria and Switzerland, and 1 each from South Tyrol, Belgium, and Liechtenstein, the Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung (Council for German Orthography) addresses German in, well, a very orderly German fashion. Definitely the most far-reaching body, the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) has the daunting task of either directly or through affiliation ensuring the consistency and stability of Castilian in Spain, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea (Africa), the United States, and virtually all of Spanish-speaking Latin America (23 countries in total).

Typically, these entities all attempt to promote, protect, and address changes in their languages through encouraging usage, information distribution, and lobbying for protected minority status – and then there’s Quebec. Given, it’s understandable that 8 million French speakers surrounded by 350 million English speakers might feel a bit linguistically intimidated, but Quebec has gone to obsessive lengths in order to protect the use of the French language in the Canadian province. Dubbed the “language police”, the Office québécois de la langue française (Quebec Board of the French Language or OQLF), in ensuring the use of French in the province formerly wouldn’t allow any outdoor commercial signage in a language other than French (it’s now allowed, but French must still be predominant) and – believe it or not – once tried to fine an Italian restaurant for using the Italian words pasta and bottiglia (bottle), instead of the French terms. Thankfully, in recent years, the OQLF has become more reasonable in its dealings with Anglicisms and the non-Francophones, but they still receive between 2,500 and 4,000 complaints a year from people who believe it is their right to be served and informed in French.

If all of this seems a bit strange to us in the English-speaking world there’s a good reason for that- it is. Unlike most other languages, English doesn’t have a governing or regulatory body, and, even if it did, where in the world would you start? Not many other languages are a wild blend of Frisian, Norse, Germanic, Latin, and French. When it comes to rules and usages, other than widely known resources, such as dictionaries by Merriam-Webster and Oxford, the English depends on the person using it, which is very individualistic but can also be confusing to non-native speakers. (Hello, Urban Dictionary!)

All things considered, in the age of globalism and easy access to information, it’s next to impossible to keep a language fully and completely pure (and free of Anglicisms), but, at the same time, you can’t afford to assume that everyone speaks a particular language. In order to assure that you’re making the best impression and best communicating your points or messages regardless of language – OK, maybe not Mirandese yet- it’s important to work with a reputable Language Service Provider that has the global reach and expertise to give you every advantage possible.