The city council of Girona has responded to 35 requests from fairground operators this year regarding the use of catalan signage at the Sant Narcís fairs. In response to these requests, the council has produced 205 signs, which have been printed, laminated, and distributed to the operators.
This initiative is part of a municipal campaign aimed at promoting the use of the catalan language, ensuring its presence in both signage and audio at the fairs for several editions. "The city council is committed to the social use of catalan, and once again, we have promoted the use of our language in the fair signage. We must assert our language everywhere, as it is the only way to overcome its marginalisation and increase the number of speakers," stated Girona's mayor, Lluc Salellas i Vilar.
He added, "We have taken a step forward to ensure that catalan has the presence it deserves at the Sant Narcís fairs. We not only provide resources and materials to the fairground operators, but we also monitor compliance with regulations. When violations are detected in areas such as safety or accessibility, we act according to established procedures. We are following the same path with linguistic rights: first, visits, dialogue, and communications to address shortcomings; if not corrected, we initiate formal proceedings. Catalan must also be guaranteed and enforced."
The city council offers a linguistic support service to assist fairground operators in creating and correcting materials in catalan. This year, 35 requests for advice related to the production of signs in catalan have resulted in the creation of 205 printed and laminated signs, which have been delivered to the attraction owners. The materials primarily include signs with information about prices, services, and operational rules for the attractions.
The municipal support also encompasses correction and translation services for visual elements. Additionally, a further ten generic signs have been prepared and distributed to attractions where non-catalan signage was identified. The campaign also extends to audio elements, with new advertising spots for the attractions being created this year, interspersed in a musical background featuring catalan songs. These recordings were produced by Girona FM, based on texts provided by the fairground operators.
To ensure compliance with linguistic regulations, all attractions must adhere to the current language requirements, which are included in the awarding bases. The city council conducts checks before the fairs begin and during the event, through rounds by technical teams and based on received complaints. When irregularities are detected, the attraction owner is notified to resolve the issue and is offered the necessary support to comply with the regulations. This week, a notice was sent to all attractions reminding them of their obligation to adhere to linguistic regulations. The city council is considering penalties for those attractions that continue to ignore the catalan language despite the ongoing awareness efforts. Additionally, a request has been made for attractions to comply with regulations regarding the dissemination of sexist elements.
