Rome, 2 April 2023 (GNP): A new bill introduced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party might result in fines of up to €100,000 ($108,705) for Italians who use formal English Language and other foreign languages in official documents or communication.
Anybody holding a position in public administration is required by the bill, which has yet to be presented for parliamentary debate, to have “written and oral knowledge and command of the Italian language.”
Moreover, it forbids using “acronyms and names” in official paperwork for job titles in locally running businesses.
Though all foreign languages are included by the legislation, it is specifically targeted at “Anglomania,” or the usage of English terms, which the draft claims “demeans and mortifies” the Italian language.
It further adds that it is even worse because the UK is no longer a member of the European Union (EU).
A draft of the bill specifies that all internal policies and contractual arrangements for foreign companies must be written in Italian.
“It is not just a matter of fashion, as fashions pass, but Anglomania has repercussions for society as a whole,” as per the drafted bill.
Italian must be the predominant language used even in offices that deal with non-Italian-speaking foreigners, according to the bill’s first article.
Italian would become “mandatory for the promotion and use of public goods and services in the national territory”, according to Article 2.
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Fines ranging from €5,000 ($5,435) to €100,000 ($108,705) might be charged for violating the law.
The Culture Ministry would create a committee under the proposed bill on fine over use of formal English Language, and its mandate would encompass “proper use of the Italian language and its pronunciation” in educational institutions, the media, businesses, and marketing.
This initiative of protecting the Italian language follows a current government effort to save the nation’s cuisine.
Due to the lack of scientific research on the effects of synthetic food and to “safeguard our nation’s heritage and our agriculture based on the Mediterranean diet,” Meloni’s Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said at a press conference that the government has introduced the bill to outlaw so-called synthetic or cell-based cuisine.
Italian agricultural and culture ministries this week formally submitted Italian cuisine’s application for UNESCO World Heritage status, which will be decided in December 2025.
https://twitter.com/ItalyatUNESCO/status/1641078186141429768?cxt=HHwWkMDR2cv6o8YtAAAA
