Barcelona’s five district council bars show limited Catalan language usage according to new municipal data. Less than half of staff in these establishments regularly speak Catalan with customers.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Language Disparity
The survey examined language practices across all five district administrative centres. Only 48% of bar employees consistently use Catalan when serving the public.
Officials recorded interactions during peak morning and lunchtime periods. They noted significant variation between different district locations.
Meanwhile, customer service desks in the same buildings maintain higher Catalan usage rates. This contrast highlights the service disparity within municipal facilities.
The council’s language policy requires bilingual service provision. However, implementation appears inconsistent across different service types according to the data.
Policy Response
City officials acknowledge the need for improved language training. They plan additional Catalan courses for hospitality staff working in municipal buildings.
A council spokesperson said the findings indicate training gaps. “We must ensure all public-facing staff can serve citizens in both official languages,” the representative stated.
The situation reflects broader patterns seen in Barcelona’s commercial sector language use. Similar trends have emerged in private retail and hospitality businesses.
Catalan language advocacy groups have called for stronger enforcement of existing policies. They argue municipal facilities should model exemplary language practices.
The council will review contracting procedures for bar concessions. New requirements may include specific language capability standards for staff.
Additional monitoring will begin next quarter to track improvements. The language commission expects to see progress within six months according to their timetable.
Training programmes will focus on practical service language skills. Staff will learn customer interaction phrases in Catalan for common transactions.
Join our WhatsApp broadcast channel to get all of the news delivered to you
Source
