BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Argentina's president has decreed that foreign-language shows, movies and even commercials shown on Argentine television must be dubbed in the kind of Spanish that her countrymen speak daily, or in one of the country's indigenous languages.
Her decree published Wednesday says that with certain exceptions, any television station or content provider that doesn't comply will be fined under rules to be developed within 60 days, and that any fines will go to a fund supporting Argentine filmmaking.
The decree adds regulations to a never-enforced 1988 law that aims to defend Argentina's culture and national identity by giving the dubbing work to actors "who possess the phonetic characteristics" of Argentines.
President Cristina Fernandez' signed decree calls it a "neutral Spanish" that will guarantee that shows are understood anywhere in Spanish-speaking America.
