It could be a gag. Or an April Fool’s joke. But no: it’s reality. Since 1994, the Toubon law, the 30th anniversary of which will be celebrated during the Francophonie Summit which is being held in France on October 4 and 5, sets a simple rule. An advertisement can certainly use a foreign language, but, in this case, “the presentation in French must be as readable, audible or intelligible as the presentation in foreign languages”, she indicates. in its article 4. Does the sentence seem clear to you? She is, in fact. And yet, it in no way prevents us from seeing huge slogans in English, while their French translation, to be spotted, requires a state-of-the-art magnifying glass.
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The trick? It is twofold. One: the law authorizes the use of “brands” in a foreign language. Logical, a priori: difficult to prevent McDonald’s from continuing to be called McDonald’s; Apple, Apple; Disney, Disney, and so on. Except that local companies have stepped into the breach to create new brands – in globish, of course. “Ma French Bank”, launched by La Poste, shocks you? You don’t understand anything, let’s see, it’s a brand! “Crossroads city”? A brand! “CNews”? A brand, I tell you!
The second stratagem concerns the texts of advertisements which, in theory, have no possibility of escaping the rigors of the law. Now, as you will see with me, this in no way prevents Club Med from communicating with That’s the free spirit ; the Peugeot 208 with Unboring the future or the Comptoir des Cotonniers with French lifestyle (sic). The key to the mystery? It lies in the baroque interpretation made of the Toubon law by the Advertising Professional Regulatory Authority (ARPP), the supposed “policeman” of the sector.
“‘Also’ does not mean in letters of the same size”!
Its director, Stéphane Martin, accompanied by his lawyer and French language referent, Guillaume Dubelloy, explain it without blinking to L’Express. “Certainly, the Toubon law stipulates that “the presentation in French must be as readable, audible or intelligible as the presentation in a foreign language”, but “as readable” does not mean in letters of the same size”! We are surprised, all the same, and we insist. Doesn’t Robert define the adverb “also” as a “term expressing a relationship of equality”? Not for the ARPP, obviously, which maintains its position. “For a poster,” Stéphane Martin and Guillaume Dubelloy calmly assure, “it is enough for the translation to appear somewhere in an intelligible manner for the law to be respected.” Text!
As for television and the Internet, it’s even worse. According to the leaders of the ARPP, the advertiser can state his slogan several times in English without incurring the slightest reproach provided that its French equivalent appears at one time or another in writing. Nespresso therefore has carte blanche to develop its “What else?” as many times as he wishes, a tiny “What else?” hidden in a corner of the image allows him to pass between the drops. With such a policeman, thieves can sleep peacefully…
How did we get there? To understand this, you need to know that said “authority” is essentially made up of representatives of advertisers, agencies and media – a very convenient mix. Also know that, among the associations she consults, she never invites those who defend the French language – not crazy, the wasp! Finally, know that the ARPP is free to set its own rules for interpreting the text. This is how we end up with a complete misappropriation of the spirit of the Toubon law, which the main person concerned also denounces. “Let’s say that the ARPP is a fairly consensual regulator,” he declared with bitter irony in an interview granted some time ago to L’Express. Mild understatement.
To justify his astonishing laxity, Stéphane Martin evokes a final argument: “Advertising only reflects the imagination of the time, therefore the domination of the United States in technologies and popular culture.” A reasoning that would be convincing if… advertising were not precisely one of the sectors that contribute to shaping imaginations. In fact, by opening wide the doors to globishshe amplifies a movement that she is one of the few able to contain.
The most curious thing is that the ARPP has an “advertising ethics council” (CEP), whose recommendations are unambiguous. “Respect for cultural diversity is as essential, if not more, than that of ecology,” underlines its president, sociologist Dominique Wolton, on the CEP website. A text that its main recipients do not seem to have read.
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The new Minister of the Interior, while he was a senator, was directly opposed in 2015 to the modification of the Constitution aimed at allowing France to ratify the Charter of Regional Languages. A ratification which would amount to “inscribing the principle of communitarianism in the French Constitution”, he affirmed in a revealing confusion between unity and uniformity.
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The site Walk publishes a long and fascinating interview with the regionalist deputy Paul Molac. If he shows himself without illusions about the possible short-term progress for regional languages under the Barnier government, he clearly defines the orientations of what could be a France which would finally leave a form of autonomy to its territories, and not only in the linguistic field.
How many Basque speakers will there be left in France in 2050?
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The latest issue of Boutillon des Charentes appeared
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Is there a vocations crisis? Will artificial intelligence revolutionize learning methods? To answer these questions, Pascal Paradou invited on his RFI show Orally Cynthia Eid, president of the International Federation of Teachers of French, and Monica Vlad, who teaches our language at Ovidius University, in Romania.
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“We’re going to say the terms!” by Athena Sol
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Discover the film dedicated to the Alliances françaises
On the occasion of the “Refaire le monde” Festival and the Francophonie Summit, the documentary French alliance(s) will be screened at the historic Theater of the Alliance Française, in Paris this Tuesday, October 1 at 7 p.m.
Theater of the Alliance Française, 101 boulevard Raspail, Paris. Free entry upon reservation.
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