Translation or transcreation? If you need Swedish language services, you might be wondering which type is right for your text. 

Often people think that translation means getting a “literal” version of the text, while transcreation is “non-literal.” However, this isn’t exactly the case. (After all, nobody wants a 100% literal translation!)

Today I’ll go through the differences between translation vs. transcreation, so you better understand which type of Swedish language service will meet your needs.

Swedish Translation

Swedish translation involves linguists recreating the original text with a close attention to accuracy. It’s generally considered a more “faithful” final product, though translators will still make changes to the copy to make sure the readability and phrasing feels natural. 

For this reason, it’s common for Swedish translators to replace idiomatic wording, update sentence structure and incorporate culturally relevant examples. However, on the whole, they stick to the original messaging and never introduce (or omit) new meaning.

Aims

• Accuracy is #1 priority.
• Keeps to line-by-line messaging.
• Still retains natural flow and readability.

Best For

• Factual or straightforward texts
• Legal, medical and engineering texts
• Highly specialized content
• Texts that don’t possess creative phrasing

Swedish Transcreation

On the other hand, Swedish transcreation is a more involved process that “reimagines” the text. Instead of conveying the original messaging, transcreation means crafting new copy that captures the brand tone/style and renders its emotional impact. This means that the final product may be significantly different from the original text.

As part of this process, Swedish transcreators have the creative liberty to add, rework and reorder the original message, as well as choose new cultural references and vocabulary as needed. In addition, marketing concerns may also be addressed, including SEO keywords, visuals and layout. 

Aims

• A strong emotional impact is the end goal.
• Connects with customers in new regions. 
• Always aligns with brand voice.

Best For

• Creative texts
• Marketing content
• Advertising campaigns
• Multimedia copy
• Texts that are essential to reaching new customers

Main Differences of Swedish Translation vs. Transcreation

As you can imagine, English-Swedish translation and transcreation may require slightly different skill sets. Here are the main differences that transcreators must know how to handle:

• Full artistic license: Swedish transcreators must be creative thinkers who know how to manage having full control of the text’s direction.
• Strong copywriting abilities: These professionals must have excellent writing abilities, so they can wordsmith copy in Swedish. 
• Built off a creative brief: It’s common for companies to give transcreators a creative brief with some details. From here, linguists must interpret brand goals for tone/style, messaging, etc. 
• SEO research: Often, creative texts are marketing-oriented, which makes local SEO critical to reaching a new audience. Swedish transcreators must have a good grasp of researching and incorporating relevant keywords.
• Higher costs: Finally, the cost of transcreation tends to be higher than translation, because linguists must creatively rework the text. (Typically, this service is charged by the hour.)

Need Swedish Translation or Transcreation?

As your company launches in Sweden, choose an expert Swedish linguist like me to achieve translation or transcreation with high impact. 

I have nearly 20 years of experience with Swedish transcreation and know how to craft a brand message that resonates. Check out my client portfolio and case studies to see my expertise firsthand!

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