Switzerland (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette)

Culture Shock! adds two new "At Your Door" city lifestyle guides and one new country guide. The release of more Revised and Expanded Culture Shock! country editions continues with thirty-one now available. With over 1.5 million copies sold worldwide, the Culture Shock! brand name is recognized as the leading reference source for international customs and etiquette.

 (7 customer reviews)

I won't mince words: This book is AWFUL! Hoping to find the Swiss equivalent to the excellent "Culture Shock! France" edition, I was extremely disappointed. The France book does exactly what it should, it gives some helpful clues to getting along with the French and understanding their reasoning, so that your interactions with them, both business and personal, will go smoothly, without cultural differences causing unnecessary conflict. The Swiss edition is terrible. Rather than offer helpful, insider tips to the Swiss mind, the author gives you an autobiographical account of her first year of life in Switzerland. If you picked up this book, it's because you're curious about the culture and lifestyle of the Swiss, including how to get along with them, and how to think like a Swiss. Unfortunately, the author herself is a NOVICE to Switzerland and its people, making her as ignorant about the country as the average Joe! Sure, through time she may pick up on a few...Read more

As other revierws mention, this book is not an explanation of Swiss culture but rather an autobiography of the author. This is very disappointing, because I've read other culture shock books which were a thousand times better.Then, this book is completely outdated because of the things she is talking of (company names change over time!). She mentiones that the PTT have been split into the Post and Swisscom, however "PTT" is seen all over the book. Why not just say "the post office"?Since the author lived in French part of Switzerland, the focus is only on this and not on the bigger German part. The translation of some words are just plain wrong. She says the butchers shop is a "Fleischerladen". This is completely wrong, in Switzerland you will never find this word. It's called "Metzgerei".I'm from Switzerland and before offering this book as a gift I had to read it. But it's useless. Another book might be much better. Still looking...Read more

You'll learn more about the author and her problems, especially with modifiers, than you'll learn about Switzerland. Any Swiss student who completes Gymnasium studies can write better English. The publishers of this series should pulp the book ASAP. They have a good concept, but clearly didn't edit the book.