Autumn is a time for making resolutions, and what better goal than to build bridges with the Swiss by learning a national language. Whether you’re a beginner or languishing at the half-way stage, Clare O’Dea has some tips on how to get the job done.
Switzerland is not an easy place to learn the local languages, especially if your workplace language is English. Language learning is hard and necessity is the key ingredient. But when the Swiss outdo you with their school English, and most of the information essential to living here is available in English, motivation can be a problem.
But by neglecting your French or German or Italian or Romansh, you are allowing a barrier to sit between you and what could be your community. The lack of interest will be reciprocated. The good thing is that the door to learning is always open and the rewards are immediate. With these tips, you can break through.
Never too late to (re)start
In an ideal world, you’d start before you came to Switzerland and hit the ground running. The second-best time to start is as soon as you arrive in the country. But we are only human and even the most dedicated student can run out of steam.
So whether you tried and failed at the beginning, or you tried and tried again and only made minimal progress, or you made good progress but you’ve hit a ceiling and despair of ever improving, there is always a new approach worth trying. Dive in!
The indirect approach: learn something else
Language classes are important to get the basics worked out but an even better way to learn from an intermediate level on is to tie the language to something else you’re interested in learning.
I’m suggesting something more than an exercise class where you hear the same vocabulary every week. That’s good too but it’s basically a passive experience. By studying or training in something new – a work-related qualification, adult education or first-aid course for instance – you engage with the language in a meaningful way. Anything with a written element adds to the challenge and the benefits.
Stamp out English
You have not been put on this earth to help Swiss people practice their English. a. they are good enough already, and b. they travel so often, they don’t need you. This takes a lot of determination because you have to keep saying nein until they give up. This may take some time. It’s also hard because your conversation will be limited for the first while.
The logical thing is to rely on the person with the stronger language skills but try to resist the comfortable option. It’s extremely difficult to change a communication language with someone once you’ve settled on one. The only way to improve your language skills is to practise every chance you get.
READ ALSO: ‘You are missing out’ – Getting by in Switzerland with just English
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Try not to get hung up on the rigid A1 to C3 scale because language ability is quite fluid. You’ll have good days and woeful days, depending on how relaxed you feel. Sometimes, all it takes is a dismissive attitude from the person you’re dealing with for your skills to evaporate.
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It can be helpful to look up the vocabulary beforehand when you’re going into a new situation so you don’t feel too clueless.
Proficiency is a nice dream but most of us are lucky if we can get to good working knowledge. The important thing is to use what you have. If you are too concerned about making mistakes, you won’t practise enough to progress.
Make the most of the available resources
We can’t all move to Basel, where the city offers 80 free language lessons to newcomers, but most cantons have something to offer as part of their quest for the Swiss holy grail – integration. Geneva offers (almost) free courses to parents of children in the public school system. Bern gives out 600 vouchers worth 400 each that can be used in 12 language schools (apply in September). There are also subsidised language classes with childcare for mothers of pre-school children. The larger communes are also active in this area. It is always worth popping to your to the Gemeindehaus / Administration communale to ask their advice.
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A good place to find materials for learning on your own is your local library. And there is world of material to be found online. Back in real life, university notice boards can be a good source of not-too-expensive teachers and people seeking tandem learning, where you meet and take turns speaking each other’s language.
Apart from private teachers, there are hundreds of language schools out there plying their trade, most notably the iconic Migros-founded adult education centres, the Klubschule or Ecole Club Migros.
Fill your head with content
If immersion is not fully possible, you can at least set yourself the goal of consuming information and entertainment in the target language. Buy a Swiss newspaper, listen to the radio, watch films and television in the local language. Your comprehension level will only increase if you are exposed to enough content in the language. Whenever there is a choice – at the ATM, on a helpline, on an app – see how far you can get without English.
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Rub shoulders with the Swiss
Surveys show that many immigrants find it hard to connect with the Swiss. This will be more of a problem for those whose workplace language is English. But if you don’t do things with the Swiss, you won’t get to know them or their language.
The Swiss love their associations and are constantly organising. Getting involved an upcoming event in your community, for example, is a fantastic way to be accepted. Whatever you enjoy, whether it’s music, sport, culture or good deeds, finding the Swiss people who are doing the same thing gives you a ready-made conversation starter.
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The biggest complaint about languages in Switzerland is what to do about Swiss German. Every canton has its own dialect, people say, and no one wants to speak standard German with you. As someone who learnt German and Swiss German after moving here, I will say this. The dialects are not as different as the Swiss like to think. If you learn one, you can get by with that, especially in the same region. I recommend learning both versions in parallel from the beginning – classes in standard German, day-to-day practice with the people you meet in Swiss German. Once you can recognise the basic German structure and words underlying the dialect, the two tracks will reinforce each other and it will all become much easier. Viel Glück! Bonne chance!
This article was first published in 2022.
A dynamic, up-to-date guide to Swiss society and current affairs, All About Switzerland ebook features a selection of 29 articles by Clare O’Dea. The articles were first published by The Local Switzerland from 2022 to 2024. The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers.
