Switzerland’s Federal Council has dismissed one MP’s call to limit public announcements in English on Swiss trains.
As The Local recently reported, MP Daniel Ruch had 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 also argued that “English does not simply sit alongside the national languages.” Instead, “it relegates official languages like Italian to the background.”
In response, the SBB has defended its communication strategy, citing the need for efficiency and clarity for foreign commuters.
READ MORE: English prioritised over local languages in Swiss train announcement
Now the government has had its say
Asked by Ruch to intervene in the matter, the government – which owns the SBB – took (as is its habit) a diplomatic stance.
It said it will not reprimand the train company regarding its use of English, deeming that the SBB is “best placed to know their customers and adapt their practices accordingly.”
It also added that, even though Ruch claims that English supersedes Italian in public announcements, “English is used in a targeted manner in train stations with high tourist traffic or when connecting to an airport.”
Further, “the national industry standard stipulates that customer information must be understandable, relevant, and appropriate to the situation, and that it must be provided in the local language, with the possibility of using other languages depending on specific needs, particularly those related to tourism or international travel,” the Federal Council noted.
