Mona Jaffel
In this blog entry, I investigate how multilingualism can be used as a working tool and a consumable product in the touristic sector in Switzerland. The use of distinct languages spoken in and indexing different regions in Switzerland gives them an added value which can be strategically transformed into economic profits.
Touristic context and language in Switzerland
As an important sector for the Swiss economy, tourism benefits from the national languages in Switzerland, namely, Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch. The Swiss language policy relies on the principle of territoriality which means that each canton has an assigned official language which is generally the first language of the majority of the speakers residing in the canton. Hence, each region has their own local dialects and languages that are specific to the residents’ community which express their identity, on the same level as traditions and values for example.
As language is typically associated with culture and identity, the tourism industry uses it as added values to consumable goods and services for people who visit Switzerland. In the industrialized and globalized society we live in, language practices are often linked with economic interests and the touristic sector is also concerned by this phenomenon. For example, Schedel’s (2018b) study examined the use of multilingualism as a strategic means in the touristic sphere to promote local economic development. Indeed, in the bilingual town of Murten/Morat in the bilingual canton of Freiburg/Fribourg, there was a theatrical guided tour which was performed using both French and German languages. In this specific case, the bilingual practices were employed to entertain and deliver information about the town for a broad audience consisting of bilinguals and monolinguals of French and German. While reaching for a higher number of tourists which results in higher economic profits, the tourist guides could also express and affirm the authenticity of the local identity and pride. It seems, therefore, that they converted their linguistic resources into a profit for the sector of tourism in Murten/Morat. Based on the review of several studies, this blog entry thus investigates how multilingualism can be used as a working tool and a consumable good in the industry of tourism in Switzerland.
Key terms
Heller et al.’s (2014a) study introduced important concepts to understand the intersection of the sector of tourism and multilingualism practices as consumable products. The concept of ‘commodification’ relates to the process of using language not only as a means of communication but also of transforming it as a valuable touristic experience that can be bought and sold. Indeed, language is considered to be a consumable and expected form of exoticism for tourists which, outlines the social and cultural differences between the visitors and the locals. This consumption of linguistic practices as markers of cultural distinction can be linked with the cultural authenticity that tourists come to visit and, thus, (re)produce the peculiarity of the place. The symbolic distinctiveness of these language practices renders them valuable and authentic in a certain locality, which constructs a sense of ownership and belonging to a community. However, when the contact between tourists and locals that speak different mother tongues is unsatisfactory in terms of communication, they generally switch to a lingua franca. Lingua francas relate to the languages used by people whose first languages are different in order to facilitate communication between them. In Switzerland, the most recurring lingua franca is English since its international status and teaching in schools allow Swiss inhabitants to communicate, despite their difference of native language.
Previous studies
As Jaworski & Piller (2008) stated, English is frequently used as a lingua franca to communicate between people coming from different linguistics regions of the country. This is the same case for most encounters between locals and tourists and, thus, it creates the impression of a cosmopolitan Switzerland in which a visitor can easily communicate with locals without having to speak the regional language. The use of a globalized language such as English in Switzerland is a tool for basic communication but also a strategic means to give tourists a sense of familiarity in the ‘exotic’ authenticity and, hence, gain economic profits.Jaworski & Piller’s (2008) study also revealed that the least spoken national language, which is Romansch receives a great deal of attention and is exoticized by being associated with mountainous landscapes or historical events, which are particularly attractive for tourists. In language use, some words borrowings in specific language can represent the cultural region and are part of the linguistic landscape. The larger national languages, namely Swiss German, French and Italian, are exoticized to a lesser extent as specific terms are used for local food, cultural events or landmarks, for example ‘Rösti’ a Swiss German dish made of potatoes, which show how Switzerland is linguistically and culturally unique.
Heller et al.’s (2014b) study also revealed that multilingualism and local languages offer an added value in the sector of Swiss tourism. Indeed, as they are commodified and deemed to be authentic markers of the locality, tourists also consume the local identity and the specific linguistic practices linked to it. Swiss multilingualism is seen as a distinctive promotional strategy for the tourism industry as it is a unique experience and phenomenon. According to their study, there is a symbolic behind every cultural practice, i.e. languages and identities which can be marketable namely through public signs or artistic performances.
As Schedel’s (2018a) study revealed, this is the particularly relevant for the bilingual town of Murten/Morat in Freiburg/Fribourg situated at the Swiss language border between French and Swiss German. This town needed to find strategies to distinguish itself from other competing touristic areas by representing the local bilingualism in an authentic and attractive way by tourism workers. Indeed, employees of the local tourist office have to be proficient in both German and French to represent the linguistic particularity of Murten/Morat since they have direct contact with tourists. The explicitly required level of proficiency in one of those languages can be negotiated from ‘perfect skills’ to ‘minimal skills’ as there exists the belief that one can only perfectly master the other language when it is their native language. There is, however, a notable difference in how Swiss German and German languages are perceived: Swiss German accounts mainly for the local and traditional authenticity of the region through oral communication while German serves as a medium for the context of formal situations and written documents. English and Swiss German basic proficiencies are implicitly expected and assumed skills by the recruiter as the first is a globalized lingua franca and the second is the local Swiss variety of German which account for important and efficient customer service.
Schedel’s (2018b) furthers the bilingual particularity of Murten/Morat as a theatrical guided tour was designed in German and French for the tourist office showcasing the particularities of the town and its peculiar linguistic diversity. Language is, therefore, the product consumed and adds value to the tour itself and renders it attractive for tourists due to its originality. Indeed, the bilingual staging of the tour can be intriguing as it is an original experience, and it allows for a wider audience to understand the performance which generates more economic profits. The working tool of bilingualism, in this case, also indicates an appreciation of national or local identity and pride for the locals and performers. Indeed, language is strategically commodified as it is used to express authenticity and distinctiveness values in relation to the touristic product while selling it. This is also the case of tourism call centers in which the workforce is carefully chosen to speak multiple languages exoticizing the very act of selling touristic experiences by being fluent in a local variety, for example Swiss German, and strategically matching the target tourists’ first languages as can be seen in Duchêne’s (2009) study.
Duchêne (2009) also focused on tourism call centers in Switzerland and it revealed that tourists expect a distinctive and local accent from the worker as it is a form of exotic authenticity representing Switzerland. Tourists can also expect the worker to competently speak their native language to easily communicate and avoid misunderstandings due to the language barrier. As language practices serve as an essential working tool in tourism call centers, the tension between the mastery of different languages and accents can only be solved by employing few people who speak multiple languages and local varieties. This allows tourist call centers to pay the salary of fewer people and Duchêne (2009) also stated that the languages most used in Swiss tourism call centers include German, Swiss German, French, English and to a lesser extent Italian, which correspond to the three main official languages of the country and the most globalized lingua franca. This is in line with Venkateswaran’s (2010) study which examined the tourism web coverage in Switzerland. Results showed that touristic web coverage is not homogeneous in relation to the geographic space as it is affected by the population density and the place’s touristic importance. Indeed, there seems to be a higher representation of German which make up for the most frequently spoken language in the country, followed then by French and English, namely, the second most used national language and the lingua franca. While Italian was also shown to be used to a lesser extent as it is a minority language in Switzerland, Romansh was not studied because of its minimal use.
Discussion
Instances of multilingualism in the tourism sector of Switzerland represent, therefore, a practical necessity for the communication between locals and visitors as they might have to use a lingua franca, such as English, because they do not have any common native languages. Multilingualism is used as a strategic marketing tool which increases the flexibility of the tourist service in relation to the clients’ requests. Indeed, tourism call centers benefit from the multilingual skills of employees to interact with callers speaking different languages as they can adapt their language practices for them. Multilingual skills are also, as in call centers, instrumentalized in the recruitment process of workers in tourism offices as they allow linguistic adaptability during the service of foreign visitors. Speaking the same language as the foreigner is a great way of making sure that the addressee is comfortable, and this increases the possibility of gaining profits: their needs might be better met when they can openly talk in their own language without having any communicative issues. In this sense, multilingual practices become working tools for an increased number of profits in the tourism sector as basic communication is guaranteed and tourists’ requests can be easily understood.
The linguistic specificity of Switzerland, with 4 official languages, also plays an important role in its attractiveness for tourists. Indeed, the minority language of Romansh is exoticized as it is locally spoken and associated with certain landscapes and traditions. The link between languages, such as Romansh, and specific cultures and identities creates a sense of differentiation between the visitor and the local. This displays a sense of authenticity about the language, the locals and the place which is felt by the tourists and generally searched for when visiting an unknown place. Other languages spoken in Switzerland, namely Swiss German, French and Italian, are also used in an authentic way to point out specific and local terms which are part of the cultural landscape, such as local food or landmarks. This particular use of local terms shows the peculiarity of the place and its culture which renders them attractive and genuine. Multilingual practices in Switzerland, thus, account for the specificity of the country and the authenticity of the cultures which is celebrated and create a sense of attractive difference for the tourists. This creation of authentic difference between the locals and the tourists, and between the regions, through the use of multilingual practices leads to the increase of economic gain. Indeed, as it renders the destination and its culture more attractive, tourists are more likely to spend more money for their trip in Switzerland. Multilingualism also becomes a consumable good in itself when its practices are used for touristic experiences as it adds value to the product, marking its locality and genuineness.
This blog entry, thus, investigated the functions of multilingual practices in the tourism sector of Switzerland as they are strategically used for practical communication between locals and tourists, increasing financial gains and becoming consumable as they represent difference and exoticism. As this blog entry relies heavily on the reading of previous research which are mainly qualitative, results of more quantitative research might give a better picture of multilingual practices and how much the tourism sector actually benefits from those. Further interesting research can be conducted on tourists’ perception of multilingualism in Switzerland and assess how much this Swiss particularity is appreciated and searched for. This might also give an indication about the attitude that tourists hold towards Switzerland and its cultures and how their own language abilities are evaluated in relation to Swiss multilingualism. It could also be intriguing to study language practices in the tourism sector in officially monolingual countries, such as France or Germany. Language abilities requirements for tourism workers in monolingual countries might be different and other strategies, linguistic or not, might be used to exoticize their culture and country for tourists.
References
Duchêne, A. 2009. Marketing, management and performance: Multilingualism as commodity in a tourism call centre. Language policy, 8(1), 27-50.
Heller, M., Jaworski, A. and Thurlow, C. 2014. Introduction: Sociolinguistics and tourism – mobilities, markets, multilingualism. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 18: 425-458.
Heller, M., Pujolar, J. and Duchêne, A. 2014. Linguistic commodification in tourism. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 18: 539-566.
Jaworski, A., & Piller, I. 2008. Linguascaping Switzerland: Language ideologies in tourism. Standards and Norms in the English Language, pp. 301-321.
Schedel, L. S. 2018a. Negotiating the boundaries and value of bilingual skills in a recruitment process at the language border. Bulletin VALS-ASLA, 108, 75-90.
Schedel, L.S. 2018b. Turning local bilingualism into a touristic experience. Language Policy 17, 137–155.
Venkateswaran, R. 2010. A study of the tourism web coverage in Switzerland. University of Zurich Open Repository and Archive. URL: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/39622/1/Venkateswaran_Study_Tourism_Web_Coverage_2010.pdf
Keywords Tourism – Language practices – Authenticity – Multilingualism – Switzerland.