“Fine of up to 100,000 euros for using English terms” – Corriere.it

We will call again «arzente» the cognac or «Tristezze di San Luigi» the jazz song «St.Louis blues» as in the times of the twenty years? Or, more prosaically, we will imitate the French they use “ordinateur” instead of “computer”? The bill proposed by the deputy of the Brothers of Italy Fabio Rampelli which aims only to discourage the use of foreign terms instead of Italian but goes so far as to invoke fines for public administration officials that exceed in anglicisms. The Melonian parliamentarian invokes a sanction up to 100,000 euros.

There are those who will read autarkic or chauvinistic nostalgia and those who will instead read a fight against ill-mannered – indeed very heartfelt and object of sarcasm – to resort to English to set a tone; such as the use of the term “smartable” (to indicate a job that can be done from home), «mission» or «feedback». Black on white is the provision filed by Rampelli (not the first in truth) and about twenty of his colleagues who want punish the abuse of foreign languages.

Article one of the proposal reads that «The Republic guarantees the use of Italian language in all relations between the public administration and the citizen as well as in any jurisdiction”. Later ones establish – with the risk of slipping into the obvious – that “the Italian language is mandatory for the promotion and use of public goods and services on the national territory”. Or again that «Anyone who holds positions within Italian institutions, the public administration, companies with a public majority and foundations is required to knowledge and written and oral mastery of the Italian language».

Some perplexities may be raised by the article which establishes «in schools of all levels e in universities Italian public “training offers not specifically aimed at learning foreign languages must be in Italian». Actually many Italian universities now offer degree courses and lessons in English precisely to attract foreign students and encourage cultural exchange.

But the key passage is contained in theArticle 8 of the proposal: «The violation of the obligations referred to in this law entails the application of an administrative sanction consisting of payment of a sum from 5,000 euros to 100,000 euros». How to establish when the “line of the Piave” defense in the national language? And how to put it with the fact – immediately pointed out – that the Meloni government has established the «ministry of made in Italy»?

The initiative by Rampelli and his colleagues actually touches on a theme that is felt and treated and raised in several places. The Treccani dictionaryfor example already today includes approx 9,000 anglicisms out of about 800,000 terms. But France and Spain have already adopted laws that tend to discourage the use of foreign terms in public administration.

On the point, actually, an objection is all too easy. In the language adopted by the public administration, the problem is very often not so much the intrusiveness of English but the mistreatment of Italian. It is from 2020 an agreement between Crusca Academy and Ministry of Public Service to «clean up> the language from the bureaucratic. Not a new problem so much that a «style code for use by public administrations» was already been developed in 1993. Signed by the then minister Sabino Cassese.