Language

Few subjects are so intertwined with the fabric of Switzerland as language—nor have such power to unite or divide us. Whether you grew up in this linguistically complex nation or you’re experiencing it as one of the some 1.6 million foreigners living here, this section is dedicated to providing materials to aid those who want to improve their English, as well as resources for expats who want to learn the national languages — — — — >

Improve your English: Read along with WRS
Whenever scripts are available with our feature stories, we’ll publish them here:

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Dealing with Egypt's forgotten refugees

Dealing with Egypt's forgotten refugees
Friday, 9 March, 2012While much attention was focused on North Africa during the so-called Arab Spring, some effects of revolution were not so obvious. In Egypt, for example, refugees from Libya flooded over the border after a civil war and the death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. However, Egypt also sees refugees from other parts of Africa. Dealing with it day to day is the UN’s Refugee Agency, the UNHCR. WRS’s Tony Ganzer went to the UNHCR office outside Cairo to hear how things are going:

Egypt's 'people have changed, the government hasn't'

Egypt's 'people have changed, the government hasn't'
Friday, 9 March, 2012Before leaving Cairo, WRS’s Tony Ganzer gathers the views of people across various sectors in Egypt, including those with organizations headquartered in Switzerland, to find out whether they think the country is on the right course:

Streets of Cairo less secure, but still a comfort

Streets of Cairo less secure, but still a comfort
Thursday, 8 March, 2012Zurich social worker Hamed Selim has been in Switzerland more than 20 years. He is a Swiss-Egyptian, but says he still feels more Egyptian than Swiss, despite having a Swiss wife and children who have grown up here. WRS’s Tony Ganzer returned to Cairo with Selim, who takes us on a tour of his hometown as he surveys for himself how the revolution has changed it:

A bird's eye view of Egypt's revolution

A bird's eye view of Egypt's revolution
Wednesday, 7 March, 2012Swiss-Egyptian social worker Hamed Selim lives in Zurich. He’s been here for over two decades now, but still goes back to support his family in Cairo with money and anything else they might need. This time his return comes more than one year after the country’s revolution. WRS’s Tony Ganzer heads with Selim to the roof of a building near Tahrir square where his family still lives, wih a bird’s eye view of the revolution:

Back home again in revolutionary Cairo

Back home again in revolutionary Cairo
Tuesday, 6 March, 2012Imagine you’ve been living in Switzerland for more than 20 years, when news breaks that a revolution is underway in your home country—and only steps away from where your family is still living. That’s what happened to Zurich social worker Hamed Selim. A little over a year later, WRS’s Tony Ganzer returns with him to Cairo, to Tahrir Square, the heart of the revolution, and discovers that the people have taken the square back for themselves:

'We don't know who is manipulating whom' in Egypt

'We don't know who is manipulating whom' in Egypt
Monday, 5 March, 2012More than a year after Egypt’s revolution, the country is still finding its footing. Millions of Egyptians flooded into Cairo’s Tahrir square in January 2011, and subsequently all over the country, pressuring President Hosni Mubarak to step down. Since then, Egypt has been ruled by a controversial military council, and streets have sometimes been filled with violent clashes between security forces and protesters unhappy with the regime. Before heading to Cairo for a look at the situation on the ground, WRS’s Tony Ganzer stopped by a restaurant in Zurich where Swiss-Egyptians gather each week and found a group unanimously unsettled by politics and unrest in what used to be home:

Kandersteg back in business after severe flooding

Kandersteg back in business after severe flooding
Wednesday, 23 November, 2011Just over a month after devastating floods caused millions of francs worth of damage in the Bernese Oberland and upper Valais region, the Swiss army has announced its support mission has finished. Severe damage costs and a lack of communication with some communities worried tourists and locals. Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland was particularly badly affected. But the town is now eager for tourists to return. WRS’s Tony Ganzer reports on how the area is faring after the floods:

ABE: Chemical-free packaging won't come cheap

ABE: Chemical-free packaging won't come cheap
Thursday, 15 September, 2011The Consumer Show continues its investigation into potentially dangerous chemical migration from packaging into our foods. This week the team looks at what’s being done to combat it—and the solutions currently on the table are not terribly satisfying. Regular inspections and media attention have gotten some of the worst offenders pulled from store shelves on a case-by-case basis, but more comprehensive solutions are generally seen as too impractical or too pricey:

Zurich officials green light drive-in sex boxes

Zurich officials green light drive-in sex boxes
Wednesday, 14 September, 2011Plans to build drive-in sex boxes in Zurich to allow prostitutes to conduct their businesses more discreetly got the go ahead from the city parliament on Wednesday night. It’s part of a package of measures which the city government announced earlier this summer to regulate street prostitution. WRS’s Vincent Landon had this report just ahead of the vote:

ABE gets rolling with electric bikes

ABE gets rolling with electric bikes
Thursday, 1 September, 2011Our new consumer show, an English translation of TSR’s popular TV programme A Bon Entendeur, kicks off with a report on electric bicycles—from the advantages climbing up those steep Swiss hills and whizzing through gridlocked city streets to one big inherent danger: speed. Plus the winners and losers as the team tests 13 e-bikes available on the market. Download/Print Test Results (PDF)

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