The doctor Òscar Escuder (Barcelona, ??1968) has been re-elected head of Plataforma per la Lengua for another four years. Let’s go over the strategic points of his program here.
What is a doctor like you doing presiding over the oenagé of Catalan?
In this case, it either makes him a doctor or a supermarket worker or whatever. Coincidences of life. I arrived at the Platform induced by my sister, and I stayed there.
And you’ve been presiding over the organization for 22 years.
No matter how you look at it, it’s been many years. It’s obviously not done for the salary, because the salary is zero, it’s volunteering. But in terms of work, there is one before and one after 2012, when Martí Gasull died. He did a job that never ended and, moreover, the organization was smaller. Back then we had 3,500 members, now we have over 26,000.
Where do you think the Catalan language is worst?
The area where it is worse is justice. The thing is, it’s probably not the most important area. It would not be the most efficient when it comes to getting any results, if it were possible, because these are the competences of the State, with very harsh laws in favor of Spanish.
In which areas is it necessary to influence?
School and the whole world of leisure. The school is very important, but you can’t ask it to fix everything. He can be asked to teach the rascal to master the language to those who do not bring it mastered at home, so that they feel it is theirs and see that it is as normal as any other. But if later the rascal doesn’t find Catalan in a series, a video game or in after-school activities, Catalan ends up becoming only the language of the school.
The study you did at the Saló de l’Ensenyament gives some discouraging results.
A long 60% of the exhibitors did not do any dissemination in Catalan in some of the categories we have analyzed: signage, brochures, oral attention or the website.
What to do with your free time?
In audiovisual, a couple of years ago, the European directive was transposed, with limited results. We think she could have been more ambitious with the big platforms. But it must be recognized that in recent years the Government has had initiatives that are bearing fruit. It’s not that Catalan is sober now, but if you compare it to four years ago, even though we started from a very low point, we have increased considerably. More and more audiovisuals are available in Catalan and now it is necessary to be known, because sometimes it is hidden.
You always have to take three steps to get to Catalan.
We have to get closer to being normal. And the same for video games and other extracurricular activities, working with the appropriate person. We have to make an impact, but especially in neighborhoods where if you walk down the street you hardly hear Catalan.
What are these neighborhoods like?
Although we are not left out anywhere, they tend to be the most socially disadvantaged. By giving them the opportunity to make Catalan their language, we are increasing their opportunities in life.
What opportunities?
A 2018 survey shows that between people who speak Catalan regularly and those who do not, there is a significant difference in terms of unemployment: 10%. And it is not discriminated by origin, but by ability, because those who speak Catalan usually include both those who have it as their first language and those who do not.
Is little Catalan spoken in healthcare?
We are not as bad as in the world of justice, but it is necessary to influence it. A month ago, the Council of Medical Colleges presented a study which said that 13% of doctors working in Catalonia do not understand Catalan.
How come they have space?
We don’t know if they have a place in the property, but this has consequences. On the one hand, it is clear that, if he does not understand you, it will have some repercussions against the user who wants to speak in Catalan. And on the other hand, there is a health hazard. This doctor will have to interact with other doctors who may have made a report or a request in Catalan. What you cannot ask is that everyone else stop using Catalan because there is one who does not understand it.
Therefore, the law is broken.
The law has been broken for more than 20 years. The only ones who are required to have C1 are the administrative ones. In the infirmary, if they don’t have it, some tests are done, let’s say, discounts. And to the doctors, some evidence to laugh, or to cry, depending on how you look at it. In other words, a self-cheat of the system.
Are professionals missing?
Yes, throughout Western Europe. But in all countries it is required that they master the local language when they start working.
Today the political situation in the Valencian Country, the Balearic Islands and Aragon is not favorable to Catalan.
That a society has governments that are clearly hostile and opposed to its own language is very serious. The summary is that, in these cases, citizens must be more aware and more empowered.
Given that the Catalan language is spoken in four communities, shouldn’t the State be the one to guarantee its unity and regulations?
It would be good if the Spanish State, which is where more than 90% of Catalan speakers live, but also French and Italian, treated us as first-class citizens. It is said that language should not be imposed and we forget that Spanish is hyper-imposed. Many times we are told that Catalan is hyper-protected and hyper-subsidized. This is a hyper lie. If the State was really concerned about the situation of Catalan, it would not only put pressure on the EU, but would do a number of things it can do directly, as in the case of justice.
Is much demanded of the speakers?
Yes, as Joel Joan said the other day, being Catalan is very tiring. The thing is, we don’t have a normal country. In Denmark, a citizen does not wake up saying: “Today I have to speak Danish”. I would like to remind everyone who reads this interview: We always use Catalan, because it is not bad manners to use the language of a territory throughout the territory. Changing our language because someone looks like they won’t be from here or won’t understand us is simply racism. Not changing the language is the way to tell the interlocutor that Catalan is useful and that we want them to join the Catalan-speaking community.
