Switzerland lives linguistic diversity and benefits from it. Meanwhile English has become the dominant language in science and academia. The Swiss research community has to find a balance between regional identity and internationalisation. It is in this context that the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) adopted its own language policy in 2010.
General principles of the SNSF language policy
The SNSF has developed a rich linguistic practice. Faced with the globalisation of science, the organisation found it necessary to adopt a policy regarding the various languages. This policy is not intended as a dogmatic set of rules but rather as a pragmatic framework consisting of some basic principles:
- Linguistic diversity is an asset und needs to be recognised as such. It needs to coexist with the international focus of research, which is mandatory to maintain quality and competitiveness. English, the "lingua franca" of science, is indispensable but it is not sufficient on its own. The SNSF encourages the use of English while making sure that scientific and academic practice in Switzerland do not become standardised under the influence of globalisation.
- Public communication of the SNSF is conducted in German and French. In international contexts English is used and occasionally Italian. The SNSF will expand the use of English to make services more accessible to researchers who have recently arrived in Switzerland. Scientific communication with researchers is generally conducted in English with the exception of the humanities and social sciences (not all disciplines).
- Internally, the SNSF encourages a culture of linguistic diversity. It enjoys a balanced representation of languages in its bodies and aims to maintain this. The SNSF strives to create an optimum work environment for research councillors who are not fluent in French or German. Scientific debates relating to the evaluation of proposals are generally held in English with the exception of the humanities and social sciences (not all disciplines).
On the basis of these principles, improvement measures have been defined. A committee is tasked with the annual monitoring of linguistic developments.
Linguistic diversity: added value for science
Language is an important element in the construction and circulation of knowledge. Experience and studies show that the quality of research is boosted by multilingual practice whether it is in research teams, with partners, in communicating with students or even with the public at large. This requires plurilingual competencies of researchers: they need a very high level in their first language, fluency in English and a working knowledge of other languages. The SNSF therefore invites researchers and research institutions to valorise plurilingualism in Swiss research.
At the same time the SNSF is critically evaluating its own use of languages, particularly in scientific debates at the National Research Council. In this context, there are plans to launch an experimental project with international collaboration.