OQLF to investigate English at Spectra
The OQLF will be investigating the illegal use of English by Groupe Spectra, who run not only the Francos, but also the jazz festival, after Radio‑Canada revealed that the langue de Shakespeare was sometimes used within its walls.
I can’t quite imagine Spectra making useful deals with international musical artists in French only, so they will have to have some English on the premises. But since Covid, we all have a better understanding of isolating dangerous pathogens: Spectra should isolate English in one area. Its speakers will wear a sign, perhaps a red armband, to indicate they have permission to speak a language regarded as a dangerous pathogen, but it will not be accepted in the rest of the office, or outside in the smoking area.
DeWolf 10:33 on 2022-06-18 Permalink
I don’t think the issue here is that English is “sometimes used.” It’s that francophone employees are having to work in English because their unilingual anglophone bosses are unable to conduct a meeting or give instructions in French. I’m not sure why that should be acceptable at festival of French-language music.
“Des techniciens nous ont communiqué leur malaise et leur étonnement. Notre boss, il nous parle exclusivement en anglais, sauf un mot en français, par-ci par-là, raconte l’un d’eux.”
“Avant même que le géant américain Live Nation ne prenne possession de 49 % de l’Équipe Spectra, en 2020, notre source raconte que certaines réunions se tenaient en anglais, même s’il n’y avait qu’un seul anglophone parmi la vingtaine de personnes autour de la table.”
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1891188/francofolies-montreal-festival-langue-evenko-spectra-live-nation
Kate 11:23 on 2022-06-18 Permalink
The question the top Spectra people will have to answer is why they chose to hire unilingual anglophones as managers. Hell, where did they even find unilingual anglos? Were they advertising outside of Quebec?
But I also think if Spectra was hiring anglophones, it must have had reasons. Big festivals bringing in international stars will have to use English. Any company dealing internationally, with its own branches or others, will have to use English. They will simply have to keep the language in isolation, like a pathogen, because language is a virus.
Robert H 16:37 on 2022-06-18 Permalink
Yes, the OQLF can be a vehicle for nitpicking, officious nonsense masquerading as “investigation,” but this time the complaints seem to be legitimate. At a festival meant to promote and celebrate francophone songs and performers, why should technical and clerial staff, most of whom were french-speaking, receive communications in memos and hold meetings exclusively in english? Situations in which workers felt pressured to switch to english because of the presence of a single english speaker should have been anticipated by whomever was resposible for hiring. If Spectra needed to bring in unilingual anglophone talent, a work-around could have been provided, but it seems the will was not there. What’s more, workers making such complaints should not need to request anonymity for fear they might be branded as troublemakers and not be considered for future jobs. This is the sort of matter for which the OQLF allegedly was created.
Insider 15:04 on 2022-07-04 Permalink
What I know from the inside is that there is one manager, that is fully bilingual, and doesn’t care and just conduct meetings in English. Not sure it’s a global problem, it seems that that guy is just kind of an ass.