LANGUAGE-PROTECTION LAW ACCEPTED
Greg Spencer
Most Lenient of its Kind in Europe

The new Hungarian language-protection law, adopted by the Hungarian Parliament in December, is an attempt to ensure that the Hungarian language is used in all commercial advertising, signs and public-interest communication. The law establishes a deadline of January 1, 2003, after which these specified texts must be translated into Hungarian to fit the new requirements.

Hungary’s newly adopted language-protection law appears to be so mild that it might be more of a conservative vote-getter than a serious attempt to stem the flow of foreign words into the mother tongue. The law covers TV, radio, print media, billboards, shop marquees and traffic signage. In addition, it covers any signage on public buildings or public areas as well as private property that is open to the public. The law states that Hungarian must be the language of communication, or, in cases where a foreign language is used - say, on a "Zimmer Frei" sign in front of a Balaton bed and breakfast - it must be accompanied by the Hungarian equivalent. Furthermore, the translation must have at least the same length and comprehensiveness as the foreign-language original.

However, several exceptions have been built into the law to blunt its impact. The law exempts foreign-language business names, foreign text that is part of a historically protected landmark (for example, the Latin words on certain monuments) and any text, be it editorial or advertising, in a foreign-language broadcast or publication. The law generally requires Hungarian translations of slogans, but makes an exception for those that are registered trademarks, familiar to people on a global scale and closely tied with a brand name. Linguists at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences would serve as arbiters over what would be allowable by these criteria. However, probable examples would be Nike’s "Just Do It," Philips’ "Let’s Make Things Better," and Gösser beer’s "Gut, Besser, Gösser," according to Örs Megyer, President of the Hungarian Advertising Self-Regulating Board.

"This law is liberal," Megyer said. "Some small businesses might be inconvenienced because they’ll have to modify their signs, but the law won’t be a big problem. The goal of the law is that you have to make ads as understandable as possible so that you don’t anger your target audience," he added. Darren Hickman, Group Managing Director of ad agency Young & Rubicam Budapest (www.yr.hu) predicts that the law would not have much of an effect on advertising agencies. "To communicate effectively with a Hungarian consumer, you need to communicate in Hungarian, which has been the case and will continue to be the case," he stated.

As for international slogans and packaging elements that companies prefer to leave in the original language, Hickman said, "Once there is an industry agreement on interpretation of the law, agencies will need to review with their clients’ both existing and future applications of non-Hungarian language to ensure compliance. Linguistics professor Géza Balázs of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest said that he believes the law is "the most lenient of its kind in all of Europe."