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 […]

  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 […]

  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 […]

  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 […]

  In this blogpost I examine how Roche – a multinational healthcare company, located in the heart of Basel – uses their website to construct a global identity by using English employee narratives. Even though the company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, it has several branches all over the world. Its multinational status means that […]

  Source: File:DickseeRomeoandJuliet.jpg – Wikimedia Commons We’ve all heard of the famous love story of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, but I don’t recall their tale ever being used to describe a relationship between a company and a language. That is, however, until I interviewed a friend of mine who gave me the impression that this is […]