Quebec French language board wants you to stop saying "takeout"

Quebec’s language watchdog doesn’t want you to have takeout for dinner tonight. It wants you to have a “plat à emporter.”

As restaurants struggle to stay afloat during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) is focusing on diminishing the use of the term “takeout.”

“Why order ‘takeout’ when you can order your favourite dish in French?” the Office québécois de la langue française tweeted on Monday.

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The OQLF is encouraging Quebecers to use the term ‘plat à emporter,’ citing that it had been recommended by France’s Commission d’enrichissement de la langue français in 2005.

The Quebec commission says the English term “takeout” does not naturally integrate into the French language.

Pourquoi opter pour du «take-out» quand vous pouvez commander, en français, votre plat à emporter préféré?
C’est bien meilleur en français!https://t.co/t7rtq5BfMe pic.twitter.com/1ch2a90YwE

— OQLF (@OQLF) November 30, 2020

Last week Quebec’s minister responsible for the French language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, said the government will be introducing new legislation to fortify Quebec’s French Language Charter.

Barrette announced a $5 million increase to the OQLF’s budget and plans to table a new legislation in 2021 to ensure the French language maintains its strength throughout Quebec.