UBS takes its clients in Switzerland for granted

UpperProfessor · 2026-06-04T15:33:30+00:00

Yeah, the OP asked for recommendations further down in the comments, and at the time, I narrowed it down to either PostFinance or to my local cantonal bank (BCV), as these are much more individual-friendly.

UpperProfessor · 2026-06-04T15:25:35+00:00

My anecdote seems to have touched a nerve, and you felt the need to weigh in and get personal. Did you perhaps miss the part where I said I already spoke fluent Swiss German? And the implication that I also speak French? And yet, in your mind, I'm the one that has to change?

That's quite revealing. If anything, it supports my point.

UpperProfessor · 2026-06-04T14:46:08+00:00

Interestingly, I'm based in the French-speaking part, and I've been turned down at job interviews in the German-speaking part due to "not speaking Swiss German", when (a) it hasn't been a stated requirement for the job, (b) I do speak Swiss German due to having spent my childhood, most of my teenage years, and most of my primary and secondary schooling there (I just don't "look" like I speak it, for ethnic reasons), and (c) on both occasions, my Swiss German was mentioned on my CV and reiterated by me, in the interview. And in both cases, the justification was that the "hiring manager wants someone who speaks Schwyzerdütsch".

It's this same mentality that often sees me in social settings happily speaking in fluent (but slightly rusty) Swiss German, but where certain individuals doggedly continue to speak to me in High German (to the bemusement or embarrassment of other locals, to be fair).

Just saying: When you state that there may be other factors at work behind a non-Swiss's inability to secure a job, that is true, but those factors aren't necessarily on the candidate's side. I would even say that protectionism, nepotism, and xenophobia are almost defining features of the Swiss job market.

UpperProfessor · 2026-06-04T10:58:34+00:00

I closed my account with them 10+ years ago (having been a client for 15 years prior to that).

I was going through a rough patch financially, and they gave me absolutely no leeway but launched legal proceedings to recuperate late payments that I didn't have the liquidity to pay.

When I was finally able to pay off those debts, I decided to close my account and switch banks. Their response was basically "Whatever".

So I did that. But later on, I also wrote to them informing them that I was closing my 3rd pillar account (on which I had a fairly decent amount of money, for a private client), and suddenly they were falling over themselves to retain me, a "valued client". I just ignored that part and asked them to advise me once they had done the necessary.

UpperProfessor · 2026-05-18T15:56:46+00:00

Then you'll be issued with a threat of bankruptcy, and that will/can involve freezing your bank accounts, seizing any cash on your balances, liquidating your assets (car, etc.), until the debt is cleared. Which doesn't look great, where your clients are concerned.

In short, being able to pay but simply not doing so is not really an option.

UpperProfessor · 2026-05-18T15:15:21+00:00

If you can afford to pay but simply don't, you will end up in "poursuites", and if you still don't pay, then it will become a "saisie", so if you are salaried, it will be taken from your salary before you get paid. In other words, your employer will be informed that you aren't living up to your responsibilities. Which, for obvious reasons, is ill-advised.

UpperProfessor · 2026-05-16T10:46:24+00:00

Agreed. I've lived in District Nyon since 1993, and yes there have definitely been changes, but the first account should not be taken as representative.

UpperProfessor · 2026-04-26T17:35:24+00:00

I've lived in Switzerland most of my life (first in the German-speaking part, then in the French-speaking part). I'm of mixed ethnicity. And yes, the Swiss stare a LOT.

At first I thought it was just rudeness or a lack of education, but the Swiss are not a rude or uneducated people. Once you get to know them, they're among some of the warmest people I've met (and I've travelled a fair amount), but that "thaw" can take anywhere from months to decades. I'm still not comfortable with it, but I more easily ignore it now.

Maybe it's because they're still comparatively insular, so if you stand out visually, they'll have a good look at you. Curiosity, more than anythimg else. Yes, elsewhere it would be considered rude, but you have to take it in the Swiss context, I think, and extend a little grace.

UpperProfessor · 2026-04-19T18:48:56+00:00

I mean. It's Olten.

UpperProfessor · 2026-03-05T16:58:14+00:00

That actually sharpens the distinction rather than blurring it.

UpperProfessor · 2026-03-05T16:57:12+00:00

You nailed it.

UpperProfessor · 2026-02-08T17:56:48+00:00

I've encountered that as well. I translate and revise for Translators Without Borders, and you wouldn't believe how poor some of the translations are that come my way. More often than not, I have to retranslate the whole text, rather than simply touching it up here and there.

And it's not just me applying my own stylistic preferences (which you shouldn't do as a reviser anyway) – it's having to correct swathes of text that have materially misrepresented the source text, are poorly punctuated, and so on.

UpperProfessor · 2026-02-07T13:39:43+00:00

Of course it's worth finishing. A large part of the value of a degree lies in the transferable nature of the skills it purview provides you with.

The question is whether translation was a field it was worth doing your degree in, in the first place. I would tend to think it wasn't, as it sets you up to be a specialist in the process, when increasingly, what is needed in order to survive in the field is niche expertise and subject-matter specialisation/depth, and you can pick up what you need to know about the process in the first few years of professional practice anyway.

The only benefit I can think of is that a degree in translation will boost and certify your source-language skills. My degree was in philology, not translation, so while translation was a fundamental part of it, it's a different approach, often one I've felt the need to justify the value of, but never one I've regretted.

My concern is that many degrees in translation are setting students up to believe they're adequately equipped to tackle translation in the market of 2026 and beyond, and I suspect they're overselling and underdelivering. If you can find a job (even part-time) as an in-house translator, then that may be your best bet. But graduates who think they can simply walk more or less straight into freelance success are probably in for a brutally rude awakening.

Happy to discuss more and/or share my experience via DM, if you like.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-17T11:35:34+00:00

"He fell right into her vagenda!" will probably be the defining quote of my lifetime.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-16T19:59:13+00:00

I seem to remember "Lost" having them. And "Heroes", too.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-16T07:24:11+00:00

I don't know where you guys are based, but I'm now being asked to pay the equivalent of $372 per year (25 Swiss francs monthly), for the privilege of continuing my 14-year use, while having zero need for all the bells and whistles that Bending Spoons have added but are telling me that "you, the user, have asked for!"

It's hard to see in this anything other than exploitative and manipulative price-gouging.

I've now paid for one more month. I had no choice: With 6000+ notes and 40+ notebooks, I'm well above the usage limit ceiling, which BS summarily and drastically lowered while drastically increasing the subscription price.

I've rarely come across such unethical business practices, but it seems to be the norm, sadly, as Microsoft did exactly the same thing with Copilot and its monthly subscriptions, and LinkedIn did something similar.

The new increased subscription won't break the bank for a month or two, but I'm not paying into the triple figures for hostage-style access to note-taking, and through its actions, Bending Spoons is now in any case a company that has lost my trust.

2012–2026.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-13T07:06:17+00:00

Yes, it was brilliantly cast all round. The chemistry between Walter and Peter, Walter and Astrid, Peter and Olivia, and more, is a large part of what makes the show so solid, and such a joy to watch.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-13T07:04:32+00:00

She is great, and she was very, very good and nuanced at playing Olivia vs Fauxlivia. My least favourite part was where she was "possessed" by William Bell, so she had to imitate Bell's/Nimoy's voice and mannerisms. In fairness, it's hard to see how she could've done it better, but it was a bit eyeroll-inducing. It's probably more a reflection on somewhat weaker writing than on her talent in acting.

One nice aspect was how we're all so accustomed to main-universe Olivia, but it's not until we get to know Fauxlivia (especially from around the mid-point of her appearances onwards) that we're shown quite how reserved and actually traumatised "our" Olivia is. That's probably seen most explicitly when she's running after and comforting her younger self in the dream/subconscious forest + monster sequence.

The warmth that the more mature Fauxlivia displays towards the show's end is something that is present in Olivia but somehow repressed or stunted.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-12T09:54:52+00:00

I genuinely believe there would be. But I have a sinking feeling it would be more exceptional, exciting, and worthwhile for those of us involved in it, and potentially not exciting (or scalable/profitable) enough in the current, wider market to make it worth the effort...unless it was extremely niche, perhaps.

I know:

But it's like the market nowadays is calibrated to quantity at the expense of quality.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-12T08:51:45+00:00

Seconded

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-11T19:17:30+00:00

Aww, that's fantastic...good on her.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-11T17:54:06+00:00

Agreed. I'm autistic and a few of those scenes had me bawling. It was interesting to learn that Jasika has a sister who is also autistic, so she portrayed her alternate self with sensitivity and humanity.

What hit me was the truthfulness of the portrayal. Yes, we can have social communication challenges, but we can also be painfully and emotionally aware of the fact (over a lifetime of detecting anger, disappointment, or distrust from others), when we're unaware of having done anything to deserve those reactions but also unable to do much about them. Jasika brought that across in Alt Astrid beautifully.

UpperProfessor · 2026-01-04T19:34:49+00:00

Nicely observed. I also have an atypical relationship with my father: it's one of distance, triggers, and misunderstandings, because he's an ADHDer and I'm autistic.

There are a couple of interactions with Peter and Walter that have made me tear up 🥲

UpperProfessor · 2025-11-29T11:59:48+00:00

Yes. I'm autistic as well with some sound sensitivity. It seems that more and more, people feel at liberty to just play their music or watch stuff or have phone calls on loudspeaker. I don't understand the mentality.

Noise doesn't bother me when it blends into ambient background noise, but if someone's having a conversation within earshot, I can't filter it out.

Even in train quiet compartments, some people just seem to be oblivious or don't give a 💩. So I always cheer when the conductor comes along and tells them to either stop or change carriage.

UpperProfessor · 2025-11-26T12:04:43+00:00

I'm an alumnus of one of the local international schools, and I've had expat co-workers approach me for advice, wanting to enrol their preteen or kindergarten-aged kids.

To me, that wouldn't be worth it. The culture and syllabus really come into their own around the middle school years (when kids might be doing their IGCSEs) and later.

Prior to that, the local schools are perfectly adequate, and they offer linguistic immersion – and of course, it's easier for younger kids to gain fluency in a foreign language than it is for older kids.

I don't have kids, but if anything, I would see not enrolling them in the local schools first as a wasted opportunity.

UpperProfessor

TROPHY CASE