The Italian government wants to make using English words illegal.
A new law put out 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 English and other foreign language in official communications.
The measure was proposed by lower chamber deputies member Fabio Rampelli, and it has the approval of the prime minister.
Although all foreign languages are included by the legislation, it is specifically targeted at “Anglomania,” or the usage of English words, which the draft claims “demeans and mortifies” the Italian language. It adds that this is made worse by the UK’s exit from the EU.
It also forbids the use of English in official documentation, including “acronyms and names” of employment responsibilities in businesses operating in the country, and calls for anybody holding an office in public administration to have “written and vocal knowledge and mastery of the Italian language.”
A proposed law would require foreign companies to have Italian language versions of their internal policies and employment agreements. Anglomania has effects on society as a whole, therefore it is more than just an issue of style, as styles come and go.
Italian must be the predominant language used even in offices that deal with non-Italian speaking foreigners, according to the law’s first clause.
Italian would become “necessary for the advertising and use of public goods and services in the national territory” under Article 2, with penalties ranging from €5,000 ($5,435) to €100,000 ($108,705) for noncompliance.
Instead of saying “bru-sketta,” avoid using “bru-shetta.”
The Culture Ministry would create a committee under the proposed law, and its mandate would encompass “proper use of the Italian language and its pronunciation” in educational institutions, the media, business, and advertising.
This suggests that pronouncing “bru-shetta” rather than “bru-sketta” may be illegal.
The initiative to maintain the Italian language joins a current government effort to safeguard the nation’s food.
Due to the lack of scientific research on the effects of synthetic food and in order 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 legislation to outlaw so-called synthetic or cell-based cuisine.
The position of Italian food as a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, which will be decided in December 2025, was formally submitted last week by Italy’s ministers of culture and agriculture.
