Do you need your marketing material translated into Swedish? Does it need to be localized for the Swedish culture? Does it need to sound like it was written by a Swedish copywriter?

Then I would like to invite you to check out my services and how I can help with these needs. I’m your go-to provider for Swedish software localization and transcreation of digital marketing copy. Here are some key benefits I can provide, based on my experience and background.

1. I know both the Swedish and American markets and can adapt your text to really speak to customers.

My feature: I’m a Swedish speaking translator with a robust international background. Not only have I lived in both my working languages’ countries (Sweden and U.S.), but I also have an educational background in international marketing and business communication.

Your benefit: This cultural know-how gives me extra insight into crafting copy that works for both countries’ business landscapes. Ultimately, I’m able to adapt your marketing message to really speak to customers by considering cultural differences and sharpening the tone/style for your target audience.

2. I am certified in English-Swedish translation by the American Translators Association, and I also have a proven track record in digital marketing and e-commerce companies.

My feature: Besides earning top industry credentials in English-Swedish translation, I’m also a recognized marketing consultant and have deep experience in transforming online copy for Swedish markets.

Your benefit: With my rich marketing background, I’ve helped hundreds of companies find their brand voice on the Swedish-speaking market. I guarantee top-quality translations informed by marketing best practices, which is especially useful for digital marketing and e-commerce companies. My credentials give me the unique skills to handle your most challenging online localization needs.

3. To keep up with increasingly digital markets, I’ve specialized in iSEO and SaaS localization to help you reach Swedish users online.

My feature: Through my extensive experience in software localization and Search Engine Optimization, I’ve become a go-to resource for SaaS localization among even the most ambitious software companies.

Your benefits: By localizing software interfaces, help files, user manuals, web sites and menus, I can prepare a pristine interface for you to grow and engage your Swedish user base. In addition, your products/services won’t be hidden from the Swedish online searcher. Through intensive iSEO research, I find the ideal keywords and analyze search behavior so that your company can get on page 1 of Google rankings in Swedish, both for websites, PPC-campaigns and blog posts/articles.

Read more about sample projects and my experience in software localization here.

4. I’ve been a Swedish translator for 17 years, abide by high professional standards and I am ISO Certified.

My feature: For 17 years, I’ve been helping companies successfully localize their services/products for the Swedish market. For all projects, I continue to strive for perfection and craft a text that does not read like a translation. I only accept assignments where I can provide high-quality translations.

Your benefit: My robust experience lets me stay nimble to complete quick turnarounds and resolve any linguistic and/or marketing challenges in the text – all with a quality guarantee. In addition to striving for quality, I consider my clients my most important assets. For this reason, I treat you with the friendly, respectful and professional service that you deserve. The end result is “happy, repeat customers.”

If you’re interested in reading more reviews from my clients, visit my Testimonials page.

5. I guarantee client confidentiality and non-disclosure (via Non-Disclosure Agreements) and I follow best practices for security and privacy.

My feature: I ensure confidentiality by signing Non-Disclosure Agreements and running my business according to best practices.

Your benefit: I safeguard your source materials through secure technology, so you don’t have to worry about information leaks. Ultimately, I never share any of your materials with third parties, unless you’ve specifically requested so.

6. Continuous education is a part of my translator DNA. I’m constantly educating myself in writing, research skills, subject matter expertise, as well as software, translation and localization tools.

My feature: I never stop deepening my knowledge in translation and relevant areas. In addition to staying on top of new technologies, I’ve completed certificates in copywriting, content marketing and international SEO. 

Your benefit: I’m constantly adapting to changes in the localization industry, so your projects are supported by top skills and technologies. Not only do I seek out professional associations and certificates, but I get trained on the latest software, translation and localization tools. For example, I make use of translation memories and quality assurance software in order to maintain consistency between documents and projects. To get a sense of my skills firsthand, check out my portfolio. I’m proud of joining forces with companies worldwide to successfully reach the Swedish market. Contact me to discuss your Swedish translation needs.

Check also:

• 4 Types of Quality Assurance for Translators
• The Role of Translators in the Software Localization Process
• How to Spot a Great Transcreator
• How to Spot a Subpar Translator?

What goes into pricing a Swedish translation? This article covers how to determine the price of professional translations.

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

*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:

• How I Became a Language and Grammar Nerd
• My Focus on Improving My Writing Skills in Swedish
• 6 Tips for Writing English for a Global Audience

This is a guest post by Emma Collins.

In order to scale your business, you have to expand the way you’re reaching out to your audience. Aside from the local market, there is a vast opportunity that awaits in the international scene. Hence, you have to keep in mind that English is not the only language that businesses use. This where the importance of digital marketing content translation comes in.

Translating your online content enables businesses to connect not only with foreign partners but also to prospective overseas consumers. It is an effective strategy to grow your brand and expand your digital content. With that, here are the top reasons why it’s a good idea to translate your digital marketing content:

Localizing Content Boosts Brand Trust

Localizing your digital marketing content is an effective way to engage more customers. It makes your brand sound more genuine and authentic, which ultimately improves brand trust. A vital first step for this strategy is by translating your website to your mainstream customers. By doing so, you’re also allowing them to become more familiarized with your product or service. It boosts user experience by letting them have a smooth transaction with an informed purchase as well.

Here are some tips to consider when localizing your website content:

• Tailor the website translation to the standard data, time, and currency format of a specific language.
• Localize constant information for regional support teams.
• Translate any legal requirements as well as payments and shipping policies.
• Make the translation region-neutral and easy to understand.
• Recognize local celebrations and holidays.
• Put up locally-exclusive marketing campaigns and promotions.

Paying close attention to these tiny details can help widen your engagement metrics. Aside from your web content, you can also expand your translation on other forms of digital content. This includes video content, eBooks, articles, social media posts, customer support, etc.

Digital Translation as a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy

Translating your digital marketing content is also an excellent avenue for search engine optimization (SEO). By ranking up in the search engine results pages (SERP), you can get more organic traffic. One surefire way of doing this is by incorporating keywords in different languages that rank high in SERP. By doing so, your website can rank high across other countries and languages, which, in turn, can boost your marketing strategy.

It Increases Your Conversion Rate

By translating your website content, you can convert more traffic into customers. In a nutshell, the more people can access your content, the higher the potential of converting more prospective customers. This is because some studies have shown that consumers are more likely to purchase a product containing information in their language. Some consumers also put more weight in language accessibility than the price of the product.

Translating your digital marketing content can help you reach your highest potential in the global market. The best way to do this is with the help of global language service providers (LSP). This method will ensure that you’re tailoring your content with your target audience and not just merely translating it.

Emma Collins is Translingua’s creative thinking content creator who specializes in blogging and copywriting.

You’d think finding a translator would be easy. You head over to Google and type something like “English to Swedish translator.” Then, you’d pick somebody whose site landed in the top three. But you’ll quickly find it’s not that simple.  Finding a competent, professional translator that meets your needs feels more like wading through the aisles at a health food store. However, instead of buzz words like “organic” and “fat-free,” you’re wading through pages littered with industry-specific acronyms and accreditations. In this scenario, it won’t take long for you to stumble on a translator bandying about the word “certified.”

What Does It Mean to Be Certified?

A certified translator is one that has passed a test demonstrating his or her skills in a specific language. The structure and content of the exams required vary widely by country and vertical. In acquiring one of these certifications, a translator affirms that he or she has the skills needed to translate professionally.  

Though commonly confused, there is a difference between a certified translator and a certified translation. A certified translator has passed a quality test to prove their skills. In contrast, a certified translation is a translated document accompanied by a signed statement from the translator attesting to the completeness and accuracy of the translation. A notary public can also notarize the statement. Once a translation is certified, it becomes a legal record. Many certified translators provide certified translations.

What Does It Take to Be a Certified Translator in the United States?

To be considered certified, American translators must pass an exam proctored by the American Translators Association (ATA).  It was first given in 1973 and serves as the only generalized translation certification in the United States. But you’d be amiss to equate generalized with easy. The exam is designed for mid-level professionals with several years of experience, and the test’s failure rate ranges from 91 to 71 percent depending on the language.

The ATA exam is an open-book, proctored test that takes roughly three hours to complete.  Once completed, skilled translators review the submissions and grade them based on:

• The smoothness and flow of the submitted piece
• Number of mechanical errors including grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• The degree to which the target text reflects the information supplied in the source material
• How well idioms are adapted to meet the needs of the target market
• How closely aligned the newly written piece is with the target language’s syntax
• The appropriateness of vocabulary chosen for the requested audience and market

Does That Mean Certified Translators Better Than Uncertified Ones?

As someone who’s certified by the ATA, I have an insider’s perspective on how it works. First, I do believe the test is valuable. It gives translators a way to differentiate themselves in industries where other credentials, such as OSHA certifications or medical degrees, are not required. It also shows clients that the chosen language professional is dedicated to their craft. In an uncertain world full of charlatans and wannabe translators, certifications offer peace of mind. Furthermore, many professional agencies and organizations make certification a pre-requisite for entry.

But, as ATA testing is only available in 27 languages, it isn’t something every translator can get. It’s also not a foolproof indicator that one translator is better than another. After all, nothing about my skillset changed just because I passed the ATA’s exam for English into Swedish certification. Certification is not a magic wand nor a boot camp—just a way to testify to your existing skillset. Many experienced translators have flourishing businesses, and provide quality translations, without a certification.  

Should I Only Hire Certified Translators?

Certification is something you’ll want to consider when hiring a freelance translator. It’s proof that they can translate passages accurately and possess ample experience in their field. But know that their experience, portfolio, and record of customer service is far more critical. So, I’d look at those first and use certifications to break ties between otherwise equivalent translators, To learn more about the qualities you should look for in a good translator, click here.

Ready to Get Started?

Now that you know the difference between a translator who is certified and one who is not, you are better equipped to choose your next translator. By focusing on their skillset and ignoring the buzzwords, you’ll have an easier time spotting true professionals—ATA certification or not.  If you’re in the market for a Swedish translator and want someone who’s certified, click here to contact me.

Check also:

• Understanding My Professional English to Swedish Translator Certifications
• I’m Officially Certified in UX Writing!

In a world where physical location has lost its meaning, chances are you can find a Swedish speaker in a large company. When documents like contracts or press releases need to be translated, many businesses might be tempted to rely on their multilingual employees as translators. On the surface, this makes sense. Not only do they know your product inside and out, but they also won’t need to get paid any extra for the work.  

So, if it saves you time and money, what’s the harm in leaning on Anna in Marketing for that English to Swedish translation? Here are some good reasons not to use your employees as translators.

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Swedish Employees Do Your Company’s Translations

In most cases, letting existing staff handle your translations does more harm than good. It can not only damage your company’s reputation but also lengthen the globalization timeline and erode employee relationships. There are several reasons not to do this, including:

1. Being Bilingual Doesn’t Make You a Translator

Contrary to what people think, there’s more to translation than swapping one word for another. There are idioms, metaphors, nuance, and gendered language to consider. Being able to speak another language isn’t the be-all, end-all it’s a prerequisite. Becoming a certified translator takes years of practice and ample education.

2. The Productivity Costs

While you might be impressed with Anna’s Swedish, that’s not why you hired her. Likely, you were impressed by her love of marketing knowledge and strategic skills. The stellar references and 10 years of marketing experience just sealed the deal. Let her do what she is good at, marketing, not translation and linguistics. Furthermore, the time she spends translating must come from somewhere. This means less time spent creating marketing campaigns.

3. It Doesn’t Save You Money

Even if the document isn’t something that can open you up to legal repercussions, attempts to cut translation costs often end up doing the opposite. Frederick Douglass once said, “It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Though translated documents aren’t children, the same principle holds. Getting things right the first time is easier than constantly fixing shoddy work. Hiring a professional Swedish translator is often the more affordable option.

4. A Lack of Tools

To do translation well, you need preferred glossaries, external proofreaders, and a computer assisted translation software. Most businesses won’t invest in these for one-off projects. Professional Swedish translators already have these things in their toolbelts and incorporate their use into their rates. Hiring them allows you to reap the benefits of these tools without the budget battles.

5. Cultural Sensitivity Issues

Just speaking Swedish doesn’t mean Julie has a true understanding of Sweden’s culture. Even if she grew up there, things change. What was once acceptable, and trendy may now be wrong. Since translators make a living connecting with audiences in their target language, they often obsess with staying up to date on current options.

Ready to Let Anna Get Back to Marketing?

Now that you know better than to hand off your Swedish translations to the first bilingual person you come across, it’s time to find a qualified translator! Instead of using employees as translators, you need to find someone who’s experienced and strives to stay up to date on the latest language developments. It also wouldn’t hurt to hire someone knowledgeable in marketing and transcreation. 

If you need Swedish marketing translations, transcreations, or localizations, I’d love to help out.  Looking to expand outside of the Baltic countries? My wide network of linguists and translators means I can help you find a colleague in that field.  To get started, fill out my contact form or visit my About page for more information about my qualifications.

Check also:

• How Much Does a Swedish Translation Cost? Pricing Swedish Translations
• What Cheap English to Swedish Translation Really Costs You!
• 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

We all know the horror stories that come from “hiring” Google Translate to do your translations or relying on low cost firms to get the job done. That could be why Pepsi once became a tool of necromancy in China and Schwepps advertised itself as “toilet water” in Italy. Such mistakes can frighten off thousands of customers and drastically reduce sales in the process. Today, we’ll be looking at 14 other common translation pitfalls, mostly internal, that can stagnate your company’s global growth and reduce translation efficiency:

1. FAILING TO PINPOINT THE SOURCE OF VALUE CREATION

Once all the costs have been sorted, you will be asked the most important question: Why? While not pausing to consider your end goal may get you translating quickly, it will result in a localization plan that’s disjointed, aimless, and lacking demonstrable results. Present, maintain, and adhere to a goal driven plan.

2. BEING TOO TIGHT LIPPED

While security is important, it’s vital that information be shared with other stake holders: sponsors, project managers, software designers, and web designers. To promote greater engagement, ensure each person understands his or her role in the translation process. This will ensure you avoid some of the most common translation pitfalls.

3. LAUNCHING WITH AN UNCLEAR TARGET MARKET

Designing a marketing plan based solely on language and country of origin would result in something overly broad, disjointed, and irrelevant. As a result, audience engagement would suffer. Make certain that your localization plan includes plans for market penetration and accounts for your target audience’s customs, trends, and values.

4. FAILING TO CONSIDER YOUR COMPETITION

You’re not the only business going global. Benchmark yourself against the competition and adjust your marketing positioning strategy accordingly. Doing so after you’ve entered a market wastes resources and may leave you unprepared to face the competition.

5. DEMANDING FULL TRANSLATION OR NONE

Don’t think of website translation as an all or nothing approach. Doing so will either force your company to absorb a large upfront expense or delay your launch until resources appear. Consider providing your multilingual audience, at first, with a scaled back version of your content. As time goes on, you can add features, web pages, and services.

6. DEMANDING UNNECESSARY EQUIVALENCES

Don’t treat all markets the same. For some markets, your Mexico-centric press release means nothing. Allocate your workflows to prioritize the most important pieces, for the most vital markets. In doing so, you’ll lessen the workload and better justify your company’s investment.

7. FOCUSING SOLELY ON YOUR WEBSITE

Go beyond the website and work to provide your international customers the complete brand experience. For mobile markets, you should prioritize application localization.

8. PICKING AN OPAQUE TRANSALATOR

The translation industry is not known for its clarity. When starting your hunt for a translator, it’s advisable to add “translation transparency” to your search criteria. This will give you a clearer understanding of fee structures and just who you’re working with and help you avoid common translation pitfalls.

9. NOT HAVING THE NUMBERS

You need to create a team that focuses on managing, measuring, and improving, your translation results. You should be able to quantify your average turnaround time and failure rate. Data grants you a subjective window into how your project is progressing from month to month.

10. NOT HAVING A COLLABORATIVE SPACE

Don’t even try to run a translation project out of your inbox! Find a modern collaboration space you, and the translator like, and stick to it. This will cut down on translation time and make it easier to stay on track. Additionally, as you can easily keep track of project milestones, you’ll be able to see where jobs are getting stuck and quickly determine the source of any delays.

11. POOR TRANSLATOR-CLIENT COMMUNICATION

A lack of meaningful dialogue is at the core of many unsuccessful translation projects. Provide your translation team a clear process for relating questions and suggestions to your team.

12. A LACK OF VISUAL CONTEXT

Don’t let your translation team work blind. If the company permits it, supply your vendor with a mock-up of your website beforehand. Granting them visual perspective helps to limit judgment calls regarding page formatting and semantics.

13. WORKING WITHOUT TRANSLATION MEMORY

If set up with the proper technology and software in place, localized content could be something that earns your company compound returns. Select a translator that offers a translation memory tool. That way, you’ll never have to translate the same page twice.

14. BECOMING COMPLACENT

Translation is not a project; it’s a process. Listen to your analytics and follow the tides of the evolving media. Never let your localization work become mundane and dry. Never stop experimenting.

For professional translations into Swedish, please contact Swedish Translation Services.

Check also:

• Top 4 Common Business Translation Errors
• 9 Things to Do Before Launching a Translation Project
• What Is Localization and How It Can Help Your Business?
• To My Favorite Client Among LSP’s

Entering a market with different language requirements necessitates a well-developed SEO strategy designed to fully exploit market opportunities. A 2014 study by the Common Sense Advisory, 85.3-percent of respondents the availability of pre-purchase information in their own language as a critical factor when it comes to buying items or services. Regardless of if you call it multilingual search engine optimization, or geolocational targeting, mindful SEO localization can alter both site structure and design. Please see our 10 web localization SEO tips on how to maximize the results of your localization project:

1. DON’T EQUATE LOCALIZATION TO TRANSLATION

While similar, it’s a mistake to think of the as equals. straight translation of your text typically brings a lower ROI than a translated, and localized, version of your web content. To make your content truly attractive to non-English speakers, you’ll need to bring an SEO expert on board that can make your new content attractive to both potential clients and foreign search engines.

2. DO YOUR KEYWORD DILIGENCE

Create a keyword list for all the pages you’d like to translate and have them translated separately. When that’s done, ask an SEO expert to localize the list for you. The result will be a highly-targeted version of your keyword list that will perform exceptionally well in your given market. Once you have the list, you can optimize to your heart’s content.

3. KEEP YOU WEBSITE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT IN MIND

Be careful in selecting pages you wish to translate. Some of your content may be outdated and inappropriate for a successful localization strategy. Additionally, to avoid duplication issues with search engines, avoid copying original language pages to the local website; use links or redirects instead.

4. CREATE A GLOBAL GLOSSARY

Create a global glossary for your keywords and specific terminology. Share this document with all of your offices, and stakeholders, so that appropriate, language-specific versions of these words can be found.

5. DON’T FORGET ALL YOUR WEBSITE ELEMENTS

While some website elements may be hidden from visitors, such as META and TITLE tags), it’s important to also adjust these items to local requirements. You should also take the time to consider whether you wish to localize your URLs, or create a sub-domain of your original website. Many companies choose to indicate language changes in the URLs text.

6. PROMOTE LOCAL CONTENT

Train your local teams on using the resulting website and encourage them to create up-to-date local content. Develop a brief editorial guideline to ensure all resulting pieces reflect your organization’s morals and culture. This will help to boost your SEO ratings.

7. MAKE CERTAIN SERVER LOCATION WON’T HURT YOU

The location of your company’s servers gives search engines a good idea of your location. In the age of the cloud, this typically becomes a non-issue. Consult with a local SEO expert to ensure that’s the case.

8. BE SMART ABOUT YOUR LANGUAGE MARKERS

The best way to show language choices on your site is a simple, localized dropdown. Using flags, as some companies might, can result in confusion for polylingual nations. Detecting the browser’s language, and automatically selecting a localized version of your site, presents its own pitfalls. Regardless of your chosen method, make it simple to choose and switch between languages.

9. DON’T FORGET THE COMPLEMENTARY CONTENT

Localize everything you can; this includes your applications, data feeds, and social media content. Also, be sure to register for all local directories and services.

10. REMEMBER YOUR SITEMAP

Update your sitemap to include the localized version. Consider creating a new, local version for anything being run locally. You should also consider creating a new footer to hold links to all your international websites.

By following the web localization seo tips above, you’ll help your business to stand out in search engine results and make a smoother transition into new markets. Tess Whitty and Swedish Translation Services can help you localize your website for the Swedish market.

Check also:

• Going Global? Translators Can Help You Break the Barrier of Language!
• Translation Services – How It Helps to Improve Today’s Global Economy
• 6 Tips for Writing English for a Global Audience