Swedish in Finland

[Rosamunda]

Of course, in bi-lingual towns and cities there are from time to time some heated-up disputes and political tension between the two language groups about how to spend public money and resources on language-dependent services, especially with regarding to day care, schools, etc.

Yes, I was surprised when Pohja (a Finnish speaking community sandwiched between Karis and Ekenas on the south coast) voted in favour of the merger of those three towns (now called Raseborg, Raasepori) since the Finnish speakers of Pohja must have realised that they would henceforth be "ruled" by the Swedish speakers (who are a majority in Raseborg). It will interesting to see what happens. Pohja was a good example of a stalemate town where the mix of Finnish and Swedish speakers was so almost even that nothing much ever seemed to get through.... On the other hand.... the municipal tax decreased in Pohja on 1st Jan ´09, so I guess they can't complain too much!

[TampereOwl]

They moved a lot of the administrative services to Pohja and HBL has had letters about clerks unable to speak Swedish and so on.

I might add that the Swedish taught to Finnish-speaking Finns is almost totally useless in Sweden. The Finnish-swedish language sounds ridiculous and ugly to Swedes, although it is a bit easier to learn for foreigners unused to the camp rhythmn of Riksvenska.

[rula]

I have read somewhere that the swedish language is compulsory in the public sector in Finland as well as universities- namely it' s an essential requirement.Isn' t it right?Is the swedish language completely useless in Finland?For instance, I speak swedish. Isn' t an advantage at all for job seekers in Finland?It's hard to believe it since swedish is the second official language of Finland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rula]

I have read somewhere that the swedish language is compulsory in the public sector in Finland as well as universities- namely it' s an essential requirement.Isn' t it right?Is the swedish language completely useless in Finland?For instance, I speak swedish. Isn' t an advantage at all for job seekers in Finland?It's hard to believe it since swedish is the second official language of Finland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EP]

The Finnish-swedish language sounds ridiculous and ugly to Swedes,

I have heard the opposite.

[TampereOwl]

The Finnish-swedish language sounds ridiculous and ugly to Swedes,

I have heard the opposite.

They were being polite. You people sound like monkeys.

[Travmies]

I have read somewhere that the swedish language is compulsory in the public sector in Finland as well as universities- namely it' s an essential requirement.Isn' t it right?Is the swedish language completely useless in Finland?For instance, I speak swedish. Isn' t an advantage at all for job seekers in Finland?It's hard to believe it since swedish is the second official language of Finland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Politically, Swedish is the second language, however, in real life, without Finnish, Swedish is just for posing.

[Pursuivant]

For instance, I speak swedish. Isn' t an advantage at all for job seekers in Finland?

Unless its åland Islands or Närpes you need Finnish first, and Swedish if its a governmnet office. I've got "official certificate" I can apply for public servant jobs.

[Upphew]

For instance, I speak swedish. Isn' t an advantage at all for job seekers in Finland?It's hard to believe it since swedish is the second official language of Finland!

Knowing Swedish, but not Finnish in Finland is percentage wise (almost) same as knowing a language but not English or Spanish in USA...

[rula]

Perhaps i hadn' t clarified it well: I can speak, write, and understand finnish beyond the basics- but also i can speak, write and understand swedish.Isn' t an advantage at all if i want to seek job in Finland?(the fact that i know swedish apart from finnish).And if i want to apply for a university in Finland, won't they require to know swedish?(if i want postgraduate studies in finnish). I' ve heard that in universities finns take exams in finnish(their mother tongue) as well as swedish.

[EP]

Isn' t an advantage at all if i want to seek job in Finland?

Of course it is an advantage if the job is situated near the coastal line, anywhere between Loviisa (east, half way from Helsinki to the Russian border) and Turku. Or on the western coast between Kristiinankaupunki and Kalajoki.

And if i want to apply for a university in Finland, won't they require to know swedish?(if i want postgraduate studies in finnish). I' ve heard that in universities finns take exams in finnish(their mother tongue) as well as swedish.

No, you don´t have to know Swedish to get into university unless it is a Swedish-speaking university. But people have to pass a Swedish-test before they leave the university. That is a requirement for government jobs. Finns don´t take exams in Finnish at the university. I think you are talking about the exams people have to take in order to graduate from high school. At that point people have to take exams in languages, math, and so on. You don´t just graduate, you have to pass those exams first.

[rula]

As a european union citizen i have the right to apply for jobs in the public sector in Finland. I suppose that there i MUST be fluent in finnish AND in swedish. I guess that there Finland's goverment require a proficiency certificate in BOTH languages.Am i wrong?And what about Helsinki area?Is the swedish language spoken widely there?

[EP]

And what about Helsinki area?Is the swedish language spoken widely there?

Helsinki: 85 % Finnish-speaking, 6 % Swedish-speaking

Espoo: 85 % Finnish-speaking, 8 % Swedish-speaking

Vantaa: 89 % Finnish-speaking, 3 % Swedish-speaking

Kauniainen: 57 % Finnish-speaking, 41 % Swedish-speaking

[sammy]

Rula,

as others have already hinted at, it is not possible to give a definite answer to questions like "do I need Swedish in Finland" - since, excluding the fact that in order to fill a public office vacancy you need to have (at least theoretically) fluency in both Finnish and Swedish, ...

(now pay attention)

it all depends on where in Finland you live.

The blue areas on this map indicate that Swedish is common (or, in the darkest patches, the majority) language. (The red patches indicate lions, ostriches, hostile natives and sandstorms, as you undoubtedly know.) Elsewhere, it is relatively safe to say that you do not "need" Swedish at all in your daily life, in your job, what have you.



I hasten to say this does not mean that learning Swedish would be a bad idea. It's just that, in those "non-blue" areas, you are not likely to meet or be in contact with Swedish-speakers in your everyday life. Just as an example, I lived 10+ years in Jyväskylä, and during my time at the university... I can't remember anyone ever speaking Swedish unless they were entertaining some Swedish guests, or calling to colleagues in Sweden.

Or myself, taking those obligatory Swedish course and exam

It's different here in Helsinki, of course. Helsinki is in the "blue area", as you can see. So yes, knowing Swedish is an advantage of sorts - here.

In some areas, it is just not needed. But knowing Swedish won't hurt you either no matter where you dwell.

-

As for studying at a university - IIRC international degree students are usually exempted from the obligatory Swedish language test EP et al have mentioned.

It could be different if you enrolled in a "regular" degree programme given completely in Finnish, but I'm not sure. Such cases are relatively rare I think, so my advice concerning the degree requirements would be to contact the university and ask, instead of guessing on a forum like this...

[rula]

Sammy,thanks for your valuable information.REALLY!Undoubtedly, swedish is worth studying.Maybe the potential immigrants to Finland might have more opportunities to find a job in Sweden than in Finland. If you are a finn, please don`t get offended!But as i can read in this forum it`s so unbelievably hard for a foreigner to get a job in Finland, even if he speaks finnish quite well.