Ria Money transfer
Figure 1. Ria Money Transfer.
Source: picture taken by Yasmina Jamad & Amin Bouakel
The linguistic landscape of “Ria Money Transfer” is skillfully embodied in its sign—a commercial presentation that reflects the establishment's dual identity as both a tech store and a money transfer service. Positioned prominently through window displays in Lleida, Catalonia, the sign employs the Roman alphabet exclusively, with English serving as the primary language to appeal to a global audience while Catalan provides a supportive local grounding.
This design preserves the brand’s worldwide recognition and meaning, effectively attracting customers in need of money transfer and phone selling/repair services. By integrating these language choices into a single, visually compelling medium, the establishment signals its commitment to modern technology and traditional community services, thereby connecting local communities with international markets in a culturally resonant manner.
This Linguistic Landscape is located on Lleida (Plaça Cervantes 6), in the neighbourhood “Centre històric.”
An introduction to the context of the neighbourhood's population reveals that the Centre Històric is predominantly inhabited by both Spanish and migrant residents, with approximately 55.19% Spanish people and 44.81% migrants—almost a 50/50 split. The socioeconomic profile of the area is quantified with a value of 92.2, according to Gencat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) based on their latest recorded year, 2021. Diving deeper, data from 2023 provides a more detailed breakdown, indicating there are exactly 5,763 migrants from various parts of the world, including 523 from Senegal, 471 from Romania, and 1,321 from Morocco. Another source simplifies the data further, stating that 49.75% of the Centre Històric neighbourhood are migrants, while the remaining 50.25% are Spanish people residing originally in the area.
According to Lleida’s municipal laws, more specifically on Article 14 of the “Ajuntament de Lleida,” signs must be placed with the condition of using Catalan as their main language. This rule ensures that all public communications promote the Catalan language and reinforce its cultural importance.
We can also highlight that according to Article 17.2, ads should preferably be placed in a dual Catalan version alongside the local territorial language or Spanish. This provision aims to balance the promotion of Catalan with the practical needs of a multilingual audience.
Finally, Article 4.3 of the “Ajuntament de Lleida” strictly prohibits the placement of unauthorized billboards, signs, stickers, or any other form of propaganda or advertising on municipal buildings or installations, thereby safeguarding public spaces and maintaining urban order.
The Linguistic Landscape of choice also illustrates bottom-up language policies in action: rather than being dictated by government regulations, the shop’s multilingual signs (in Catalan and English) reflect the owners’ practical choices based on local customers and international visitors. By blending languages, the store shows cultural responsiveness and helps normalize a multilingual environment. This grassroots approach highlights that language policy can be enacted informally at street level, where businesses decide which languages to display—ultimately reinforcing the region’s multilingual identity without direct intervention from authorities.
The main languages that can be heard and the ones surrounding our LL are Catalan and Spanish. Some background languages like English are present due to the internalisation of Lleida, but the two variants of Spanish are the most commonly used.
Figure 4. Local stores in the area. Source: picture taken
by Yasmina Jamad & Amin Bouakel.
Figure 5. Local store of Ria Money Transfer. Image taken by Yasmina Jamad & Amin Bouakel
Some of the key values of our token are the use of two opposing colours on their sign. On one hand, the orange—a vivid colour demonstrating happiness—is used, while on the other, the white provides a marked contrast that differentiates the sign from those of other stores.
This storefront embodies multiple values: aesthetically, the bright orange signage and clean typography project confidence and friendliness; historically, it echoes the rise of call shops and money transfer services that accompanied waves of migration; in terms of identity, the mix of local (Catalan) and global (English) signals both rootedness in the neighborhood and a cosmopolitan outlook; productively, the English signage attracts an international clientele, reflecting a strategic market orientation; socially, it serves as a community hub where locals and migrants alike can access phone repairs, remittances, and a sense of belonging; and spiritually, it can symbolize the emotional support network that connects people across borders, as remittances and communication foster deeper ties of care and solidarity.
The LL conveys a sign using English, making it accessible to a wide audience and appealing to a diverse range of clients. As the store uses English as the main part of its title, it might initially be seen as a branding decision, but it also reflects a broader effort to spread the English language—a result of the Englishisation process in Lleida. This is evident on the main sign, where the Catalan language appears in very small letters.
Regarding “Ria Money Transfer” history, their webpage states that in 1987, Ria opened its first store in New York to help people send money home. Between 1993 and 2006, the company expanded to Spain, France, Italy, the UK, Germany, Australia, Belgium, and Switzerland. In 2007, Euronet Worldwide acquired Ria, fueling further growth into India and Senegal (2010–2011) and leading to the launch of RiaMoneyTransfer.com in 2012. In 2014, Walmart partnered with Ria for Walmart-2-Walmart, and Euronet acquired HiFX. Expansion continued with IME and XE acquisitions in 2015, Walmart Chile in 2016, and UK services in 2017. Since 2019, Ria has grown further with new locations and partnerships, always prioritizing its customers.
5. Concluding Thoughts
From our thoughts on the Linguistic Landscapes we know that they are an incredibly valuable pedagogical tool for teaching sociolinguistics. Rather than just analysing abstract language theories, we were able to engage directly with how languages appear in public spaces. This allowed us to observe power dynamics, social hierarchies and language policies in action. Through TKA we documented and interpreted linguistic data, we didn't just apply sociolinguistic concepts, we also made our own discoveries. From a TEP perspective, using Linguistic Landscapes allowed us to learn in an inclusive and reflective way, in fact since every student comes from a different background, our perspectives are different: this diversity enabled collaborative learning. In short, we think that Linguistic Landscapes fit well within TEP and TKA because they encouraged us to engage with sociolinguistics by analysing real-world language use, rather than just passively absorbing information in class.
6. References and Websources
- Catpaisatge.net. (n.d.). Landscape glossary. Retrieved from: https://www.catpaisatge.net/en/landscape-resources/landscape-glossary
- Gencat.Es. (n.d.). [Data on Lleida municipality]. Retrieved from: https://www.idescat.cat/pub/?id=ist&n=14034&geo=mun:251207
- Google Maps. (n.d.). [Aerial view of Lleida]. Retrieved from: https://vps181.cesvima.upm.es/re-hab/chlleidaaerea/
- Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya. (n.d.). Publicacions. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://www.idescat.cat/pub/?id=pmh&n=446&by=ac&lang=es
- Laws. (n.d.). [Legal document]. Retrieved from: http://www.lleidaparticipa.cat/public/197/docs/6c2e2ab8cee8ef11cc82f1e8621d78b5.pdf
- Lleida Participa. (n.d.). [Document]. Retrieved from: http://www.lleidaparticipa.cat/public/197/docs/6c2e2ab8cee8ef11cc82f1e8621d78b5.pdf
- Paeria.cat. (n.d.). Població. Retrieved from http://paeria.es/cat/poblacio
- Paeria.cat. (n.d.). Population on Lleida by neighbours. Retrieved from: https://www.paeria.cat/ca/ajuntament/projectes-estrategics/estrategia-de-desenvolupament-integrat-local-edil/estrategia-de-desenvolupament-integrat-local-edil/edil-lleida-2025.pdf
- Paeria.cat. (2023). 2023 Lleida’s population by neighbours with details. Retrieved from: https://aplicacionsweb.paeria.es/eOpenDataPublicWeb/faces/ca/cataleg/territori/demografia/estrangers-per-barris-i-paisos-2023/detalls
- RIA Money Transfer. (n.d.). [Website]. Retrieved from: https://www.riamoneytransfer.com/es-es/
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