Anders Hagström

English as teaching language on Master’s, maybe even on Bachelor’s level, is among the themes that have been debated in the ETH 2020 web log. Some of the contributions have been very sceptical, voicing concern about faculty members not speaking the language fluently, students from other language areas being disadvantaged, etc.

It is not surprising that the topic has raised discussion. Having grown up as a member of a language minority (Swedish in Finland), I appreciate that language is an essential aspect of every person’s identity. Language is a fundamental, emotional issue. But in Finland, even the majority language (Finnish) isn’t exactly a major global tongue. So Finns wanting to communicate with 99.9% of the world have to use a foreign language. Maybe growing up in such a “double-minority” environment, helps to put the emotional into perspective and focus on the practical aspects of the language issue.

Firstly, language is a tool for communication. In a multilingual environment, a rational language choice is based on the audience. You speak or write the language in which you can reach the largest group of people. As ETH Zurich wants to internationalize its graduate programmes, there is no question that this language is English.

Also another aspect seems obvious: when English is the language of instruction it becomes part of the educational experience. Students spending their young years at ETH Zurich are here to learn, to prepare for a profession. They should reasonably expect that they will acquire whatever knowledge and skills they will need in their future careers. And in today’s interconnected world, intercultural skills and proficiency in English are basic skills, key factors of any engineer’s or scientist’s employability.

Of course, Swiss students who have learnt two, maybe even three national languages at secondary school, and English on top of that, can’t be expected to be fluent in all of them. But if they haven’t mastered English by the stage they reach graduate study, it is high time that they do. It will certainly not become any easier later on.

I do not mean to suggest that all ETH graduates should expect to work exclusively in English. Some may even spend their whole professional life in a protected national setting. And some may find themselves later wishing that they had learnt, for example, Spanish. Or Chinese.

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