In English, Please!
Lydia Löthman, Design by Wilma Geust
America's rise as a global superpower in the 1950’s brought on a rapid anglicization of Swedish society. Just a few decades later the English language had successfully outcompeted French and German as the dominating second language and American culture revolutionized cinema, fashion and music. An accelerating world wide globalization made the new world language increasingly important in all sectors.
The trend towards greater internationalization and use of the English language has been especially significant within the education system and academia. According to a report from the Swedish language council, that made headlines in early 2022, 93 percent of all theses and articles published by Swedish universities were written in English. Likewise, around 30 percent of all courses were English speaking and an even larger percentage used English course literature. (Malmström, 2022)
English critical for competitiveness
At Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), further steps have been taken towards internationalization. Since 2020, all offered programs are held in English, on the bachelor's as well as master's levels.
Pär Åhlström, Vice President of Degree Programs at SSE, explains the switch to a course program entirely taught in English:
"Our goal has always been to be an internationally recognized business school, and this was a natural step in that direction".
A high degree of internationalization is also valued by several accreditation agencies and ranking institutes. This played a pivotal role in influencing the decision.
"Internationalization is an especially important criterion for the EQUIS accreditation", Åhlström explains.
Every year since 2020, the number of international students at SSE has increased. In the fall of 2023, almost a third of the newly admitted bachelor students in Business and Economics held a non-Swedish passport. In the long-term perspective, the objective is to achieve a student body composition in which international students constitute 50 percent.
Åhlström is happy with the change and believes that the international admission attracts better students to the university:
"When we compare the grade statistics of international and Swedish master students, we actually see that the international students often perform better."
Åhlström also believes that a high degree of internationalization appeals to the very best Swedish students:
"We know that many Swedish students want to study in an international environment, so the transition was necessary to maintain competitiveness."
A strong international profile can also be a way of attracting skilled workers and strengthening Sweden’s competitiveness, argues Åhlström. Statistics show that a large number of master students at SSE choose to stay in the country to work after their studies.
"Over 40 percent of our international master students stay in Sweden after graduation", he says.
A delicate balance
The spread of the English language within and beyond academia has largely been cheered on by the Swedish state who continues to promote internationalization in schools and industry. However, not everyone shares the enthusiasm.
In December 2022, a large number of Swedish academics and authors co-signed an open letter in which they encouraged the government to safeguard the Swedish language and its status within the school system. The letter references the Swedish language law (2009:600 §6), stating that the public sector has a responsibility to promote and develop the usage of Swedish.
Åhlström however, does not recognize that SSE has such a responsibility.
"Our mission is to supply Sweden with talent, no matter where it comes from, and we believe that we do this best by offering an international education in English."
In addition, SSE is a privately owned business school and is hence generally exempt from demands placed on the public sector.
But even within the faculty at SSE, there are critical voices.
Anders Liljenberg is an associate professor in marketing and strategy, and he is one of the few teachers at SSE who still conduct lessons in Swedish.
“I think it is excellent that we accept international students into our programs, but if I only have Swedish speaking students in my classroom I think it is ridiculous that we still have to speak English”, he says.
Liljenberg explains that he lets the students choose the language they would like to speak at the start of every new course, which is usually highly appreciated.
“The students really appreciate the opportunity to speak their mother tongue”, he says and continues:
“I think that all Swedes need to practice their first language more. It has an important culture-bearing feature which is at risk of disappearing”.
Studies have also shown that Swedish students generally struggle with courses taught in English. A study published in January 2023 from Örebro university, showed that over a third of the interviewed students have a hard time with the course literature, and a majority asserts that they read slower in English than in Swedish. (Eriksson, 2022)
To Åhlströms knowledge, this has not been a big issue at SSE.
"I understand that course literature in English could be a difficulty for some students, but it is not something that we have noticed in general."
Despite some critical voices, the process of internationalization is set to be continued at SSE, as the school continues striving towards its goal of fifty percent international students. The debate surrounding language choice in academia highlights the delicate balance between promoting internationalization and safeguarding linguistic heritage, a challenge many nations and universities are grappling with in today's increasingly globalized society.
Studies referenced in the text:
Malmström, Hans & Pecorari, Diane. 2022. Språkval och internationalisering. Swedish language council.
Eriksson, Linda. 2022. Student Preparedness for Reading Academic Texts in English at Swedish Universities. Örebro University.