English-language billboards must go, says language watchdog

Stupidity reigns! How many foreign truck drivers are going to understand Flemish signs?

@ADYEPJ - it's like you're going to the city-hall ... you have to hire an interpretor while you transit Belgium. Simple as that.

It is this pig-headed and ultimately self-defeating attitude that damages the image of Flanders as an open-minded and welcoming region. The Flanders government is obviously in thrall to a small band of pointy-headed ideologues.

If anyone doubts this country is insane, this is just one piece of the evidence. There are plenty more.

Why not have them in the two languages one above the other to compromise.

That would be far too reasonable..!

We,l technically you'd need three before English if it was a truly blended country. They are doing it to levy fines on people as usual I suspect

Why would have billboards in a sovereign country in a foreign language? Does England, have billboards in French? Does France have in Dutch? Does Germany have billboards in French? Why would the Dutch speaking part of Belgium be the exception! Isn't this article just an attempt to marginalise the Dutch Language? This discussion is a total non discussion.

This is a tired, old argument ('why aren't the signs in England also in French) which has no bearing on reality, and as we are speaking about the Flemish government, everyone is hoping that reason will prevail. Sadly, that seems to be in short supply.

The sole purpose of road signs is to ensure compliance and promote safety - not prove a linguistic point, even though clearly some obtuse campaigners want it to be. In fact, signs pointing towards Rijsel in Flanders add (Lille) so that those driving through Europe aren't hopelessly lost. It's called being practical.

When you land in Beijing - imagine if all the instructions on where to pick up your luggage or finding customs were only in Chinese? Would we complain that the addition of English is 'marginalising' the Chinese language? No, we would be grateful that the Chinese just want you to glide through the airport with minimum fuss and get on with the rest of our trip.

It is also the reason why the Spanish government posts signs along the motorway to the southern ports in Spanish, English and Arabic, as so many of the motorists making the trip are on their way to Morocco. It's called being practical. It means the government is concerned with compliance with its rules and wants to ensure safety.

No one is trying to put down the Dutch language. But Flemish politicians should focus on what is really important like creating employment for young people, improving the environment, facilitating the integration of refugees, promoting inward investment, fighting against racism and other important imperatives (all of which the Flemish government is hard at work trying to implement!) - and not if a sign directed at foreign motorists is in English.

It's not articles such as the one above which "marginalise" the Dutch language, but ....

Anyway, it's now too late. The ideologues have won. Congratulations. You must be so proud of what you have achieved.

English is a very dominating language - I admire the flemish protecting their language from it - but its crazy and dangerous that they dont have crucial signs in the three belgian languages - should be a crime re motorway signs not to have it in their own three languages

As a Brit I'll go against the grain here and say good for Flanders.

English isn't an official language across Belgium, so I always appreciate it when the locals drop their national language to talk to me in English when really they don't have to do it.

I find that it's the Flemish who are willing to speak English more, and they generally speak very good English too!

lovelorn.....""English is a very dominating language - I admire the flemish protecting their language from it"".

They are not protecting their language from English, they are protecting it from French.