Governments worldwide have adopted diverse strategies to prevent or regulate borrowings in their state languages, particularly from English, motivated by concerns over cultural preservation, national identity, and linguistic integrity.

In Italy, a bill drafted by the Brothers of Italy party seeks to prohibit public and private bodies from using foreign terms, especially English, in official communications, with penalties reaching up to 100,000 euros for violations.

The legislation mandates the use of Italian in all job-related documents, allowing foreign words only when no Italian equivalent exists, reflecting anxieties about English's growing influence and its perceived negative impact on Italian culture, especially post-Brexit .

Quebec, Canada, has implemented policies such as raising tuition fees for out-of-province students at English-language universities to protect French, which is seen as threatened in Montreal.

This measure is part of a broader governmental effort to promote French and limit English's dominance in a bilingual context .

France exemplifies linguistic purism through laws requiring the use of French in media and advertising, and by mandating the dubbing of foreign films to counter Hollywood's cultural influence and preserve the French language .

The Académie Française actively works to limit English borrowings and promote French vocabulary [general_insights_3].

In the Netherlands, proposed legislation aims to restrict the use of English in higher education by enforcing stricter language requirements for non-Dutch courses, seeking to maintain Dutch as the primary language of instruction and ensure societal integration .

Ghana’s language policy mandates early education in a child’s first language before transitioning to English, aiming to balance local language preservation with English proficiency, though critics argue this may hinder English acquisition .

While explicit laws targeting English borrowings are rare, many countries

Governments worldwide have adopted diverse strategies to prevent or regulate borrowings in their state languages, particularly from English, motivated by concerns over cultural preservation, national identity, and linguistic integrity.

In Italy, a bill drafted by the Brothers of Italy party seeks to prohibit public and private bodies from using foreign terms, especially English, in official communications, with penalties reaching up to 100,000 euros for violations.

The legislation mandates the use of Italian in all job-related documents, allowing foreign words only when no Italian equivalent exists, reflecting anxieties about English's growing influence and its perceived negative impact on Italian culture, especially post-Brexit .

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Indigenous languages not enjoying parity at state departments

English still dominant at the expense of other tongues

David Mosoma chairperson of CRL Rights Commission.
Image: Antonio Muchave

The usage of indigenous languages, especially in government departments, is still not equitable after 27 years since SA declared them as official languages.

This was revealed by an investigation conducted by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) on marginalised languages and the need to elevate them. It tabled its report yesterday at its offices in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

The findings show that even though government departments have adopted two or three official languages as per Language Act, English was still predominantly used at the expense of other languages. The investigation further found that the obstacles for all official languages to enjoy parity of esteem were caused by lack of budget and lack of skilled personnel.

The investigation included 16 organs of state which were randomly picked and invited to share what they are doing regarding the promotion and equitable use of all official languages. Chairperson of the commission, Prof David Luka Mosoma, said the purpose of the investigation was to establish the extent of the equal use and status of the official languages by government departments.

“Since the constitution affirms that these languages should be given their due and constitutional status, we had to do this investigation to gauge how far we are. We wanted to assess the positive measures that departments are employing to elevate the status and advanced the use of these languages. These hearings had to investigate and ascertain the measures [if any] that are in place to advance the equal treatment of all the South African official languages.

“The investigation was to assess the current efforts and future plans being followed by departments to regulate, monitor and elevate the use of all the official languages among other things for teaching, research, science, technology, commerce as well as to be languages of record.”

In its recommendations, CLR Rights Commission stated that all government departments, enterprises and entities should establish functional language service centres. It further called on the department of higher education to identify a pool of teachers who will teach mathematics, science and technology in their mother tongues.

“We encourage the department of higher education and training to subsidise institutions of higher learning to elevate, prioritise and promote official languages to become languages of record, teaching, research, science and technology.”

Commenting is subject to our house rules.

Quebec, Canada, has implemented policies such as raising tuition fees for out-of-province students at English-language universities to protect French, which is seen as threatened in Montreal.

This measure is part of a broader governmental effort to promote French and limit English's dominance in a bilingual context .

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Content: Advertisement

Film For Members

Explained: France's passion for dubbing films

The Local France - [email protected]

Historically France has been known for its enthusiastic dubbing of movies, but times are changing and streaming has led to more people watching subtitled original versions - although it might be too early to say adieu to French dubbing stars.

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In amongst the tributes pouring in for the American actor Matthew Perry was one that might have surprised non-French people.

"It is an immense sadness" - the emotion of Emmanuel Curtil, French voice of Matthew Perry.

While hardly a household name, Emmanuel Curtil has a voice familiar to any French fan of Friends - as he dubbed Mathhew Perry's Chandler Bing into French.

You can check out his work here.

In fact, as is common in the dubbing industry, Curtil voiced all of Perry's roles in their French translation.

Likewise when voice actor Patrick Poivey died in 2020, social media overflowed with tributes.

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While those who aren't French might think "Poivey who?", to French audiences he was a superstar - dubbing iconic actors such as Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Kevin Costner.

The reaction might seem peculiar to foreigners, but the dubbing tradition has long been firmly rooted in France's cinema culture.

But as streaming platforms take over more and more of the screen time in France, some fear the curtain will fall over the French dubbing industry as more people get used to watching subtitled versions of films rather than the dubbed VF (version française).

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Dubbing is the norm

France, along with Spain, Italy and Germany, is one of the EU countries that dubs the most of its foreign programmes.

Reader Question: Can you avoid seeing a dubbed film in French cinemas?

With streaming making it easier to watch a show in its original language and sometimes allowing early access to new releases that haven't been translated yet, will it mean the end of the dubbing industry?

"I don't think there is a debate," Anthony Panetto, a dubbing artist and secretary of the ATAA (association of translators/adapters of the audio-visual), told The Local.

"In fact, multi-lingual versions on TV have been available for 15 years in France, and more recently on platforms, and the dubbing industry is still strong."

During the pandemic, Netflix France considered it was important to explain to the French public why dubbed versions of several of its programmes were missing.

In a tweet, the company explained that dubbing companies were closed due to the Covid-19 crisis, and that it chose to offer the possibility to watch the shows and films with subtitles rather "than nothing at all".

"We want you to know that as soon as we'll be able to add the missing VF, we will do it," tweeted the company.

Dubbing does seem popular, yet as of today, there haven't been any official surveys on the number of viewers who choose to watch the dubbed version over the original version.

“We are trying to organise with other bodies to ask for a study with numbers regarding the relation between the original version and the dubbed version,” said Panetto.

“Until recently, it was considered that 90 percent of the population watched a show in French, but that subtitled original versions were becoming more popular,” he said.

And while many actors remain in the shadows, some have been gaining more and more esteem with the ATAA’s Award Ceremony, which acknowledges the work of these behind the scenes translators and voice actors, with Manga or TV show fairs where voice actors can meet the public.

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“With the internet and social media, voice actors are coming into the limelight because the ‘voxophile’ community (voice actor fans) can reach out to them more easily,” said Panetto.

History

If many people in France prefer watching movies in French rather than English today, it is also a product of a deliberate government policy that sought to challenge the United State's post-war cultural hegemony.

"In 1949, to face Hollywood’s power and to boost its movie industry, France implemented a law which required a foreign movie to be dubbed in studios located in France in order to be released,” wrote filmmaker Thierry Le Nouvel in the book Le Doublage et ses métiers (Dubbing and its jobs) in 2007.

For decades, watching a movie in its original language was impossible in France.

“Over the years, our country became an expert with a unique savoir-faire, with the use of the rhythm band, which can be considered as ‘the expression of a real cultural exception’,” Le Nouvel wrote.

English skills at fault?

One reason the French still prefer dubbing today is linked to France's relatively weak English skills. According to the EF English Proficiency Index, France ranked 23rd out of the 33 European countries included in 2019.

Charlotte, 31, who used to watch her movies in French, recently decided to switch to original versions. “I realised that I was missing the emotions and that I wasn’t getting as much into the movie with the French versions,” she told The Local.

“I always watch a foreign programme in French and when it hasn’t been dubbed I watch it with subtitles,” Melina, 25, told The Local.

"I am not fluent enough in English to watch shows exclusively in English and it may be lame, but we don’t all have the chance to speak fluent English," she said.

A 2007 study showed that a programme aired with subtitles could result in a 30 percent decrease in audience numbers.

But even if someone's English is good enough, many French people still prefer to watch programmes in their mother tongue rather than in the original language.

“Some watch a programme in the original language because they think it’s cooler, but honestly watching it in French allows me to really look at the images instead of watching the subtitles, and to better immerse myself in the movie’s atmosphere,” Raphaël, 35, told The Local.

Paris vs. Regions

For years now, there has been a strong divide in France between those promoting movies in their original language and others promoting films dubbed in French.

In fact, people who watch a film dubbed in French are often considered as being lazy because they don’t want to read the subtitles or listen to a foreign language, while people who prefer movies in their original language consider subtitles or dubbing as being un-artistic.

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“In the 1930s, it was really difficult to watch subtitled movies outside of Paris, because of an official regulation which drastically limited the number of movie theatres that could show subtitled versions,” according to French audiovisual translator Jean-François Cornu in La Revue des médias.

“This is why films dubbed in French have long been associated with the regional public, while films in their original language are supposedly meant for people living in Paris or in important French cities,” wrote Cornu.

Today this situation still lives on with a clear predominance of films in their original language in Paris, while the split between those in favour and against the French language versions remains strong.

“People who say watching a movie dubbed in French is cheesy are snobs,” said Panetto. "This amounts to trashing any foreign art that is translated.

“People think reading a text on a rhythm band is easy but in fact voice artists are real actors, who often play in theatres or do voice over,” he added.

“Some people are really attached to the voices, there is an intimate relationship with the voice,” Panetto told The Local.

By Olivia Sorrel Dejerine

French vocab

If you want to know whether the film at the cinema will be dubbed or subtitled, it's all in the acronyms.

If you're watching a foreign film, its listing will include either VF, VSOT or VO.

VF - Version française - this film will be dubbed into French

VSOT - Version Originale Sous-Titrée - the screening has the original soundtrack and (French) subtitles.

VO - Version Originale - in its original language with no French subtitles

More

See Also

France exemplifies linguistic purism through laws requiring the use of French in media and advertising, and by mandating the dubbing of foreign films to counter Hollywood's cultural influence and preserve the French language .

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Content: Use of mother tongue in lower primary unproductive

BY: Augustina Tawiah
Angela Ami Atse

A proofreader and one-time tutor, Angela Ami Atse, has described as unproductive the country’s policy to use only the mother tongue as the medium of instruction for pupils in lower primary schools.

Mrs Atse who is the Assistant Head of Proofreading at Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) explained that that policy was part of the reasons why some pupils in lower primary in the country were unable to speak and write English language very well.

Mrs Atse has, therefore, called for the use of the English language and mother tongue simultaneously as the medium of instruction for pupils in lower primary.

“One of the reasons cited for the introduction of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction in lower primary schools is that, it will help pupils to speak and write good English. But that is not entirely the case. It is also part of the reason lower primary pupils are not speaking English well.

“They are doing literal translation. All languages have one uniform structure — they express number and time (tense) but there are some other structures that are unique to languages. So if the child does not know at what point the transfer of knowledge should be done, that is when the child learns to speak “vernacular English”. They speak English with a vernacular accent and understanding,” she explained.

What does the policy say

Ghana’s current language policy mandates the use of the child’s first language as the language of instruction from kindergarten through Grade Three with English as the LI thereafter. English is taught as a subject in the lower primary grades while Ghanaian languages become a subject of study from Grade Four through Grade Nine. The language policy states:

“Where teachers and learning materials are available and linguistic composition of classes is fairly uniform, the children’s first language must be used as the dominant medium of instruction in kindergarten and lower primary school “(Ministry of Education, Ghana, 2004, pp27-28).

“Instruction in the indigenous languages is limited to the 11 government-sponsored languages, namely Akuapem Twi, Asanti Twi, Fanti, Nzema, Dagaare and Dagbane, Ewe, Dangme, Ga, Gonja and Kasem.

English language as Ghana’s official language

Mrs Atse, who was speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, pointed out that so long as English language remained the official language of the country, it was important that the medium of instruction at all levels of education in the country remained English while the mother tongue was left for parents to teach their children at home at the family level.

This, she explained was because, the family was the first agent of socialisation for the child and the child could easily acquire the language spoken by family members compared to the school environment.

She said the multi-ethnic nature of the country was also another challenge adding that it was likely that children were introduced to a local language for the first time in school, which may not necessarily be their mother tongue.

Explaining why it was important for English Language to be used at all levels of education. She pointed out that even in examinations, with the exception of Ghanaian Language, all other subjects, including mathematics, have the instructions and questions written in English so if the child misunderstands the instructions he or she might end up not doing well in the examination.

“If we really want to be part of the world, we cannot abandon English language. We still have to carry English language along because we will be dealing with people who do not speak or write any Ghanaian language.

“How do we communicate with people? How do we do business with foreigners? So we need to develop the language that can link us up with the rest of the world. Of course, we should bring our languages up so that they do not die but that should best be done at home,” she advised.

Poor spoken and written English

The educationist also spoke about poor English language that was written and spoken by both students and adults nowadays, attributing it to the inability of people to learn the language well.

She, therefore, called for intensive reading on the part of students in order to improve on their written and spoken English.

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Content: SHARE

Tulsa native and Muscogee Nation citizen Joy Harjo, the first Native American woman to serve as the nation’s poet laureate, began her third term in September, an honor previously bestowed only once.

“Throughout the pandemic, Joy Harjo has shown how poetry can help steady us and nurture us,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “I am thankful she is willing to continue this work on behalf of the country. A third term will give Joy the opportunity to develop and extend her signature project.”

This story was reported by Gaylord News, a Washington reporting project of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma.

That project is called Living Nations, Living Words, a sampling of work by 47 Native Nations poets through an interactive ArcGIS Story Map, which visualizes locations and histories of native poets in the U.S., and a newly developed Library of Congress audio collection.

“Joy is our first native laureate, but I don’t think the historic nature of her laureateship played a big part in the decision,” Rob Casper, head of Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress, said of Harjo’s third term. “It was really more about unfinished work.”

Harjo also released a new book, Poet Warrior: A Memoir, on Sept. 7.

The visibility of Indigenous people has been rising across disciplines, including in film initiatives and increased inclusion in the political arena.

Harjo told Gaylord News that Indigenous social justice issues have evolved from her time as a poetry student at the University of New Mexico, where she completed her degree in 1976 and lives now as the 23rd poet laureate and author of several works.

Harjo said she started writing about Native social justice issues as a participant, and her work has always been most often inspired by her people and justice.

“Sometimes on a bad day I think nothing’s changed at all,” Harjo said. “And then other times because I have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and ultimately they’re all our children. When I look in their eyes I have to know … that things are changing, and that our work and our love for our people matters.”

As a symbol of positive change, Harjo singled out the American Rescue Plan Act’s historic allocation of $20 million toward preserving Indigenous languages.

Federal dollars have never before been allocated for this specific cause, so for Harjo, acknowledgment by the federal government means Native languages, and the cultures embedded within them, are being given the attention and support they deserve.

“When I saw that I thought that was astounding,” Harjo said. “None of us have ever seen legislation like that, that actually acknowledges that, one, Indigenous people are the root cultures, and that our languages are necessary.”

Finding connections in poetry

Cherokee author Kelli Jo Ford, who wrote Crooked Hallelujah, also participated in the National Book Festival and said she hopes the Biden administration’s funding will improve access to Indigenous languages.

She said she takes Cherokee Nation language lessons twice a week and calls them “a gift.”

“I think there are a lot of people who are hungry for the language and want to carry it into the future, especially as we’ve lost so many Cherokee speakers during a pandemic,” Ford told Gaylord News.

Ford, who is from Tahlequah, said she grew up in a family where art and books were always present, so becoming a writer came naturally to her. She said language for her is a powerful medium of communication, especially in churches.

“Particularly for southeastern tribes, Christianity has been a part of our story for a really long time,” Ford said. “And it is kind of a part of the American colonial project and assimilation and all that, but it’s also something that we’ve adapted and turned into cornerstones of our cultures and our languages.”

Harjo said poetry, like language, is all about communicating and story-making, no matter what kind of work one does. Be it writing poems, songs or briefs for decisions and law, she said, it’s all the same.

Harjo said all professions carry the task of storytelling, even in the work Deb Haaland is doing as the first Native American to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of the  Interior and a Cabinet member.

Haaland was a poetry student of Harjo’s when she attended the University of New Mexico between 1988 and 1994.

“I think her work in creative writing classes really helped prepare her,” Harjo said. “She’s a thinker, she’s a visionary, and it’s important she’s able to communicate that. Everything starts with an intense story.”

Despite the pandemic upending most in-person events, Harjo said poetry still found a way to connect people’s stories in virtual mediums.

“During COVID, the importance of poetry has come to the surface, because it’s a way to listen,” Harjo said. “I think this position has given more visibility to native people, and to native poets.”

Harjo said if she could give any advice to Indigenous artists and poets, it would be a phrase that seems so simple in theory but is often so difficult in execution: be yourself.

“As I’ve gotten older, I understand what a challenge that can be, to be yourself, because it leads to, then, who are you?” Harjo said. “Keep your grounding as you reach for beauty, or for accomplishment. Don’t hang your worth on what other people think is important.”

The Académie Française actively works to limit English borrowings and promote French vocabulary [general_insights_3].

In the Netherlands, proposed legislation aims to restrict the use of English in higher education by enforcing stricter language requirements for non-Dutch courses, seeking to maintain Dutch as the primary language of instruction and ensure societal integration .

Ghana’s language policy mandates early education in a child’s first language before transitioning to English, aiming to balance local language preservation with English proficiency, though critics argue this may hinder English acquisition .

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Content: Crimes Against Culture

Law #304. Crimes Against Culture
purpose: domination

Notes

“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Crimes against culture include the suppression of language, literature, humor, songs, cuisine, clothing styles, and social traditions. Colonialism, occupation, and alien domination suppress native cultures, denigrating local languages, arts, and habits. Proselytization disparages native creeds. The French steal the Wedding Feast at Cana, and the English take away the Rosetta Stone from Egypt and Kohi-Noor from the Mughals. After decades of delay, Yale University finally agrees to return the artifacts it has misappropriated from Machu Picchu. The Taliban destroy the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Wars, decay, and poverty damage the monuments and structures that constitute world heritage. Minority cultures face suppression in majoritarian regimes. Even democracies apply legal pressure on minorities to speak the language of the majority and adopt the culture of the dominant population. English-only laws perpetuate cultural suppression requiring millions of Spanish-speaking citizens to favor English over their mother tongue in their ancestral lands taken through wars. Cultures are more durable than nationalities.

This is part of a work-in-progress called 501 Laws. CounterPunch will publish one or two “laws” a month.

L. Ali Khan is the founder of Legal Scholar Academy and an Emeritus Professor of Law at the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. He welcomes comments at legal.scholar.academy@gmail.com.

While explicit laws targeting English borrowings are rare, many countries