Tossa de Mar businesses show high Catalan oral service but low signage compliance

A linguistic study conducted by the Tossa de Mar City Council and the Consorci de Normalització Lingüística reveals that 92.1% of businesses in Tossa de Mar can serve customers in Catalan without difficulty. The study, which surveyed 139 establishments representing approximately 26.7% of the municipality's total commercial census, found that 86.3% of staff respond bilingually, adapting to the user's language.

Despite high oral proficiency, the report highlights significant gaps in written compliance. Approximately 29.5% of establishments lack external signage or operating hours in Catalan, while non-compliance rises to 38.8% regarding interior signage and menus. Spanish remains the priority language for initial customer contact and volatile written elements, such as chalkboards.

The study notes varying levels of language use depending on the business type. Seasonal restaurants show the largest gap, with external signage, menus, and offer boards being almost exclusively in Spanish or other foreign languages. A critical group of businesses, including certain bazaars or those managed by foreigners, was identified where Catalan is non-existent in both oral service and signage. To address these issues, the Consorci de Normalització Lingüística has proposed reinforcing training programs like ‘Comerços Aprenents’.