More than two-thirds of the Swiss population regularly use more than one language in their everyday lives. Just under 2% regularly use five languages or more.
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Aumenta el multilingüismo entre la población suiza
The proportion of polyglots has increased slightly since 2014, according to the Federal Statistical Office’s language, religion and culture survey, which was carried out for the second time in 2019 and published on Monday.
Whether chatting to relatives or work colleagues, surfing the internet, reading or watching TV, 68% of over-15s use more than one language at least once a week.
The remaining 32% said they use only one language, down from 36% in 2014. The older the person, the more likely they are to use only one language.
The survey found that 38% regularly use two languages, 21% use three, 6.4% use four and 1.7% use at least five.
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French, German, Italian, Romansh, English: How do the Swiss talk to each other?
Switzerland’s cultural scene is linguistically intertwined.
When it comes to Switzerland’s four national languages, 76% of residents regularly speak German (mostly Swiss-German), 39% French, 15% Italian and 0.9% Romansh.
English is the most common non-national language and is regularly spoken by 45% of the population in Switzerland. English is more widespread in the German-speaking part of the country than in Italian- and French-speaking regions (46% vs 37% and 43% respectively).
Almost three-quarters of people aged 15-24 speak, write, read or listen to English at least once a week, around ten percentage points more than in 2014.
Multilingual households
The majority (57%) of under-15s live in a household where Swiss-German is spoken. This is followed by French (28%), German (16%) and Italian (8.8%). English is the most common non-national language (7.5%).
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English words in German: a linguistic cliffhanger
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You’re never far from an English word in Switzerland. A linguist explains why – and whether there will be a backlash.
At home, however, the younger generation is in contact with many other languages, including Albanian (6.7%), Portuguese (4.9%), Spanish (4.9%), Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian (3.8%), Turkish (2.8%) and more than 70 others.
At home, a third of under-15s hear two languages, and 10% hear three or more. In the population as a whole, the share of people living in a multilingual household is 32%.
The use of several languages is more widespread than average among people with a migration background. Professional reasons are the main motivation for learning foreign languages.
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The art of interpreting in Switzerland’s polyglot parliament
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Ensuring Swiss politicians can understand each other is challenging, stressful but rewarding, says one of parliament’s official interpreters.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Ex-employee of Bank Pictet convicted of money laundering
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The Geneva-based bank Pictet has been fined CHF2 million for shortcomings in its organisation which enabled a former asset manager to commit serious money laundering.
20 Minuten: last Swiss free daily to stop being printed
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From the end of the year, there will no longer be a daily free newspaper in Switzerland: the TX Group is discontinuing the print version of "20 Minuten". Up to 80 full-time positions are to be cut in the editorial and publishing departments.
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The Swiss population is in favour of compulsory military service and closer ties with NATO. These are the findings of the "Security 2025" study.
Irregular migration to Switzerland halves year-on-year
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Irregular migration to Switzerland has decreased significantly. The figures from January to May show that only half as many illegal stays were recorded compared to the same period last year.
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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is to cut around 3,500 jobs as a result of financial cuts linked in particular to US decisions. Hundreds of temporary contracts will also be cut, the UN agency said in Geneva on Monday.
Swiss government to help cantons in expelling rejected asylum-seekers
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The federal government is to provide greater relief and support to the cantons when it comes to deporting people who are not entitled to asylum in Switzerland.
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One in four people in Switzerland feels stressed often or almost always. Among the under-30s, the figure is as high as 40%.
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The permafrost in the Swiss Alps is thawing faster and faster. The thawed top layers of permafrost have never been as thick as they were last year. This is shown by the latest data from the Swiss permafrost monitoring network Permos.
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.
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Understanding the daily challenges of multilingualism
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Speaking many languages in a multilingual country like Switzerland is certainly a blessing – but can it ever be a burden?
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In a small country with four official languages and an unofficial fifth, what is work like for Switzerland’s professional translators?
When Switzerland broadcast Esperanto around Europe
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From 1946 to 1992 swissinfo.ch's predecessor broadcast programmes in Esperanto. Delving into the archives, we look at why – and why they stopped.
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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.