Several languages are spoken in Switzerland, making it a multilingual country. One of them is Swiss German, a language that combines various dialects of German. This anomaly is also found in other parts of the world, for example in countries where Arabic is spoken. The “original” Arabic is known as Literary Arabic, and different dialects of Literary Arabic are spoken in different countries. Understanding between speakers of these different variants of Arabic can therefore prove difficult. But is that also the case for Swiss German?
Swiss German is spoken in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, but not in Germany. How did this language develop and what are its characteristics? Why don’t we speak a language like “Suisse romand” in French-speaking Switzerland?
Historically, it was the Allemani who introduced the Germanic language to Switzerland. his language gradually developed into what we know as Swiss German. Over the years, the language has continued to grow and become more widely spoken. From the 1980s onwards, it became increasingly important and is now one of Switzerland’s four national languages (along with French, Italian and Romansh).
Swiss German is very similar to German in many ways, but that doesn’t mean that understanding it is child’s play for everyone. In fact, a Swiss German speaker will find it easier to understand what a German speaker is saying than the other way round. This can be explained by the fact that Swiss Germans generally have a better understanding of the German language because it is taught in school, which is not the case for Swiss German in Germany.
Here are a few examples to illustrate the differences between these two languages:
Suisse Allemand Allemand (Zurich) Français
IHR IR I
VIEL MALS VIEL MAL MANY TIMES
FRAU FRAOU WOMAN
Today, Swiss German is spoken throughout German-speaking Switzerland, but the relationship with German is “complicated” – not everyone in Switzerland understands it.
In fact, the German-speaking Swiss generally have an excellent knowledge of German, whereas in French-speaking Switzerland, German is taught in school. This is why the French Swiss can have great difficulty with Swiss German, as they are not very familiar with the language.
his close relationship between the two languages is also felt in the field of translation. The differences can be complex and the two languages are considered to be different: a single sentence, translated into German or Swiss German can be very different. These are obviously not mistakes, but a poor choice of target language can lead to misunderstandings with the target audience.
That’s why it’s important to know the target audience for your translation, in order to know which German you want to use.