Language Rich Switzerland

According to a recent study from "Language Rich Europe (LRE)," Switzerland remains ahead of other European countries when it comes to multilingualism. LRE promotes multilingualism for more prosperous and stable societies. LRE is a project headed by Martin Hope, who is Director of the British Council and also the current President of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Switzerland may be a tiny country in the grand scheme of things. It is also landlocked, with no direct access to seaports. But its central location on the European continent, where its borders touch France, Germany, Italy and Austria along with a couple tiny principalities, has assured its reputation as a major logistical, cultural, commercial, technological and linguistic axis. Of course, for a very long time, it was also the location of choice for those who wished to keep their foreign assets secure - or secret - for whatever reason and was thus a major financial center. That status has been shaken somewhat in recent years and its infamous bank secrecy has been put through the wringer by countries, like my own, whose tax authorities are very interested in any assets that have not been declared by their owners. [Disclosure: as a Swiss resident, I must have a Swiss bank account in order to function here. As required, I have routinely declared my financial holdings here to the IRS. So far as I know, I am in compliance with the IRS as well as the Swiss authorities. Believe me, the two authorities do exchange such information.]

Although Switzerland has yet to become a member of the European Union and has its own currency, the Swiss franc (CHF), it has concluded bilateral agreements with all neighboring countries. Under the Schengen Agreement, since 2006, citizens of the EU may also pass through here freely. Interestingly, what I have noticed in my own recent returns from the US is that immigration authorities at the airport want to see my Swiss permit and don't give my US passport, which I always have as well, other than a cursory glance. They don't even open it.

There are already four official languages that are spoken in this country, listed in order of numbers of speakers: German, French, Italian and Romansh. German is spoken most widely while French is the principal language spoken in Western Switzerland, where I live. While the majority of Swiss are at least bilingual and many are trilingual in the official languages, very few speak all four. Thus, English is a "bridging" language for most, often chosen by students as a second or third language at the expense of the official languages.

Language Rich Europe aims to promote the harmonious coexistence of local, national and international languages in order to create a more socially stable Europe based on mutual respect and intercultural dialogue. This is an environment that I personally find to be wonderful. I feel very privileged to be living here.