Why France Banned the Words “Pro-Gamer” and “Streamer”
When English words make it into the French language, this is referred to colloquially as “Franglais”. The English language has unabashedly added French words into its lexicon, but the French have traditionally bristled when the reverse happens, and English words get absorbed into French vocabulary.
The French language police view gaming, which is rife with Franglais, as an emerging threat against the purity of the French language and have taken steps to mitigate this threat.
Here’s what you need to know.
France Publishes a List of Approved Gaming Terms
France has published new French words in itsJournal Officiel(official government gazette) that should be used to replace English gaming terms.
The approved terms apply to all government workers and public institutions, who are now prohibited from using English gaming terms and must instead use their French equivalents.
As a result, manygaming termshave been replaced with much wordier French terms.
This means that eSports is now “jeu vidéo de compétition”, matchmaking is now “appariement de joueurs,“cloud gamingis now “jeu video en nuage,” a Pro-Gamer is now a “joueur professionnel,” and a streamer is a ““joueur-animateur en direct”.
Why Has France Banished English From Gaming?
According toThe Guardian, France’s Culture Ministry told AFP that the significant presence of Anglicism in the video game sector could act as “a barrier to understanding” for non-gamers.
France has had a language purity law since 1994, which bans the use of foreign languages in all TV broadcasts and requires French radio stations to play French songs at least 40% of the time.
Now it’s gaming’s turn.
Is the English Ban Justified?
The Culture Ministry may have a point; French citizens who do not know English may struggle to understand the meaning of essential gaming terms in English.
However, since English words are widely used in tech, even in France, it’s unclear how serious of a problem this is. Also, gaming is an international sport where English is dominant. Therefore, the idea of “language purity” is not practical and is unfair to gamers.
The ban only applies to government workers and institutions and will not affect citizens or private entities. Therefore, Franglais will definitely continue to be used in the French gaming community.
Local Game Development Is a Better Option
In the heavily globalized world of tech, France doesn’t stand a chance of dictating what words are used. However, by providing incentives to local game developers, France can ensure French language games compete against international games.
This will not only benefit its technology sector, but it will also ensure the admittedly beautiful French language lives on in gaming and technology and evolves with the future.
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