Representation of Switzerland’s four main language communities is meeting its targets within the federal administration but could still be improved, says a study.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jc
Русский
ru
Швейцарское многоязычие завершается в чиновных кабинетах в Берне?
In the past 20 years the over-representation of German speakers has been reduced, the Centre for Democracy Studies (ZDA) said on Tuesday at a virtual press conference.
Representation of the different linguistic communities is close to objectives for the 38,000 federal employees. It is estimated at 68.5-70.5% for German; 21.5-23.5% for French; 6.5-8.5% for Italian; and 0.5-1% for Romansh. German speakers are still slightly over-represented among senior managers, says ZDA.
More
French, German, Italian, Romansh, English: How do the Swiss talk to each other?
Switzerland’s cultural scene is linguistically intertwined.
But representation is variable according to different departments. Some 60% of federal employees still work in offices where linguistic minorities are not adequately represented. The situation is improving, but multilingualism still needs more efforts, according to the report.
‘Let’s be realistic’
The Constitution and the 2007 law on languages provide that Switzerland’s four linguistic groups be represented within the federal administration and that they have a right to express themselves there in their language of choice. However, the reality is still very different.
Isabelle Moret, president of the House of Representatives and a member of the parliamentary group for linguistic plurality, welcomed the study. She said it shows “in figures what we sometimes feel in parliament but have not been able to prove”.
Moret, who hails from French-speaking canton Vaud, says she has never heard anyone speaking Italian or Romansh in parliamentary commissions. French-speakers have it easier, “but let’s be realistic: to be sure that they have been understood, they sum up what they have said in German”.
More
More
The art of interpreting in Switzerland’s polyglot parliament
This content was published on
Ensuring Swiss politicians can understand each other is challenging, stressful but rewarding, says one of parliament’s official interpreters.
No heat records in sight (yet) despite the ‘dog days’
This content was published on
The dog days—traditionally the hottest days of the year—began on Tuesday. However, the weather service Meteonews predicts that Switzerland is unlikely to see new temperature records in the near future.
Swiss employees to work slightly more in 2023 than in previous year
This content was published on
The long-term trend is different with the weekly working hours per full-time employee decreased significantly, says a report by the Federal Statistical Office.
Consumers still crave chocolate: Lindt & Sprüngli reports higher earnings
This content was published on
Lindt & Sprüngli sold chocolate worth CHF 2.16 billion in the first half of the year. This is slightly more than in the previous year.
This content was published on
Bollinger will succeed Philipp Rickenbacher, who resigned in February after a significant write-down on loans to the Signa Group.
Majority of young Swiss well-trained, army fitness test reveals
This content was published on
More than half of young Swiss men and women are considered well-trained, with around 80% meeting the federal government's exercise recommendations, according to the Armed Forces 2023 fitness test.
Italian consulate to relocate to ‘Casa d’Italia’ in Zurich
This content was published on
The Italian state is renovating the "Casa d'Italia" in Zurich's Kreis 4 district, with plans to move the Consulate General from its current location on Tödistrasse in District 2 to this historic building.
Swiss companies maintain financial stability amid European struggles
This content was published on
Swiss companies continue to demonstrate financial robustness compared to their European counterparts, although corporate restructuring activities have increased in recent months.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Public radio admonished for ignoring Romansh language
This content was published on
The ombuds office of the German-language SRF radio channel approved a complaint by an interest group for Romansh culture, saying a 17-minute programme on language variety in Switzerland did not report adequately. Not only did the German-language programme leave out a mention of Romansh, but it also oversimplified the region where Italian is spoken in…
Swiss parliamentarians invited to speak more languages
This content was published on
Members of the Swiss parliament and civil servants are being invited to speak another language for a day in September next year.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.