The company and consumer affairs

The objective of this area is to bring about the total harmonisation of Catalan in the socio-economic world. It particularly targets relationships with consumers and the external image and services companies offer to users and consumers. Most of the work in this regard focuses on oral and written attention, advertising, catalogues and distribution leaflets, labelling, instructions and manuals for products and services, signage and posters, public address systems, websites, technology products, applications, smart phones, contracts and similar documents, price lists in bars and restaurants and the entire language-scape perceived by the customer.

Business in Catalan

Lines of work

Attention to companies and consumers

Objective: To help consumers with complaints and queries regarding their dealings with companies. To provide them with support, inform them about their language rights and provide them with assessment about how to enforce these rights.

Language offered in Catalan

Objective: To ensure that the presence of Catalan in the socio-economic area is the same as other comparable languages that have a similar economic importance. To create awareness among consumers of the demographic and economic potential of the Catalan-speaking community. To influence the use of product labelling and instructions to guarantee that Catalan is used to the fullest extent possible. To guarantee the offer of new technological products in Catalan to bring them up to the same level as other comparable languages with a similar economic importance.

Boost from the public sector

Objective: To call upon the administrations to apply, develop or enforce linguistic legislation and to implement legislative initiatives that render it possible to harmonise the presence of Catalan language in the socio-economic area. Also call upon them to apply the corresponding regulations when contracting companies or with regard to public companies.

Imposed language regulations

Objective: To denounce the legal and imposed effect of Spanish on the business world and on consumers with regard to the obligations that affect Catalan. To offer comparative data regarding the situation of other languages in the international scenario.

Attention to companies and traders

Objective: To create awareness among companies and traders of linguistic legislation and good practices in all the areas in which they deal with the consumer to get them to include Catalan in their basic action criteria and to apply the law.

Awareness-raising among consumers

Objective: To disseminate the values of responsible and sustainable consumption among consumers, placing the accent on language aspects. To inform them about the injustice they are suffering from and about the legal protection available to them so they will be aware of and will use their rights.