General de Gaulle stated the impossibility of governing a country which has two hundred and forty-six kinds of cheese. Mutando mutatis, media and communications professionals face a similar challenge every single day in Switzerland. How to communicate on a national level within a country which has four official languages, profound cultural differences between linguistic regions as well as inside those same regions, a sharply contrasted geography and economy and an exceptionally high percentage of international residents? How to reconcile the multiple facets of Swiss culture, in its blend of extreme sophistication and simplicity? How to compete with the strong cultural influences from surrounding countries? In short, how does one speak Swiss?

On a business communications level, Switzerland often remains opaque to multinationals, although the country seems at first sight to be neatly split into three parts: German, French and Italian, with a few extra linguistic nuggets strewn throughout the mix. It therefore seems reasonable simply to tag on a small sum for the Swiss market onto the respective communications budgets for Germany/DACH, sometimes also for France and in exceptional cases for Italy. Given the small size of the Swiss market and the even smaller size of each language region, this would appear at first sight to make sense. These same multinational companies might further be led to believe by unscrupulous relocation specialists that a gap also neatly divvies up the urban and the rural population – again, with a few hairy, goiter-ridden, cow-fighting mountain-dwellers thrown in for folklore. 

But for those who are serious about communicating in Switzerland, it is essential to remember at all times that this is the ultimate Willensnation – a lasting blend of diverse communities and cantons who have chosen to bind themselves together, maintaining a peaceful and prosperous coexistence throughout the centuries despite their linguistic and cultural differences. Far more unites the Swiss population than the differences which might appear to divide it. First and foremost, in communications terms, the country should be viewed as a whole, albeit with proper attention and respect being paid to audience specificities. 

It is not that simple, of course, since Switzerland is one of the most multi-faceted populations in the world, and the underlying factors making up the Swiss psyche are complex. Language is naturally an important part of the equation; German, French and Italian all have a role to play and are recognized as official languages, together with Romansh. The truly official language is probably the system widely used in national politics, whereby each speaker is free to use their own language, and everyone is supposed to understand. So: all you need is a good translation service, right? Well, no, actually. 

First of all, few people in Switzerland speak their mother tongue alone on a daily basis. Swiss German dialect is the natural, automatic default of a majority of the population; speaking Hochdeutsch is the linguistic equivalent of wearing patent-leather stilettos, with the comforting if unmelodious dialect variations of Bärndütsch or Züritütsch representing a nice, well-worn yet supportive, deeply familiar pair of slippers. Anyone who has done business with Swiss Germans will appreciate the often evident efforts made to speak ‘proper’ German and will be well aware of the relief shown at 6.00 p.m. at the apéro, when everyone can relax and switch back to their true mother tongue. As a dialect, Swiss German is not normally used in a written form – with a few exceptions in advertising -, so that Swiss Germans are hindered in expressing their deepest sensitivities and most romantic, most emotional sides other than orally. German is not the instinctive language of the minority; Swiss German is. 

In addition to this everyday overlooked bilingualism, many Swiss are – or are married to – first-, second- or third-generation immigrants, and their native tongue remains very present in their lives, with strong, lively communities of Turkish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Serbian and other language speakers. English has now also taken over as the lingua franca of most large Swiss companies as well as academia. In fact, the Swiss, despite the rigidity of which they are sometimes accused by their frenemies, are a supremely flexible people, as is clearly demonstrated by their approach to language. This openness and capacity for change, coupled with the legendary Swiss efficiency, could provide one explanation for the surprising success story that is the Swiss Confederation. 

In contrast to the self-assured, German-speaking population, Suisse romande suffers from a double minority complex, both towards the national majority and towards its huge French neighbor. While Swiss Germans generally enjoy speaking French, it is extremely difficult to find German-speaking professionals in Suisse romande; few French-speaking young people rush to spend the traditional exchange year on the other side of the Sarine; German lessons are viewed with horror and abandoned as soon as possible. To be fair, French Swiss people have to deal daily with abominable translations of German texts, advertisements and (shudder) humour. Français fédéral is a travesty of the French language which permeates Swiss official texts, a monster seemingly bred from an unnatural coupling between the German original and the worst imaginable French officialese (incidentally, I have always found it unsurprising that Frankenstein’s monster is a native of Geneva). The hideous, sometimes almost incomprehensible language encountered in advertising and client letters from telecoms operators, major retailers or national monopolies is perceived as a lack of respect – whereas it is often difficult for their more laid-back German-language senders to understand why the Romands get so upset about such a minor matter. In parallel to their mild resentment of German, Swiss French people are equally suspicious of the Gallic tendency to theory and excessively polished language, preferring their words and content unadorned and down-to-earth. 

An urban/rural split also exists, as each national votation shows; of course it does. But it is by no means clear-cut, for many if not most Swiss have rural roots and other cultural characteristics, such as religion, bear influence as well. In Switzerland, you will always find a blend, a counterbalance, a contrast: throughout much of the Swiss countryside, you are no more than a stone’s throw away from a world-leading high-tech hidden champion, specializing in nano-engraving or contactless connectors or micro-parts for nuclear clocks. A CEO or senior banking manager can easily be the product of the vocational training system, not a ‘grande école’, and from a farming family, not the banking élite. Cantonal or national politicians take the train, not a limousine. 

Switzerland is a truly democratic society, where upwards social mobility is an everyday reality rooted in a strong educational system, somewhat less snobbishness than in other countries and a profound respect for competence. Combined, these factors have ensured that the country is stirred, not shaken. Switzerland can be seen as a fractal system, with each region comprising similar patterns which become smaller and smaller until they reach a village or community level – but the single overarching pattern of Swissness recurs time and again.

Tips for national communications in Switzerland