Asking Swiss employees about their English use and the challenges they face A city like Basel, which is located right next to the Dreiländereck and houses two of the biggest pharma companies worldwide, attracts people from various cultural but also linguistic backgrounds. The employees of a small property management company at the boarder to […]

English in the pharmacy in Basel Have you ever wondered how present English is in pharmacies around you? How is it perceived and how often is it used in a country with four national languages? I interviewed six workers about this. Working in two different pharmacies in two different locations, the only thing that unites […]

  English is around us all the time as it has become a lingua franca and is especially important in the workplace. This study aims to understand the reasons and motivation of adults learning English.  The participants (5 in total, two female and three male) wanting to learn English are between the ages of 30 […]

  I decided to have a look at how well a person who does not speak any of the four Swiss national languages and therefore would lean towards speaking English, either as a first language (L1) or additional language (L2 /+), experiences the Universitätsspital in Basel. The cantonal hospital is the biggest health center in […]

  The language makeup of Switzerland can help contextualize the findings and improve the understanding of the individual blogposts overall. In this contribution, we aim to summarise and point out relevant information concerning English in the workplace. Language Profile of Switzerland The Swiss authority of statistics published statistics concerning language use in Switzerland. They included […]

  What’s up? Are you down to work? Are you ready to score that juicy deal? Be a part of a LIVE SURVEY POLL and check out the LIVE RESULTS! Almost everybody does it, and most of us do it daily: Using slang. Whether it is at home with our family, at the mall with […]

  In the past thirty-odd years, medical professions in Switzerland have undergone a distinct shift in their educational programs, daily practices, and in the politics surrounding them. One may ask themselves how a constantly evolving curriculum, ever-changing demographic of patients, and changes in the political landscape influence or alter the usage of language for medical […]

  English nowadays plays an important role insofar that it enables communication between different parties of different first languages, be it between acquaintances, inside workplaces, between different workplaces and even between workplace and clients. A typical workplace of such kind, juggling different groups and therefore using English, is the field of event management. Additionally, there […]

  A well-known pharmaceutical company situated in Basel supplies work to more than 100 000 people (!) from over 140 nationalities (!!) according to their own sources. This definitely makes it an international company and thus, they necessarily require a branch on cultural diversity and inclusion. All websites that I can read provide us with […]

  Have you also noticed for a long time that English seems to be more and more a part of our lives every day? Particularly at work. All the major corporations seem to be rushing to hire employees with intermediate or advanced English skills. But which English skills do I need to pay more attention […]