I have always been sympathetic toward students and families who enter our community from another country, especially if they speak another language. Now, however, my first-hand experience of living in another country has opened my eyes to just how many challenges families and students may face. 

In the past when I traveled to other countries where I did not know the language I carried a translation dictionary with me or tried to translate and write down what I wanted to say to people before I left on an adventure, knowing that I was only staying for a short period of time. We are now temporary residents of Switzerland, however, and need some sense of the language to get by every day. 

Four languages are spoken in Switzerland. I took this fact for granted before I left home. But imagine this, imagine that you drove to Albany and the main language spoken was French. Now, imagine that you drove to Syracuse and the main language spoken was Italian. Finally, imagine you drove into the Adirondacks and the main language spoken was Romanche (a new language all to itself). Add German and Swiss German (very different from German) into the mix and you get a sense of the language situation in Switzerland. 

The language spoken by Swiss residents in Zurich is Swiss German. However, there is no written form of Swiss German so one must learn it by hearing it. German is the accepted written language. English is being taught more widely as a second language in the schools here, now. However, every day I encounter people who are not confident with their English skills or are reluctant to speak it for one reason or another. This can pose problems for us. For instance, two days ago my daughter (henceforth known as X) and I traveled by tram to an ice skating rink. I had jotted down the walking directions from the tram stop to the rink. However, I did not see the name of the road I needed on a nearby street sign. Three attempts to ask for assistance failed because the people I approached did not speak English. Even my attempts to model the skatin motion were not understood. We continued heading in a certain direction hoping that it was the right way. Thankfully, it was. Turning around after walking for several minutes and heading in another direction is not really fun for a five-year-old. 

X is attending a school in which Swiss German is spoken. One teacher speaks English well and one student in her class of about 15 speaks English, too. The transition was harder than we had expected for X. She is a sensitive child and not being able to know what was going on nor being able to communicate with others has been a challenge for her. Fortunately, the parents of the student who speaks English invited us to their apartment for a play date and to answer questions we may have had. This welcoming gesture really made a difference in helping us get off to a good start. 

I study German for 30 minutes to an hour at home each day with the help of a free app called Duolingo. While I am picking up some vocabulary words and the sound of some phrases, I feel enrolling in a class and interacting with others might be more beneficial, although more time consuming, too.