Elected Officials Take on Store Signs Que No Están en Inglés

The City Council has decided to tackle the issue of store signs that are not in English.

As the outer boroughs grow more diverse, more and more pockets of foreign-language speakers are opening up businesses. Signs in Russian, Korean, Hindi and Spanish are not an unusual site for anyone living, working or shopping in the city.

However, elected officials say that signs that are not written in English pose a serious safety risk and that requiring English be a part of all signs will help first-responders in an emergency situation who may have trouble finding the location.

City Councilmembers, Peter Koo, R-Flushing, and Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, submitted two bills in May that will give store owners four years to change their display signage so that at least 60 percent of the  message is in English.

Currently, there’s already a state law in place that requires store owners display in English. But the councilmen say there are loopholes and it is not enforced by the police.

The first bill, which was quickly given the go-ahead by the Council’s attorneys, would grant jurisdiction to enforce existing general business law regarding language use on shops’ signage to the city Department of Consumer Affairs.

The second bill would outline specific signage requirements, including all signs would name the establishment, the type of establishment and the address all in English.

The law would go into effect 120 days after passage for all new businesses, and it would require that all existing businesses adhere to the new rules within four years.

“It would give them a window of time so owners of businesses can bring their signs into compliance. It gives them four years, which I think is a reasonable amount of time,” Halloran said. “Our small businesses are getting hurt as it is and we understand that, and that’s why we’re giving them time. But for public safety purposes we need to have the signs in English.”