Dhe news sounded alarming for German vacationers to Italy: anyone who mispronounces words like “bruschetta” could face fines in the future that would thoroughly spoil their appetite for the toasted white bread. It won’t get that far. The draft law from the ranks of the governing party Fratelli d’Italia, from which the American broadcaster CNN drew this conclusion, which was transported by a number of media, only speaks of a committee that is also supposed to monitor the correct pronunciation of Italian. Apparently more of a scientific committee than a language police is intended here.
But the proposal by the deputy president of the Chamber of Deputies, Fabio Rampelli, still contains some explosive elements: Public administration and companies, for example, should be obliged to refrain from using Anglicisms if there are Italian equivalents. All foreign-language texts, such as advertising slogans, should be accompanied by a translation. Anyone who violates the regulations must expect fines of between 5,000 and 100,000 euros.
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