Girona City Council has denounced three businesses – a grocery store, a bar-restaurant, and a shisha lounge – to Consum (Consumer Affairs) for "flagrant" violation of linguistic regulations. These businesses had previously been warned for not using Catalan on signs or posters but failed to rectify the situation.
The denunciation is a last resort, as most of the 41 detected cases have been successfully resolved through mediation. According to the Councilor for Catalan Language, Núria Riquelme, "many businesses are willing to make the change and rectify." To raise awareness among businesses, volunteers from Plataforma per la Llengua are conducting informational rounds in various neighborhoods.
These volunteers, organized in groups and using a mobile app, check for the presence of Catalan on signs, posters, labels, and purchase receipts. They also speak with staff to assess oral language use. The visits are part of the 'Bon dia!' campaign and a recently signed agreement with Girona City Council.
The head of Public Administration Relations for Plataforma per la Llengua, Clara Tur, notes that "often, this is due to pure ignorance." Therefore, during visits, information about regulations and available resources, such as translation services, is provided. Tur emphasizes that the commercial linguistic landscape "remains an area for improvement" due to business turnover.
This volunteer work complements the City Council's efforts, which over the past year and a half has sent over 560 informational letters to newly opened businesses and conducted around a hundred in-person visits. Citizen complaints received through the 'Bústia pel català' (Catalan mailbox) and other channels also help identify non-compliance.
Councilor Núria Riquelme reiterates that mediation is the most effective method, giving businesses a timeframe to comply with regulations. The most common violations in Girona relate to signage and posters, such as restaurant menus not written in Catalan.
