Here is a news item that may have escaped many SFN members. It was in the Le Figaro (online version) earlier this week. It concerns text messaging (sending and receiving SMS) within France. It refers to the use of all languages other than French when texting.
The new law says that a maximum of 12% of all SMS traffic within the French telecommunications system in foreign languages will be allowed (Loi 2872bis, Décret 842a, 18 Mars 2013, Loi concernant l'utilisation des langues étrangères dans les télécommunications). It would appear that it includes such expressions as ‘le weekend’, ‘le parking’, ‘bye bye’, ‘angst’, ‘email’ and ‘ciao’ that have become firmly implanted in the French vocabulary. However, for ‘email’ the French equivalent ‘courriel’ is now expected.
The most worrying part of the new law is the fact that once daily quotas are full, texts in entirely (or partly) foreign language and even using a single non-French word will be blocked!
The law comes into effect on Friday, 5 April and of course, we here at SFN are totally opposed to this new law.
A member of the French parliament has followed on by proposing that all websites based in France must now contain a minimum of 33.3% French language content! Plus, all foreign language sites must offer the possibility of full availability in French. He has also suggested that chat rooms and other facilities have limits similar to the mobile telephony regulations.
SFN is of course, just as opposed to such a move. We would like to get feedback from members. What your views are on these new rules?
Our Son works in S Korea, he says while the posturing is worse than usual, it is “normal” and that things will calm down. No one acmong his friends and colleagues nor those in power believe that N Korea will really start a war they cannot hope to win…the rest of the world just needs to calm down and stop giving this bully the airtime he craves.
As much as I would like to take the credit for this (which I hope caught at least a few of you out - albeit briefly!) I can't, as it was penned by the brilliant Brain Milne.
Regrettably M Holland has made his own April joke-not. 0.03% tax ON pensions to be allegedly applied to long term care, and I'm assuming this will also apply to expats in France on UK pensions. So despite the UK tax free allowance going up in the UK the French will "get" those expats who pay French tax. The "pigeons" are flying south these days while the poissons may well be swimming north!
Lol! I hold my hands up! Nothing would surprise me when it comes to new policies and you had me :) I confess it was only after reading the comments that I realised the date. Well done ;)