If you want to tap into the Swedish business market, you’ll first need to earn their attention.

Breaking into new markets isn’t just about having in-demand products or filling a need. Rather, much of your success will how you adapt your company to their market.

Despite over a third of internet users being non-native English speakers, studies from Forrester Research show that website visitors will stay on a website longer if the content is in their native language.

Localization is the practice of making your website fit within a unique market. The language of the content, the images of the people, pop culture references, or common symbols can all provide the sense that your website was made with an audience in mind.

Take a look at four reasons your business should consider Swedish localization for your content marketing:

1. Localization Increases Sales

User language preferences in Europe have been studied at length. The resulting figures indicate that 90% of users will opt for a website version in their native tongue, regardless of whether or not they speak English.

Even more telling? A whopping 42% of users say they will NEVER do business with a company if the content isn’t in their native language.

2. Localization Offers a Competitive Advantage

Despite the benefits of Swedish localization, your competitors may be failing to capitalize on them. When you employ content localization, it gives you an obvious advantage over businesses trying to compete for your market but have yet to adapt their content.

And if your competitors DO have a localized website, they’re likely the ones to earn the business if you do not. You can upgrade your own content marketing to encroach on their market share.

3. Localization Offers a Native Appeal

Some companies are so thorough and effective at localization that it’s something of a shock to find out they’re not actually based in your home country.

The more you can blend with your target country’s culture, from imagery to linguistics to the arts and more, the better chance you stand of seeming like you belong in their business world.

4. Localization Strengthens Your Global Presence

Even if you’re only doing business in the U.S. and Sweden, localization can put you in a position of global prominence. It’s not easy taking a business across borders, but investing in localization shows that you have the business acumen to adapt to a new market.

And when you can do it once, you can do it again.
What To Do Next
Using professional translation services can help ensure that your content is properly adapted to the Swedish market. Rather than approaching translation word for word, professional Swedish translators take into account the way people talk and integrate language with culture to produce the desired results.

To learn more about localizing your content marketing for your Swedish customers, contact Tess to schedule a free consultation.

Check also:

• 4 Keys Steps For Translating Your Website From English to Swedish
• 6 Fundamental Tips for Website Localization to Reach Global Markets
• Why You Should Localize Your Website to Swedish?
• Things to Avoid When Translating a Website
• Things to Think of When Developing Localization Ready Websites

The old idiom “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” doesn’t just apply to Italy – it’s imperative when expanding your business in Sweden, too! Anytime your business wishes to serve another country, you’ll need to learn the way they do business and adapt your practices to meet their needs.

Just as you wouldn’t extend your hand to a Japanese CEO or use your left hand in Indonesia, you must also understand what’s acceptable and what’s forbidden when discussing and conducting business in Sweden.

One of the most critical elements when growing your footprint in Sweden is to master the way they speak. Using the correct terminology and adapting to the local vernacular will be party responsible for your success or failure.

Let’s look at some core business concepts in Sweden and how you can prepare your business for international success.

Core Business Concepts in Sweden

A country’s business is often based on the foundation of the country’s values. In Sweden, those values embody all aspects of modesty, equality, and respect for human rights. They’re an inclusive society that makes distinctions based on nationality rather than race or appearances. Socialist ideals are in abundance, along with an extensive welfare system.

In business, respect and consideration go a long way when arranging meetings, discussing topics, or making negotiations.

Most notable are the following:

• It’s customary to arrange meetings two weeks in advance.
• Business cards are shared at the beginning of meetings.
• Meetings are often informal enough to use a first-name basis.
• Small talk is virtually non-existent.
• Decisions aren’t often made during first meetings.
• Decisions usually require group consensus.
• Peak holiday periods are February through March and June through August.
• Refreshment breaks, called fika, are often used for informal meetings.

Understandably, it’s just as important to understand how to conduct business in Sweden as it is to talk about business in Sweden. American customs don’t directly translate into the Swedish business culture, and believing otherwise could be just as damaging as a linguistic mistranslation.

Swedish Translation Services Are Business Must-Haves

If you’re targeting the Swedish market, Investing in Swedish translation services is non-negotiable. Proper translations ensure you’re not only using the right vernacular, but also following proper business policy and practices for the Swedish business culture.

A professional translator helps you bridge this wide (and often scary) gap between American and Swedish business ideologies. Translators shift away from word-to-word translation in favor of localized linguistics that match the appropriate business cases.

To find out more about Swedish translation services and how translators can help you navigate the specifics of international business, contact Tess for a free consultation.

Check also:

• Swedish Culture 101: Holidays, Key Facts, Typical Traits & More
• 5 “Odd” Features of Swedish Business Culture that Actually Make Sense
• Don’t Let Cultural Ignorance Ruin Your Perfectly Good Translation (and Brand!)

Video killed the radio star. The car spelled the end of the horse-and-buggy. A lot of translators are starting to feel less like valued-professionals and more like unwanted antiques. Many of my peers are so frightened of developments like machine translation and AI that they cannot see its benefits. But, I understand such technological progress can be a boon to our industry and—by extension—you. Join me as I explore five technology Trends impacting the translation industry.

FIVE TECHNOLOGIES CHANGING THE TRANSLATION LANDSCAPE

• Artificial Intelligence (AI):

  The big machine translators are finally starting to realize how much value lies in artificial intelligence and deep learning. By connecting CAT with high-end recognition techniques, AI allows translators and project managers to recognize usage patterns. This results in quicker, more intuitive translations. The Product Owner at memoQ, Zsolt Varga, says that, “Machines will likely play an important supporting role to increase human productivity and value.” But, he’s generally pessimistic about its long-term impact. Others believe that AI will one day bring real-time translation into our grasps. Personally, I think that’s a long way off. Either way, I do expect to see more MT companies using AI and deep learning in their software.

• Convergence:

  Clients are demanding simplicity and speed. As Lukasz Rejter of memoQ puts it: “Clients, by default, do not really care about files, formats, structures, and workflow characteristics – they only deal with these because and when they absolutely must. From their perspective they have a text, a string, a file, an application or a site that they must localize – and they expect it to happen.” Clients don’t want to see their information bounce from CMS to CAT to email. They want everything managed in one easy-to-use environment. This has led to a rise of complete package solutions. In the past year, the lines between many translation processes have begun to blur. As these systems converge, we’ll all benefit from easier access, increased speeds, and easier automation.

• Improved CAT Experience:

  The translation and localization processes of today are a world apart from what they were 20 years ago. Back then, CAT tools were simply that: tools. They were designed to fulfill a simple need. As client demands grew more complex, however, providers rushed to fill in the gaps. Buttons were added. Dashboards doubled in size. This has resulted in CAT software that’s needlessly complex and nearly impossible for inexperienced users to navigate. In the future, I suspect that many CAT providers will release updates with more minimalistic, customizable interfaces. This will make it easier for translators to get their jobs done. I have one thing to say about that: Hallelujah!

• Cloud Computing:

  Everyone has their head in the clouds these days. Or, at the very least, most companies are interested in how cloud computing can help their company. And, many translators are starting to look at how they can use it for the localization process. When asked about the likelihood of the cloud taking over in the near future, one expert hypothesized, “Although cloud technologies are getting more and more popular, and we are using many of them in our daily work, in the translation business a complete take-over by cloud and SaaS technologies is a definite no-go anytime soon.” As cloud is less secure than other options, it’s unlikely that translators will ever be use it for super-sensitive translations. I do think, however, that translators and clients alike should take a look at cloud-based options. Cloud computing’s enhanced flexibility, improved scalability, and increased centralization are worth the effort.

• Videos and Augmented Reality:

  Sandor Papp, the Event Marketing Manager at memoQ, once said, “Our bet for a 2018 trend therefore is this: the year will see a significant increase in demand for video translations and we will also see translation providers adding items to their offerings to ride this wave.” I agree with him. From augmented reality platforms, such as Walmart’s 3D shopping experience, to YouTube videos, of which 300 hours of are uploaded every minute, multimedia content is becoming increasingly popular. To remain relevant, my colleagues are going to have to become more comfortable with video editing and other multimedia tools. As a marketing specialist, I’m already ahead of the curve on this one.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, translation is a field constantly in flux. Driven by changes in client demand, many providers are moving towards simpler, faster processes. As AI and AR become commonplace, translators are going to have to adapt to a future where their value truly lies in their ability to rise above the machines. Since none of these technologies can replace real translators, however, you’re likely still in the market for a great Swedish translator.

If that’s the case, you can go ahead and contact me directly at tess@swedishtranslationservices.com or visit swedishtranslationservices.com to learn more about my services.

Planning is Key to Localization

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” And he was absolutely right; anyone who’s ended up on the wrong side of a poorly-planned project knows that. Since you’re reading this blog, you know that there’s a lot more to localization than tossing some words into Google Translate. Translation is actually a complex, multifaceted process. While many clients find this out the hard way, and end up frustrated, you don’t need to be one of them. If you take time to prepare your translation project upfront, you’ll find going global to be a much smoother experience.

The Translation Checklist

Failing to properly prepare your translation project might land you a starring role in your translator’s nightmares. A lack of key information can result in missed deadlines, delays, and insomnia for everyone involved. So, to help ensure your translator gets a full night’s sleep, double-check that you:

• Finalized Your Texts: Before sending anything out for translation, figure out exactly what you need done: finish your edits, update your logos, gather the documents, and cut out anything that might be unnecessary. While it’s tempting to translate everything word for word, that’s rarely a wise decision. Even the least chatty companies have websites cluttered with out-of-date press releases and irrelevant information. Don’t waste your translator’s time on those things you won’t need!
• Cut the Jargon: While you might be tempted to translate terms like ‘tenure,’ ‘putative’, or ‘injunction’, technical language should be removed from translation-ready documents. Using industry-specific words, especially when simpler alternatives exist, often leads to confusion. So, unless your translator specializes in that specific area, it’s best to remove region or occupation-specific terms. And, of course, make sure to cut out those clichés.
• Were Clear About the Languages Involved: Make sure that all parties are clear about the project’s source and target language(s). If you need documents translated into a specific dialect, for example, that’s something you need to specify up front. Not doing so might lead to repeated translations, increased costs, and hair pulling.
  Determined Your Target Audience: It’s important to know who you’re trying to reach. Different regions often need different dialects. Someone in urban Tokyo might respond to a certain phrase differently from someone in rural Osaka, for example. By figuring out your audience beforehand, you improve your chances of getting your point across.
• Cleaned Up Your Source Materials: If your paperwork is smudged, torn, or covered in chicken scratch, you need to rewrite it. If it’s not legible, how can you expect your translator to use it? Unless your handwriting is neater than typed font, it might be better to convert all your documents to a digital format before requesting translation. This will also make it easier to keep track of, and allow both you and your translator to easily keep copies of the material.
• Pinned Down Your Deadline: Be clear about when you need a translation project completed. Don’t tell your translator that a project is ‘no rush’ if you need it tomorrow. Also, be sure to avoid using subjective terms like ‘soon’ or ‘sometime in the next month or two.’ Interpretations of those statements vary wildly from person to person, let alone culture to culture.
• Sorted Your Documents: Classify your documents according to type, subject, or importance and be sure to label any legal documents. This allows your translator to properly assign tasks and seek any needed outside expertise.
• Gave Ample Support: Whether it’s due to unclear requirements, or company-specific terms, your translator is likely to need your help. To minimize interruptions, provide your vendors with a copy of your handbook, commonly used terms, and access to important materials. Make certain that you’re easy-to-contact and available for any impromptu consultations.
• Decided on a Final Deliverable: What do you need when the project’s completed? A PDF? An Excel sheet? Tell your vendor where and how you plan on using the translated text. This might help save you money on staging and finishing costs. If you can, provide the translator with an example of completed work.
• Outlined Any Extra Requirements: While most companies are glad to format and publish your materials, you should request any auxiliary services at the start. If you don’t, you might end up stuck with an unfinished project, or worse, a set of unbudgeted charges.

Conclusion

Translation is all about communication. Communication between you and your client and communication between you and your translation vendor. To minimize problems, you need to take time beforehand and carefully plan your project. Always make sure you know what languages, materials, and services you need from any given translator. If you jump right into the deep end and send out a half-baked scope of work, you might end up with a project that’s unfinished and poor quality.

Check also:

Translation is a minefield at the best of times but whereas telling your Spanish penpal you enjoy ‘long walks along the massacre’ can be a tad embarassing, it is nothing compared to the lasting damage to finances and reputation that a business mistranslation can incur. From awkward social faux-pas to accidentally sinking huge deals, even the smallest translation errors have cost businesses money, clients and respect on a massive scale. Below are some of the biggest and most common ‘oopsies’ in the translation industry:

Cultural Nuances

Cultural views are key. In many languages, even something as basic as sentence structure and types of words changes depending on who you’re talking to. This isn’t just politeness – it’s almost a whole new language.

This has caused havoc with many novice Japanese speakers who, upon hearing many names ending in ‘-san’, then add it to their own name – which is very taboo in Japanese culture. Referring to yourself as ‘Mike-san’ or ‘Lucy-san’ is effectively saying ‘I am incredibly important’ and we all know what we think of THAT guy in the office.

There are also literally dozens of honourifics other than -san which convey varying levels of respect. Even not using one is a bold statement, essentially saying that you and your conversational partner are such close friends that you’re beyond that. Within business, it is not uncommon for each individual level of management to have its own honorific (such as ‘bucho’, meaning ‘boss/head of a section’ ).

Using the wrong one is a very embarrassing and insulting mistake.

Understanding politeness and cultural norms is important with any culture, but especially so in East Asia. Always make sure your translator understands the people behind the language or you’ll end up looking like the ‘bucho’ of all idiots.

Direct Questions

Asking questions in a foreign language is always a tricky business, especially in advertising. The California Milk Processor Board should have had this in mind when they launched their ‘Got Milk?’ campaign in Spanish towards the Hispanic market – instead of asking them if they ‘Got Milk?’ it instead accused them of lactating, effectively alienating a $1.3 trillion market.

Let’s see them milk some profits out of that one.

Homophones and Homographs

Sometimes a single letter can make all the difference. Imagine the horror of discovering your hot date with Briar turned out to be a hot date with Brian. Likewise, there is a world of difference between ‘braking the car’ and ‘breaking the car’.

This was a tough lesson for Schwepps when they attempted a marketing campaign in Italy, with a mistranslation of ‘Schwepps Tonic Water’ appearing as ‘Schwepps Toilet Water’ on advertisements.

Delicious!

Literal Translation

This is pretty much the single biggest culprit for translation errors of all sizes. It is the number one golden rule for translators across the globe and the one most amateurs fall prey to – do not translate literally.

Imagine this – you’re about to go on stage for the performance of your life. Your father is with you backstage and he grabs you by the shoulder, leans in and says ‘Break a leg, kid!’. In English it’s an (admittedly odd) positive saying of support. Now, imagine you translated this literally into another language. Instead, your father leans in close and says ‘I hope you get injured, you tiny child!’.

Harsh!

Most commonly, these translation errors occur in direct translation for signage. It is not uncommon to see the sign ‘Do not touch yourself’ in small stores and stalls across China. This is not due to a sharp rise in perverts but is, in fact, a direct translation from the Chinese meaning ‘Please do not touch the items yourself’.

Online automatic translators are the single biggest culprits of this. Avoid at all costs! Pepsi famously learned this the hard way when they launched a massive ad campaign in China, with their literally translated tagline ‘Come alive with Pepsi’ coming out the other side as ‘Pepsi will bring your ancestors back to life’.

All of these translation errors are easy to make, but difficult to fix. The most important thing you can do is leave it to the professionals. As HSBC will tell you of their $10 million fix-up of a botched translation in an ad campaign – cheap translators are very, very expensive. Translate in haste, repent in leisure.

Get yourself a real translation agency. It’ll save you selling toilet water and hurling lactation-related accusations at your customer base. In the world of translation – quality is key.

Author Bio

Mike Parsons enjoys travelling and working with many different cultures. He currently works for Kwintessential.co.uk, a company that cover a wide range of translation services in the UK.

Check also:

This is a guest post by Alexander Zeller

Online translation tools commenced with the easily accessible Google Translate, which has now been out on the internet for 10 years, but it seems it hasn’t had that much of an impact on the demand for human translators. Most people believed that once translation tools were developed that would be an end to human translators. This doesn’t mean that machine translation is losing its momentum; it’s more the case that the two methods of translating now co-exist together.

However, the general trend in global business is for more and more businesses opening up their products to many more countries. Experience has indicated that it is of little use marketing a product to, for example, the Russian market unless at least some of the product information is written in Russian.

Terminology Banks

Some of the translation tools which are computer based help translators complete their translation tasks. A few of these are what are called ‘terminology management systems’ where useful terms are stored online in multiple languages so that the translator is only a click away when searching for the desired list of terms. These terminology banks allow translation divisions of an international organisation when allocating translation jobs to human translators that they can be assured that there is a standardisation of terms being used by a group of translators.

March of the Translation Apps

It is expected that throughout this year more apps will be released which will aid faster translations. There is a device that is currently being trialled and that is a translating earpiece. It allows people who don’t speak the same language to understand one another. This could theoretical reduce language barriers considerably.

A device developed and marketed by New York City company Waverly Labs is called ‘Pilot’ and is fitted into the ear. It has an in-built AP which is able to switch between languages. This language translation product is going to be introduced first of all in the main European languages: French, English, Spanish and Italian. The idea later is to load the device with other languages that are widespread, such as Arabic, Hindi, Slavic, Semitic and many African languages.

Pilot May Take Place of Google Translate

Apple fans love iPhone accessories so the Pilot is expected to be a winner as it has many smart language features. It works by using speech recognition so the person using one can hear and understand what another person is saying because the conversation gets translated into the user’s native language. Being what is called a wearable device it brings together this much loved feature with machine translation. It is quite possible that Apple fans will soon be deleting their Google Translate apps in favour of the Pilot iPhone app instead.

Apple is promoting the Pilot app well before the launch by giving away a free app every week. The actual launch date has yet to be decided. So far there has been unprecedented support for the product and crowd-funding is being sought to help in producing it and releasing it out on to the market.

Author Bio:

Alexander Zeller is a project manager and translator working with The Migration Translators in Australia, providing legal, medical, business, marketing, technical and website translation services in over 130 Languages.

This is a guest post from Aniello Attianese from Language Reach. 

The world of business is changing rapidly. A trend towards globalisation and expanding businesses abroad, especially with the recent growth of internet, is something that I, working for a professional translation agency, personally see rather clearly. A lot of the businesses from every corner of the world, even small and medium sized, see a truly great opportunity in approaching new international customers and exploring new markets. Many business owners who require our professional translation services however do not realise that translating word for word sometimes simply isn’t, and shouldn’t be, the whole answer, especially when working on marketing material, such as websites; this is where localisation comes into play.

Budgeting for Localisation on a Global Scale

Companies and businesses around the world now spend great portions of their budgets each year for marketing efforts; paying close attention to crafting the perfect message, choosing the right colours or even the right font. But what if they were only to discover, that their perfect marketing material which worked flawlessly in one country, causes offence in another? Having marketing material which is culturally inappropriate will certainly cause more damage than good.

In simple words, localisation amends and adopts content, such as websites or brochures, in order for it to be suitable within a specific market by removing any local sensitivities. Global companies such as Apple or McDonald’s have values and ideas which they like to communicate to consumers across the world, without causing any misunderstandings within any country specific market. This is the reason each of their campaigns is not only very carefully translated, but also localised to suit their specific foreign target market.

The Trouble With Ignoring Localisation

American Airlines on the other hand are a perfect example of a company who decided not to trouble with localisation, and only to translate their marketing material word-for-word. After introducing their new stylish leather seats on the planes, AA came up with a slogan which in America worked perfectly fine: “Fly in leather”.  Not carefully localised for the Mexican market however, the message caused the operator to blush slightly as “Fly naked” wasn’t very appealing to the Spanish speaking customers…The lack of localisation in the above example is pretty obvious, and not only caused the airline to embarrassment but also to money loses.

Words however aren’t the only thing which can be a cause for concern if marketing material wasn’t carefully localised. Another great example would be the use of colours. Did you know, that in China the colour white is associated with death? Now, you wouldn’t want your products or services to be associated with such, would you?

Benefits of Localisation

Going back to McDonald’s example, you’ll be able to see good, if not great, use of localisation services. The fast food chain restaurant not only localised all of their marketing messages, but they also went a step further and localised their menus, which are perfectly localised for each of their markets. And so in New Zealand for example you will be able to order a Kiwi Burger while McDonald’s India offers chicken Maharaja!

Giving that both U.S and Sweden are rather specific markets, with different cultures, values and ideas, localising marketing material for the Swedish audience should really be a priority for any U.S business thinking of approaching the Swedish consumers. Taking into the account any local sensitivities such as religious, political or cultural differences can have a significant impact on the success of your brand in a foreign market, and although localisation simply cannot guarantee an instant success, the lack of it can guarantee instant failure.

Aniello Attianese comes from Pagani, Italy. He speaks Italian, French and German fluently and has just started learning Swedish. He currently works for Language Reach and Translation Services 24 as a translator and a project manager. In his spare time he enjoys travelling and good music as much as he enjoys learning languages.

Check also:

Yesterday I attended a seminar held by Utah Technology Council here in Salt Lake City. The presenter was Adam Wooten from Globalization Group, talking about how to develop localization ready websites.  His key point was to prepare in advance to ensure that the localization process will be easy and cost-effective. To correct an error for one language, before going global can be $1000, but $25,000 to fix after having launched the site in 25 languages.

In order to prepare well, we should think of both technical aspects and cultural aspects.

Examples of technical aspects are:

• Regional settings such as number and measurement formats
• Character sets
• Separate code and translatable text
• Text expansion
• Text in images (harder to localize)
• Concatenated strings (harder to localize)

Examples of cultural aspects are:

• Cultural aspects: eliminate local cultural examples, example, American Football
• Brand Names (will they work in the target country?)
• Symbols, Images and Colors (how are they perceived in the target country?)

As a translator, I especially liked his tips for content authors:

• Write with the translator in mind
• Avoid ambiguity
• Avoid references and allusions, such as references to sports
• Limit concatenations
• Take advantage of repetitions (easy to handle with CAT-tools)

Adam Wooten is the CEO of Globalization Group, a localization company in Utah, and a member of Utah Translators and Interpreters Association.

Readers, do you have any other tips to prepare websites to go global? Happy Global Earth Day everyone!

Check also:

• 4 Keys Steps For Translating Your Website From English to Swedish
• 6 Fundamental Tips for Website Localization to Reach Global Markets
• Swedish Localization and Website Translation: 4 Ways Your Business Can Benefit
• Why You Should Localize Your Website to Swedish?
• Things to Avoid When Translating a Website

This is my final post in the series on software localization. There is a lot to think about when translating and localizing software and making mistakes is easy. Here are 4 mistakes to try to avoid:

1. Neglecting the length of translated words, which would require redesigning the software to fit the foreign language version, losing time and money.

2. Disregarding localization for specific countries/regions and their particular elements (special characters, date format, number format, address strucutre, postal code length and structure, calendar format etc.)

3. Not using simple, concise text that is familiar to most people and users of the software

4. Not providing clear and accurate text in the target language, making the instructions and commands nonsensical or hard to understand.

Happy translation and localization year to everyone!