Find a language tandem at Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (SFISM)

SFISM is based in Magglingen at 900 metres above sea level, near Biel/Bienne. According to the location information updated in January 2026, most lectures, seminars and conferences take place in the main building and the Lärchenplatz building, while practical sports education and most performance diagnostics take place at Federal Office of Sport FOSPO facilities. Study, training, laboratory work and short journeys between facilities can therefore all form part of the same working day.

In 2025, 291 students were enrolled across SFISM’s three degree programmes. The institution’s official language statistics list German, French, Italian and other languages. Adding SFISM to your Sprachtandem.ch profile can make that multilingual setting easier to navigate: you can search specifically for profiles from the same institution and look for somebody who understands Magglingen timetables, the journey from Biel/Bienne and the vocabulary of sports science.

Sprachtandem.ch is an independent platform, not an official SFISM service, and the institution does not verify the affiliation entered in a profile.

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Why find a language exchange partner within SFISM?

SFISM is devoted exclusively to sport across degree programmes and continuing education, applied research, development and services. That gives a tandem conversation material that can move quickly beyond generic small talk. Training planning, health promotion, sports management, teaching, performance diagnostics and elite sport can become practical conversation topics linked to current coursework or professional tasks.

• Practise specialist terms through examples that both partners recognise from seminars, projects, research or sports practice.
• Move deliberately between academic language and everyday speech, for example by rehearsing a French presentation and then discussing it informally in German.
• Attach a short meeting to a day in the main building or at Lärchenplatz; during block courses or travel to other sports locations, keep the routine going online.
• Combine language practice with orientation: incoming students and people new to SFISM can also learn how study, training and mobility fit together in Magglingen.

For a clear explanation of the format and a fair division of speaking time, read What is a language tandem?.

New: Add your university or higher education institution to your profile

Enter SFISM as your institution in your profile. You can then filter the search for profiles from the same institution. At a compact, specialised institute in Magglingen, this makes it easier to spot people whose attendance days, travel patterns and sports-science interests may fit your own.

The institution filter is a useful starting point, not a guarantee of a good match. Check which language each person offers and wants to practise, their learning goal, level and availability. New to the platform? Create profile. For practical help with an existing login or profile, see Your Sprachtandem.ch-Account.

How to search within your university or higher education institution

1. Add SFISM to your existing profile, or create a profile if you are joining Sprachtandem.ch for the first time.
2. Select the language you offer and the language you want to learn or speak more confidently. German and French are particularly relevant in the SFISM study environment.
3. Filter the search by SFISM so that you can review profiles linked to the same institution.
4. Compare learning goals, level, interests and availability rather than choosing on institutional affiliation alone. Finding the Ideal Language Exchange Partner gives you a useful checklist.
5. Make contact and arrange an online conversation or a first meeting in a public, well-frequented place, such as around the Magglingen funicular station or in Biel/Bienne. Follow the guidance on how to Keep Sprachtandem.ch safe.

Find tandems

German and French between Magglingen and Fribourg

Language patterns differ across SFISM’s programmes. The Master of Science in Sports Sciences is offered in collaboration with the University of Fribourg. In SFISM’s 2025 language statistics, 53 of the 83 students in this programme were listed under French and 30 under German. In the Elite Sports Master’s programme, 54 of 62 were listed under German, 5 under French and 3 under Italian. For the 2026–2028 Elite Sports Master’s programme, SFISM names German and French as teaching languages.

A tandem can turn that distribution into a concrete study routine. Discuss a training analysis in French, then summarise the main conclusions in German. Rehearse the language of a presentation, a research abstract or a conversation with a sports organisation. The categories in the annual-report graphic are labelled “language”; they should not be interpreted as a complete record of mother tongues. For wider national context, see These are the languages spoken in Switzerland.

Who can benefit from a language tandem at SFISM?

A SFISM tandem is especially useful when language practice should connect directly with study, research or work rather than sit apart from it.

• Bachelor’s students can explain sports-science foundations, case tasks and presentations in a second language.
• Students in the joint Master of Science in Sports Sciences can prepare for academic discussions across the German- and French-speaking study environment.
• Elite Sports Master’s students can build vocabulary for training science, leadership and sports management.
• Incoming and outgoing students can develop speaking confidence before or after a mobility period and make contacts in the SFISM environment.
• Researchers, staff, continuing-education participants and people involved in coach education can prepare professional discussions, short inputs and international contacts.

Once you have agreed on a goal, Make the Most of Your Practice Session helps you structure speaking time, corrections and role changes.

Start your language tandem at SFISM

The main building, Lärchenplatz and the short funicular journey between Magglingen and its lower station in Biel/Bienne create realistic windows for regular conversations. Start with one small, measurable aim: speak freely about a research project for ten minutes, explain elite-sport terminology without switching language, or manage an everyday conversation in French.

Then add SFISM to your profile and look for somebody whose languages, learning goal and weekly rhythm suit your life at the institute. A shared institution gives you context; a clear agreement on timing, topics and feedback turns that context into steady progress.

Find tandems