6 Keys to Localizing Your Software from English to Swedish
As you prepare your English to Swedish localization strategy, here are some key points to ensure a flawless software launch in Swedish.
Etikett: english to swedish translation
Fun Swedish Words Absent from the English Language
What English takes a sentence to say, other languages can manage in a word. Recently, I’ve seen several blog posts pointing out these gaps in the English lexicon. Famous examples include bokusetto, a Japanese term for the act of gazing vacantly into the distance, and backpfeifengesicht, a German word describing a face in need of a punch. Sadly, many these lists seem to be sleeping on the richness and diversity of the Swedish language. As someone who prides themselves on their English-to-Swedish translation skills, I’d be remiss if I didn’t stand up for my mother tongue and show off some of its more unique phrases.
17 Swedish Terms with No English Equivalent
| Word | Definition | Example Uses in English |
| Fika | Near and dear to Swedes everywhere, this word is used to describe the action of “going for coffee.” Though people might think it’s easier to use the word coffee break, this phrase is a lot more culturally loaded than that—something those trying to translate from English to Swedish must be aware of. And, don’t try to tell Swedish people to use the term “elevenses” or “coffee” instead; they might throw their kanelbulle at you. | “It’s been ages since we talked! Let’s meet up Saturday for a fika.” |
| Hinna | This common Swedish word can be interpreted as “having the time to do something” or “being on time.” It’s sometimes used as a helping verb or a quick hand way to express doubt of on-time arrival. Like many Swedish words, this one hails from Old Norse. | “I can’t go to the moves tomorrow. I don’t hinna.” |
| Fulparkerare | Best translated as “ugly parker,” this phrase denotes someone who parks his or her car sloppily or selfishly. Many people use it for those who take up handicap spots or stray outside the lines. | “That is not a parking spot! What a “fulparkerare” he is. |
| Mysa | One of my favorite Swedish words, this verb embodies the act of relaxing and having a good time. Many Swedish families, looking to recharge after a long work week, schedule mys every Friday. This is so common that a separate term was created to describe it: “fredagsmys.” | “I am finally done with this Swedish translation, just in time for the weekend. Now I am just going to “mysa” in front of the fire, while it is snowing outside. |
| Farfar/Farmor/Morfar/Mormor | In Swedish, there are specific words for each of your grandparents. Note that “mor” means mother and “far” means father. So, a morfar is your mother’s dad, while a farfar is your father’s dad. | “My farfar was amazing! He fought in World War II. I’ve never met my morfar, though.” |
| Kilkompis/Tjejkompis | In America, you always have to clarify whether someone is a boyfriend or your friend that’s a boy. In Swedish, the latter is called a Kilkompis or Tjejkompis . Your paramour, meanwhile, is referred to as a “pojkvän” or “flickvän”. | “I went to the movies with Billy yesterday! And, no, it wasn’t a date. He’s just a killkompis.” |
| Sambo | If you live with your significant other but haven’t tied the knot, you can use the word “sambo” to describe them. In a country where this arrangement is common, this word was a lexiconic necessity. | “We’re moving in together tomorrow! It’ll be nice to go from girlfriend to sambo.” |
| Lagom | Remember Goldilocks and the Three Bears? This word is the equivalent of that story’s “just right.” As Swedes tend to live in a state of moderation, this phrase is often seen as the country’s unofficial motto. | “This apartment is just “lagom” for a student. Or, “Lagom” is best.” |
| Nomofob | Adapted from the much clunkier English phrase (“no mobile phone phobia), this is how Swedes describe a person who is hopelessly addicted to their cell phone. | “I can never let my phone sit and charge! I’m a total nomofob.” |
| Ogooglebar | A more recent addition to the Swedish language, this adjective is best translated as “ungoogleable.” It’s often used to refer to someone with little to no online history. | I met this cute guy at the store, but I’m scared to meet him. He’s totally ogooglebar! |
| Orka | Similar in use to hinna, this verb is best understood as “having the energy to do something.” Though it may sound like it, it has nothing to do with The Lord of the Rings. Some people (like moody teenagers) use the term in a sarcastic sense. | “Do you orka to pick up the dry cleaning after work?” |
| Duktig | Anyone trying to learn Swedish will probably have this word thrown at them. Though hard to describe succinctly in English, it’s a term that combines working well with working hard. It’s often used condescendingly. | “The speed of your Swedish translation services astounds me. You must be very duktig!” |
| Solkatt | An amalgamation of the Swedish word for “cat” and “sun,” this term is used to describe the blinding light that glints off small pieces of glass. | “That’s where that reflection was coming from! It was just a “solkatt” from your watch.” |
| Mångata | These is is one of my favorite words. It refers to the road-like reflection of the moon in the water, literally “a moon street”. | “Look at that beautiful “mångata” across the lake tonight.” |
*For a full list of Swedish words with no English counterpart, check out this thread from Eunoia.
Looking for Someone to Translate Your English Marketing for the Swedish Market? Even If You Don’t Know the “Lagom” Words?
As our mini vocab lesson shows, English and Swedish are distinct languages shaped by culture and history. This can make it hard for US-based businesses to hit it big in the Nordic markets without the use of a English-to-Swedish specialist translator and transcreator. Transcreation can be the difference between a text that misses its mark and one that makes customers act.. Because, while 90% of Swedes speak fluent English, most of them prefer content to be delivered in their mother tongue. While the languages are closely related, it takes a true maestro to bridge the differences between them.
If you need a marketing expert to help you find the right words for your online content or ad, contact me to schedule a no-obligation consultation.
Check also:
Everything You Need to Know About Swedish Content Marketing and Localization
Let’s look at what localization is and how you can put it to work in your English to Swedish content marketing.
In a global society where consumers can conduct business with companies halfway around the world in seconds, it’s common to forget that individual markets still matter.
Studies show that geo-targeted posts on social media earn six times the engagement as those that offer “global appeal”. What’s more, website visitors are likely to stay on a website longer if the content is in their native language.
Localization is becoming one of the largest missed opportunities to grow your global markets, and it’s a factor that businesses won’t be able to afford to overlook much longer.
What Is Localization?
Briefly, localization refers to adapting content for a specific market or country. More than just translating a website into a person’s native language, localization also combines things like traditions, values, culture, and imagery to create a truly native look and feel.
Pursuing any type of cross-border content strategy, whether you’re venturing into one country or 10 countries, requires a local-first mentality to ensure you’re connecting with your audience the way they’re receptive to.
Best Practices for Content Marketing: English to Swedish
If you’re pursuing a content marketing strategy across borders, put these best practices to use to maximize your ROI:
1. Hire a Professional English to Swedish Translator
Turning English content into Swedish is rarely a word for word translation. Hiring a professional translator who is skilled in both languages and can apply cultural aspects to the content will make your content effective and impactful.
2. Diversify Your Messaging
The content you create for your English audience won’t necessarily have the same effect on your Swedish customers. For example, if you’re telling Americans how it’s raining cats and dogs, telling your Swedish buyers “det regnar katter och hundar” won’t do you any favors. In fact, poor translations like this will only make your business appear ill-suited for their market.
Instead, you can diversify your messaging and tailor it to local interests. Not every audience needs to receive the same campaign.
3. Reflect the Culture and Imagery
Coca-Cola earned the attention of Chinese buyers by putting Chinese celebrities on its cans. It was a simple yet powerful move that helped to localize the company to the intended market.
Using cultural icons, history, imagery, or other notable factors can help you to blend seamlessly with the audience and make you a part of their society.
Get Professional English to Swedish Content Marketing
The secret’s out: professional English to Swedish translation gives your content marketing the best chance to appeal to your international audience.
To find out more about translation services, contact Tess to schedule a free consultation.
What Cheap English to Swedish Translation Really Costs You!
High quality and accurate Swedish translation of your site may be amongst the most vital measures to take in the overall improvement of conversion rates if you are aiming for customers in Sweden.
Some companies just cannot afford cheap translation. The long-term costs of lackluster translations often exceed the peanuts saved in the short term. It is just too risky. This is especially true in industries where lives are at stake. Let’s go through the real costs of bad English to Swedish translation!
Common Translation Failures
A handful of the largest organizations compromised their quality and learned a good deal about why they tried saving money on translations and received cheap translation services, and ended up getting what they paid for—poor quality.
Especially with documents like legal or medical texts or how-to manuals, having professional translation services which take language, as well as culture and dialect into consideration is imperative.
Creative translation can also be tricky, as direct translations aren’t as logical as they seem, especially when it comes to marketing. Some big-name translation failures include:
- The Chevrolet Nova didn’t appeal to Hispanic markets because “No va” means “It Doesn’t Go.”
- Coors failed to attract Spanish-speaking audiences with their direct translation of the “Turn It Loose” tagline, which roughly means “Suffer from Diarrhea” in Spanish.
- Pepsi’s iconic “brings you back to life” slogan didn’t go over well with Chinese audiences, who took the phrase to mean “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.”
The Incalculable Costs of Cheap Translation
There’s no telling what kind of profit losses these translations caused their companies, but one thing is certain:
Cheap translation is bad for business. Translation errors have killed people, crippled patients, and destroyed multi-million-dollar pieces of machinery.
Here are some negative consequences of getting it wrong:
Getting Slapped with a Lawsuit is Not Fun.
It is inconvenient and not something on the top of a company’s Christmas list. But, they’re usually preferable to customer death or destroying priceless equipment. Here are four tragedies that resulted from erroneous translations:
The Destruction of The Mars Orbiter.
Not all translations are linguistic. There is sometimes some math involved. A translator’s failure to properly convert English measurements to the metric system resulted in a catastrophic failure that sent the 125-million-dollar satellite careening off course. The planet’s harsh atmosphere tore the brand-new satellite to pieces. Not really a “cheap translation.”
Radiation Poisoning at a French Hospital.
In what was likely an attempt to save money, a US manufacturer of radiation machines did not offer dosage information in French. Administrative staff at the French hospital relied on bilingual coworkers to translate the English information. This lead to four deaths and dozens of cases of severe radiation poisoning.
Serial Knee Implant Failures at a German Hospital.
A US maker of knee prosthesis made two different models for their German customers. Though the company offered instructions in German, the product’s outer packaging was only available in English. After asking a coworker to translate the packaging, these prosthetics were incorrectly marked as non-cemented. This labeling error led to 47 failed surgeries and millions in compensation claims.
The Dropping of the Hiroshima Bomb.
Japanese is a complex language. Many words have multiple meanings and the correct one often depends upon surrounding content. After the US and allies demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan, they made it clear that any “any negative answer from Japan would invite “prompt and utter destruction.” When journalists pressed Japan’s Prime Minister for comment, he said that he was currently withholding comment. The government had yet to reach a final decision and he was unable to relay anything substantial. But, international news agencies mistakenly quoted him as saying that the ultimatum was ‘not worthy of comment.’
How Much Should English to Swedish Translation Cost?
No company is immune from translation failures. But investing in proper English to Swedish translation services can give you the best chance of attracting your target market and avoid becoming an example of the cost of poor translation.
Though the definition of translation is straightforward, businesses are often surprised to find that not all translation services and options are created equal. Cheap services like those offered by freelance translators can offer lower price points on English to Swedish translation, but again, quality issues are called into play. The translations may be linguistically accurate, but they may fail to incorporate other elements that can add impact to your message.
Why Choose a Professional Translator
As you can see, translation errors are so much more than something to snicker at on your lunchbreak. Cheap translations are sometimes the quickest way to sign someone’s death warrant. These cautionary tales should remind you of the dangers of subpar and machine-based translation. If your product can change someone’s life, it is vital to hire a reliable translator.
Utilizing a professional translator with expertise in your business may result in more than an improved document and a more complete understanding, it may result in bigger return on your investment. Utilizing something less may result in mistakes, errors, and misunderstandings which might cost you lost business or a client.
Check also:
- How Much Does a Swedish Translation Cost? Pricing Swedish Translations
- The Real Costs of Using Employees as Translators
- Swedish Translation vs. Transcreation: Which Is Right for You?
- When to Choose Machine Translation vs. a Professional Translation
- Effective Budgeting for Your Technical Translation Project
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