• The regional languages ​​invite themselves into the debates on the occasion of the session of the regional council of Brittany which opens this Thursday in Rennes.

  • All speeches by elected officials in Breton or Gallo will now be translated simultaneously into French.

  • British-speaking elected officials, such as MP Paul Molac, welcome the measure.

How many will be speaking in Breton or Gallo in the hemicycle?

No one knows yet.

Still, the elected representatives of the regional council of Brittany will be able to express themselves in the two regional languages ​​during the plenary session which is held this Thursday and Friday in Rennes.

No regulation, however, prohibited them from doing so until now.

But if one of them made a speech in Breton or Gallo, he then had to take care of translating his remarks into French, only a dozen advisers out of the 83 elected speaking one of the two languages.

"It was quite painful to translate everything and it penalized our speaking time", recognizes Nil Caouissin, regional councilor and member of the Breton Democratic Union (UDB).

From now on, the translation will be provided simultaneously, including on the site and social networks, which constitutes "a first in France" according to the socialist president of the region Loïg Chesnais-Girard.

"It's a source of pride," he says.

An intelligent advance that shows respect for those who wish to express themselves in these languages ​​in a serene and relaxed republic in relation to regional languages”.

Buoyant winds for Breton and regional languages

On the side of elected British speakers, we of course welcome the measure.

“We can finally use Breton as a working language, making sure that no one is excluded,” says Nil Caouissin.

Speaking both Breton and Gallo, MP Paul Molac (Freedoms and Territories), "the only one who will not need a helmet", is also delighted with this progress for regional languages.

“It is a beautiful symbol, underlines the chosen one.

Because it is not enough to ask the State to do something for our regional languages ​​if we do nothing ourselves”.

After the adoption of his law on regional languages, the vote for an increased budget for the region and the triumph of the group Alvan and Ahez in the Eurovision contest, Paul Molac wants to believe in a bright future for the language. Breton.

“If we do nothing for our languages ​​anyway, they will disappear, assures the elected official.

We see this with Welsh, which is now gaining speakers.

We are not there yet with Breton but things will change”.

According to the latest study of the region, Brittany has around 207,000 speakers of Breton and 191,000 of Gallo.

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