Switzerland has three official languages, but when it comes to public announcements on its trains, English has taken precedence over some of them.
As though juggling German, French, and Italian is not complex enough already, the national rail company, SBB, has also thrown English into the mix.
At stations and on trains themselves, announcements are typically made in the language of the region, followed by the second national language (French or German) and then English.
Italian is only used if a given train travels to/from/within Ticino.
This ‘exclusion’ has angered MP Daniel Ruch who pointed out that because of the way the SBB structures its public announcements, “English does not get added to the national languages. It replaces one of them.”
Lost in translation?
Ruch has therefore submitted a parliamentary motion denouncing the “systematic use of English in stations and on trains, often at the expense of the official languages of the Swiss Confederation.”
He went on to say that “English does not simply sit alongside the national languages.” Instead, “it relegates official languages like Italian to the background.”
Further, he stated that this situation also creates practical inconveniences for Swiss passengers.
For instance, a passenger from French-speaking Switzerland who speaks neither German nor English could miss a crucial connection if a train transfer is announced only in those two languages.
A public service announcement “must first and foremost cater to local residents, who make up the vast majority of daily passengers,” he added.
READ MORE: How did Switzerland become a country with four languages?
Directed at international travellers
In response, the SBB has defended its communication strategy, citing the need for efficiency and clarity for foreign commuters.
According to company spokesperson Jean-Philippe Schmidt, in major tourist destinations, English makes it possible to communicate with the widest range of people.
For Ruch, however, the tourism argument has its limits. For instance, it does not explain why Italian – an official language of the Swiss Confederation – is virtually absent.
Providing translations in multiple national languages, however, would significantly lengthen announcements, Schmidt explained.
READ MORE: How English has become more prevalent in Switzerland
