01/30/2026, 15:51

Hi, I hope you are doing well.

I wanted to personally thank you for signing the petition. Your support means a lot to me. It shows openness, curiosity, and the ability to look ahead instead of being afraid of change.

We all have our own mother tongues, and that is something to be proud of. At the same time, many of us have found a common language through English. It allows us to connect with people from different regions, understand each other’s cultures and feelings, and communicate clearly in everyday life. That shared understanding is powerful.

Switzerland works because people cooperate across languages and regions. If English suddenly disappeared from daily use and everything was pushed back to local languages only, many things would become harder very quickly. From administration to business, from education to everyday coordination, English already plays a practical role. These are not the old days anymore, and that is not a bad thing.

I say this also from personal experience. My ethnic background is Indian, and in some parts of India today, people are pressured to use only local languages. This often creates tension and negativity rather than unity. Language should bring people together, not push them apart.

Switzerland has prospered because it has always been open to the world. Banking, tourism, manufacturing, research, and education all grew because the country did not limit itself to only serving local populations in local languages. That openness is one of the reasons Switzerland is respected globally, and I hope it continues for generations to come. It is a beautiful country, and many of us genuinely want to contribute and make it one of the best places to live on this planet.

Some people fear that giving English a formal place would harm Swiss culture. I believe the opposite is true. Culture grows when it is shared. Science, literature, and poetry have always crossed borders through translation. Rabindranath Tagore’s work reached the world because it was translated. Medical knowledge written centuries ago in Arabic saved lives because it was shared beyond one language. Openness never erased culture, it helped others understand and respect it.

Thank you once again for signing the petition and for being part of this conversation. Your support matters more than you might think.

Kind regards,
Shuvaseesh Das

11/08/2024, 16:49

English
Simplified the text and translated it into Switzerland’s official languages.

German:
Den Text vereinfacht und in die Amtssprachen der Schweiz übersetzt.

French:
Simplifié le texte et traduit dans les langues officielles de la Suisse.

Italian:
Testo semplificato e tradotto nelle lingue ufficiali della Svizzera.

Romansh:
Simplifitgà il text e translatà en las linguas uffizialas da la Svizra.


New title: MakeMaking English anOne of the Official LanguageLanguages into SwitzerlandComplement Switzerland’s Multilingual Heritage

Neue Begründung:

SwitzerlandEnglish:The motivation for this petition is anot globalto hubreplace forlocal business,languages, education,but andto tourism. English is the international language of commerce and academia, widely used in workplaces and universities across the country. Recognizingadd English as anone of the official languagelanguages to complement the existing ones. Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romansh will remain essential parts of Swiss identity. Official recognition of English would enhancebring Switzerland’smultiple benefits: enhanced global competitiveness, easeimproved integrationeducation and career opportunities, better tourism and emergency services, and increased inclusivity for expatriates,foreign andresidents. improveIt’s accessa tostep towards aligning Switzerland with a globalized world while preserving its rich multilingual heritage.

German:Das Ziel dieser Petition ist es nicht, die lokalen Sprachen zu ersetzen, sondern Englisch als eine der Amtssprachen hinzuzufügen, um die bestehenden Sprachen zu ergänzen. Schweizerdeutsch, Französisch, Italienisch und Rätoromanisch bleiben wesentliche Bestandteile der Schweizer Identität. Die offizielle Anerkennung von Englisch würde zahlreiche Vorteile bringen: erhöhte globale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, bessere Bildungs- und Berufsmöglichkeiten, verbesserten Tourismus und Notfalldienste sowie mehr Inklusion für ausländische Einwohner. Es ist ein Schritt, die Schweiz mit einer globalisierten Welt in Einklang zu bringen und gleichzeitig ihr reiches mehrsprachiges Erbe zu bewahren.

French:Cette pétition n’a pas pour objectif de remplacer les langues locales, mais d’ajouter l’anglais comme langue officielle pour compléter celles existantes. Le suisse allemand, le français, l’italien et le romanche resteront des éléments essentiels de l’identité suisse. La reconnaissance officielle de l’anglais apporterait de nombreux avantages : compétitivité mondiale accrue, meilleures opportunités éducatives et professionnelles, amélioration du tourisme et des services ford’urgence, theet internationalplus community.grande inclusivité pour les résidents étrangers. C’est une étape pour aligner la Suisse avec un monde globalisé tout en préservant son riche patrimoine multilingue.

Italian:La motivazione di questa petizione non è quella di sostituire le lingue locali, ma di aggiungere l’inglese come una delle lingue ufficiali per integrare quelle esistenti. Il tedesco svizzero, il francese, l’italiano e il romancio rimarranno parti essenziali dell’identità svizzera. Il riconoscimento ufficiale dell’inglese apporterebbe numerosi vantaggi: maggiore competitività globale, migliori opportunità educative e professionali, miglioramento del turismo e dei servizi di emergenza, e maggiore inclusività per i residenti stranieri. È un passo per allineare la Svizzera al mondo globalizzato, preservando al contempo il suo ricco patrimonio multilingue.

Romansh:La finamira da questa petiziun n’è betg da remplazzar las linguas localas, mabain da agiuntar l’englais sco ina da las linguas uffizialas per cumplementar quellas existentas. Il tudestg svizzer, il franzos, l’italian ed il rumantsch restan parts essenzialas da l’identitad svizra. Il renconuschiment uffizial da l’englais purtass numerus avantatgs: pli gronda cumpetitivitad globala, meglras schanzas d’educaziun e da carriera, meglierament dal turissem e dals servetschs d’urgenza, ed ina inclusivitad augmentada per ils abitants estras. Igl è in pass per allinear la Svizra cun in mund globalisà, preservond sia ritga patrimoni plurilingua.