France bans common English terms in official document games

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On the grounds of preserving the native language, authorities in France have banned public officials from formally using English words and expressions that are common in video and computer games. The information is from the English newspaper The Guardian.

The changes were published in Tuesday’s edition (31) of the Official Gazette of the French Republic and are already in effect. The text determines that jargon of English origin be banned, in addition to the vocabulary of public officials, publications and official documents.

The terms “pro-gamer” and “streamer”, for example, should now be replaced, respectively, by the French versions “joueur professionnel” (professional player, in Portuguese) and “joueur-animateur en direct” (player live presenter). , approved by the government.

The measure also extends to technology sectors, which should replace, for example, the term “cloud gaming” with “jeu video en nuage” (cloud games).

According to the French Ministry of Culture, the video game sector is full of anglicisms that act as a “barrier to understanding” for those unfamiliar with the world of games.

The folder said experts searched video game websites and magazines to see if French terms equivalent to English expressions already existed. By discouraging the use of foreign words and expressions, the government hopes that the population will communicate more easily.

Particularly jealous of the country’s culture and identity, French authorities often show concern to preserve the native language.

In February, the Académie française, a secular language agency, issued a warning about what it called “language degradation that must not be seen as inevitable”. As examples, the academy cited the daily use of the English expressions “big data” and “drive-in”.

In November, the inclusion of the pronoun “iel” —used to designate non-binary people, a combination of “il” and “elle”, male and female pronouns — in the online version of the traditional Le Robert dictionary sparked intense debate in the press, with many political figures taking a stand against the novelty.

The French government was against the idea. The education minister at the time, Jean-Michel Blanquet, resisted attempts to incorporate inclusive language into the school curriculum. “Inclusive writing is not the future of the French language,” Blanquet wrote on Twitter. Today, the portfolio is occupied by Pap Ndiaye, appointed in the new cabinet of the newly re-elected Emmanuel Macron.

Charles Bimbenet, director of Le Robert, said at the time that dictionaries include many words that reflect ideas or trends without necessarily subscribing to them; and that, since the word “iel” is used more and more, it was useful to include the entry.

“Robert’s mission is to observe the evolution of a diverse French language and report on it. Defining the words that describe the world helps us understand it better,” he wrote.

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