Looking to launch your product in Sweden?
Before you try to win over Swedish customers, it’s essential for you to understand how Swedish localization is unique from other markets.
Compared to other regions in the world, Swedes are quite internet-savvy (with 95% regular internet usage) and have high expectations for user experience and brand transparency. Even the way they search and shop online is extremely specific, which means your brand must cover all your bases.
To successfully break into the Swedish market, here are eight best practices to craft digital-first and user-oriented English-Swedish localization. By following these steps, your company will have a better grasp on how to capture new Swedish customers.
8 Best Practices for English-Swedish Localization
1. Create an early, robust localization strategy
Your brand should plan ahead with a Swedish localization strategy for best results. So often companies leave localization as a last step for a product launch. Ideally, localization should be incorporated early into the content creation process, so that it can be completed in tandem with original language materials.
In addition, your strategy should include preparing key information for Swedish linguists, including a style guide, SEO checklist, localization workflow, etc.
2. Complete UX and SEO research for Sweden
Your team should also complete UX research for the Swedish users you’re targeting. Cultural differences have a huge impact on the way users browse and shop online. Don’t make assumptions! Instead, test often and iterate your product as needed.
In addition, a professional English-Swedish translator (like me!) can complete SEO research to align content with how users search for your products. Your Swedish SEO strategy should be created by native linguists who know how Swedes actually look up information online.
3. Make your strategy mobile-first
According to user trends, Swedes do the majority of their browsing and purchasing on mobile. For this reason, your localization strategy should be specifically tailored for mobile, so that Swedes have a seamless experience on their cell phones. For example, you’ll want to focus on how your product page displays on mobile and test it on the most common devices.
4. Be candid and informal with language
In general, Swedes aren’t fond of fluffy content. They prefer candid, informal language that gets to the point.
To that end, your English-Swedish linguist should use informal forms (such as “du”) and straightforward language. Avoiding flowery or formal language can go a long way toward building a productive relationship with Swedish customers.
5. Incorporate cultural values and visuals
What’s more, Swedes value transparency more than other regions. To cater to their cultural values, you’ll want to avoid exaggerated claims and/or products behind a paywall. Any click-bait headlines are also a no-go for Swedish customers.
Be cautious about the visuals you include, too. The icons, images, and colors you select should reflect Swedish cultural values, such as equality, sustainability, and “lagom” (not too much, not too little).
6. Check your formatting conventions
Next, you’ll want to take a careful look at your formatting for Swedish. A key element of localization is ensuring that formatting follows users’ expectations. For Swedish, this may include:
- Naming conventions with proper Swedish letters (i.e. Björn not Bjorn)
- Date and time conventions (24-hour clock, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.)
- Telephone and address structure
- Currency and number format
Think with Google has put together an extensive guide to Swedish formatting for localization, which you can check out for in-depth instructions.
7. Be careful about space planning
Keep in mind that Swedish typically takes up 10-15% less space compared to English. This means you should plan for your interfaces to have more white space than the English version. To get the optimal user experience, you may need to adjust sizes and layouts.
Additionally, Swedish words can sometimes run longer than English on average, meaning that you may need to modify lines so that longer words like “affärsförhandlingar” (business negotiations) look properly positioned on the screen.
8. Leverage stakeholder feedback
Finally, localization for the Swedish market should always go through rounds of feedback with real users and stakeholders. This will help you 100% guarantee that the webpage or product is in tip-top shape. Collect feedback, iterate features, and continue the cycle to achieve the best Swedish localization in the long term.
I Can Help With Your Next English-Swedish Localization Project
As a professional English-Swedish linguist with 18+ years of experience, I’m the perfect pick for your next localization project. I’m well-versed in Swedish culture, digital formats, SEO research, and more, and can achieve user-oriented localization for your Swedish product launch.
Learn more about my English-Swedish localization experience by checking out my client portfolio and case studies, and get in touch today!
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