Swedes are known for their “lagom” mindset, which essentially means “everything in moderation.” This concept of maintaining a good balance infuses every aspect of Swedish culture – including the home, workplace, government, and even their sense of humor!
This cultural phenomenon is also evident in written language. Just consider that Swedes prefer marketing that’s clear and fact-oriented. None of that flowery speech, please!
That’s why hiring a professional English-Swedish translator is so essential. Cultural nuances like “lagom” can make or break the success of your business text. An experienced linguist ensures that the rich culture of your target market is well-conveyed and honored.
Doing so isn’t just a matter of being accurate – cultural nuance is key to staying authentic and building deeper connections with your audience. In this article, we’ll explore the role of professional English-Swedish translators in preserving cultural context.
The Importance of Cultural Nuance in Translation
Cultural nuance can be difficult to define. Often we see it best when the translation fails to capture certain cultural norms or sensitivities. For example, a translation that doesn’t account for cultural context may lead to:
- Misunderstandings or even offensive language
- Expensive errors and legal disputes
- Reputational damage
One Swedish example of this is when IKEA launched its “Fartfull” workbench. While “fartfull” means simply “speedy” in Swedish, the translator involved clearly didn’t consider the laughable context of “fart” for English speakers.
In this case, the result was rather humorous and likely didn’t impact IKEA’s reputation too much. However, cultural misunderstandings like these can be extremely serious and costly. (Just consider that HSBC spent $10 million correcting a poorly translated slogan!)
Hiring a professional translator ensures that all cultural implications are considered, reducing your liability. In turn, this helps your business achieve stronger ties with your audience.
Different Types of Cultural Nuance in Swedish Translations
What exactly does cultural nuance look like in practice? Here are some common types of Swedish cultural context that your professional English-Swedish translator must handle.
1. Idioms and Expressions
Idioms are notoriously tricky to translate and usually can’t be literally conveyed. A professional translator knows how to capture the essence of these cultural expressions and avoid misunderstandings.
For example, the Swedish phrase “Skita i det blå skåpet” literally says “You’ve pooped in the blue cupboard.” It means that you’ve really messed up or done something stupid. Just imagine the potential issues of mistranslation with this phrase!
Idiom translation is especially important since Swedes have a generous sense of humor and enjoy lots of wordplay. You’ll want a professional with great knowledge of Swedish culture on your side.
2. Cultural Values
Next, Sweden has its own cultural identity. We’ve already mentioned the “lagom” mindset, but there’s so much more that goes into cultural values. These values may even shift depending on your specific target market within Sweden.
It’s vital to understand certain taboos, etiquette, and ways of doing things. For example, Swedes highly value transparency. If you’re undergoing a marketing campaign, for example, it’s key to understand that using embellished language, complex fine print, or content behind a paywall would turn off Swedish audiences.
3. Regional Variation and Dialects
Every language has its unique variations. Even though the Swedish language is concentrated in Sweden and Nordic countries, it’s still quite diverse. For example, at least six different dialects of Swedish have been studied.
What’s more, you’ll want to tailor your Swedish language according to your ideal market. This isn’t just geographical. If you’re targeting young Swedish professionals, your business text should use typical speech and trends for this group.
4. Tones and Registers
Cultural nuance also entails understanding diverse tones within the language. Getting the tone wrong means that the brand voice is distorted in translation.
Consider the wonderfully irreverent Swedish brand Oatly. It’s dry, humorous, and millennial-focused. (A true masterclass in well-crafted content!) Any translator working on materials like this would have to perceive:
- Formal vs. informal registers
- Unique ways of addressing the audience
- The tone of voice (serious vs. sarcastic, etc.)
- Sense of humor
5. Historic and Social Context
Translating cultural context also depends greatly on understanding important historical events and cultural icons. Often references to people or movements can be vital to translate correctly.
Of course, this goes beyond just knowing that ABBA originated in Sweden. It’s important to know the social context of this country, including:
- Horizontal leadership: Sweden is listed within the top 5 most democratic countries (along with Norway and Finland).
- Political neutrality: Sweden hasn’t engaged in war since 1814 and maintains a reputation of staying neutral in global conflicts.
- Strong sense of transparency: Sweden passed the Freedom of the Press Act in 1776, becoming the 1st country in the world to protect freedom of the press by law.
- Sustainability-focused: Swedes are keen on staying eco-friendly and recycle 99% of local waste.
6. Typical Online Behaviors
Finally, cultural nuance today also involves the way people utilize technology in their day-to-day lives. It’s worth understanding how your target market consumes content so that you can customize it accordingly.
On the whole, Swedes are quite tech-savvy. (After all, Stockholm is considered the #2 Silicon Valley worldwide!) At 70%, the vast majority of Swedes shop on their cell phones. This means that translation of online materials should be mobile-first and be organized into bite-sized texts.
The Role of Pro Translators in Creating Cultural Nuance
Achieving cultural nuance is crucial to avoiding costly blunders and creating stronger connections with your target market. The best way to ensure culturally attuned translation is to hire a professional.
A seasoned English-Swedish translator has the full-range of skills necessary to build cultural authenticity, including:
- Linguistic expertise
- Knowledge of cultural context
- Adherence to brand voice
- Strong writing craft
- QA controls
As you can imagine, cultural nuance isn’t something that can be recreated by machine/AI translation. For optimal results, you’ll need somebody with deep industry experience and cultural ties.
The Value of Preserving Cultural Nuance in Translation
Preserving cultural nuance isn’t just a nice-to-have. As you expand to new targets, you must have an English-Swedish professional at your side to maximize your texts.
Trust me to handle any of your culturally nuanced translation needs. I have 20 years of experience and a sterling track record of crafting English-Swedish translations. Check out my client portfolio and case studies to get a sense of my expertise and reach out today!
Check Also:
- 7 Reasons You Need a Professional For Your English to Swedish Translations
- Swedish Culture 101: Holidays, Key Facts, Typical Traits & More
- Don’t Let Cultural Ignorance Ruin Your Perfectly Good Translation (and Brand!)
- 5 “Odd” Features of Swedish Business Culture That Actually Make Sense
- Fun Swedish Words Absent From the English Language
- Localization Best Practices For the Swedish Market
