A Different Taste of Sweden

The University of Westminster staged its first Difference Festival this week. Andrew Linn, the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities, described it as a 'Festival of the Mind'. The various talks celebrated difference in one way or another.
I attended the 'Discover Swedish Language and Culture' talk. Christina Nilsson promised to demonstrate that there is much more to Swedish culture than ABBA, IKEA and pickled herring.

The presentation began with a flurry of pictures and figures, as Christina set about keeping her promise to reveal Swedish society, mentality, language, food and music.

Country and Population Facts

Sweden's place in Europe

Sweden has 10 million inhabitants in the 5th largest country in Europe (in terms of land area).
85% of Swedes live in cities.
The capital is Stockholm. 2nd city Göteborg and 3rd city Malmö.

Less than 3% of the land is built upon. 
Sweden is long and thin: 1,574km long to be precise.
69% of the country is forest. 
15-17% were born in another country.

Other Residents
More than 300,000 elks
200,000 reindeer

Elk on hillside with forest background

Stockholm and its islands
Water, water, everywhere.
Stockholm is built on 14 islands.
It has 57 bridges.
The Stockholm archipelago consists of 30,000 small islands.

Stockholm surrounded by water

Swedish Culture
Murders? With exported TV series such as Wallander, Beck and Girl with a Dragon Tattoo... it might appear that Swedes are a murderous bunch. 

Sweden: multiple crime scenes - fact or fiction?

Why are such crime dramas so popular? The long, long, dark nights...
Nordic Noir authors wanted to point out what is wrong with Swedish society. 

Food
Fika - essential coffee and cake as often as possible. Whether meeting a friend or  at work, both in the morning and the afternoon, Fika is not to be missed.

Fika: coffee and a bun

Music
Swedes are proud of their music. Christina ran through a host of musicians to prove that Sweden has more than ABBA to offer.
3rd largest exporter of music.

The Eurovision Song Contest is a really big deal in Sweden. The selection process goes on for weeks with elimination rounds and second chances on the way to the final. The whole country watches on TV. Swedes take Eurovision seriously. Well-known stars take part. Only Ireland has won more Eurovision contests than Sweden.

Swedish Inventions

Swedes have shared an impressive range of inventions with the world.

Examples include the dialysis machine, pacemaker, zip, ombudsman, 3-point seat belt, Tetra Pack, Minecraft, Spotify, Candy Crush, Skype, safety match, etc.

The zip: a Swedish invention

Swedish Society
Swedes rely on the State to provide for them - childcare, maternity pay and pensions.
They are happy to pay high taxes.
They expect the State to look after them when they need help.
The State Pension is set at 80% of your salary.
Childcare costs just £100 per month. Sweden has the highest proportion of working mothers as a result.

Law of Jante
Swedes expect an egalitarian society. The Law of Jante can help you to understand Swedish mentality:

1.  You're not to think you are anything special.
2.  You're not to think you are as good as we are.
3.  You're not to think you are smarter than we are.
4.  You're not to convince yourself that you are better than we are.
5.  You're not to think you know more than we do.
6.  You're not to think you are more important than we are.
7.  You're not to think you are good at anything.
8.  You're not to laugh at us.
9.  You're not to think anyone cares about you.
10. You're not to think you can teach us anything.

These 'rules' can also have a negative side. You should not boast about personal achievements. There are strong expectations of how to behave and dress. You should think of people as a group and contribute as a group. Young Swedes are trying to break out of this mentality today. 

Swedish Cultural Behaviour

Swedes have a reputation for being cool and standoffish. The Spanish even had an idiom based on them: hacerse el sueco - to behave like a Swede. They will not speak or say hello on a bus for instance. They ignore everyone.

Their straight-talking can appear rude. There is no word for 'please' in Swedish.

It is not unusual to be quiet for long periods over dinner. 

Apparent 'rudeness' should perhaps be interpreted as the sign of a nation that values its privacy. Some speculated that this was influenced by the climate. The winter cold prevents you from 'hanging about' to chat. Neighbours may not live that close to one another.

A New In-word?

The craze for Danish hygge is old hat. This year's in-word is lagom according to the Media. It is another of those untranslatable words. It means 'just about right. Not too much, not too little'.  The trouble is any one person's too much or too little is different. The word has its origin in sharing mead and ensuring that everyone got the same amount.

Love of Nature

Swedes love nature. They love to spend the long summer days out of the office walking in the woods, etc. 

Hiker in midnight sun in Sweden

Allemansrätten or 'right of public access' is very important in Sweden. It gives everyone the right to access the Swedish countryside.

Many Swedes have summerhouses in which they like to stay at weekends. Often these summerhouses are not that far from their main homes. It is also common to own a boat.

Midsummer celebrations are as big as Christmas in Sweden. Swedes still celebrate Pagan festivals.

Swedish Midsummer Celebration

Swedish Language

Christina explained that Swedish is very similar to Danish and Norwegian. It is more similar to English than we might expect. Danish is viewed as the more difficult language. 

A list of similar looking and sounding words appear on screen followed by a host of false friends. The word gift caused some laughter - it means both married and poison.

The evening ended with an invitation to sample further cultural differences and languages. In addition to Swedish, the University of Westminster also offers language courses in Arabic, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Chinese, Croatian & Serbian, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, European Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

Further information about Sweden can be found on the official website for Sweden. The Swedish Institute offer more information on 'Swedishness'. Podcasts are a popular form of communication in Sweden.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Translating in 3D

A recent Anglicity blog dealt with perspective and thinking in 3D. Translators have to think in three dimensions. Their deliberations go far beyond the flat text. They also need cultural sensitivity. These abilities set the best translators apart from machines.

Social media translations

Today, automated translation is often used to translate social media. It is great for gist translations in situations that do not require 100% accuracy. The end result can sometimes be flat and one-dimensional. There is a heavy reliance on existing translations. There is no "extra value". The approach may be fit for purpose, but not always...

History in a tweet

The tweet below is loaded with historical and cultural significance. History is repeating itself. In reverse.

Added value of human translation

If you were not alive in 1956 or are unaware of Hungarian history, you need an informed translator to help you understand the full meaning. You need a translator to provide the missing dimensions for you - to put the subject into 2D, and then into 3D.

2D = history - You need your translator to advise you on the history - i.e. to take your perspective back in time. Such information may influence your decisions on what action to take. There may be potential in-country reactions to consider. This informed perspective will influence the tone of your communications.

3D = contemporary background - You need your translator to advise you on the current situation in the country and sentiment towards your country - i.e. to project your thinking forward. You need to fully understand the tweet and its sensitivity before taking action. Again, you need to establish the correct tone for your communications.

 

Added value of context 

The translated tweet is flat without its historical and cultural context. If you use an automated translation without a translator's advice, you could get an explosive reaction and damage your brand. Timing is important. You may need to avoid sensitive or simply busy periods. One region may be more sensitive to your message than another.

Automated translation is preferred when time is of the essence. Going too fast to assess cultural and historical significance can sometimes backfire. A measured human approach can win the race without regrets.

Refugee crisis call to humans

There is a refugee crisis in Hungary. Cries have gone out for help. Not to machines. No. Urgent help has been asked of human translators and interpreters. It seems that human is best in a crisis after all.

For information about Anglicity's services, email karen@anglicity.com.

On Thinking in 3D

In a momentous and heart-wrenching European news week, it was back to the usual school routine in our household. As explained in an earlier blog, school has never been my younger son's favourite place. I was delighted to see his smiley, confident return on Friday afternoon. What a difference a change in perspective can make.


James returned from school with a small drawing. A familiar scene in many homes no doubt. He showed me the drawing with pride. After explaining, he pinned it with a magnet to our fridge as so many times before in his primary school days.

The new Physics teacher had asked the class to draw a picture of a house. Then he awarded points for different characteristics in the drawings. James got high marks. Why? Because he drew a house in 3D, while many classmates drew conventional, 2-dimensional houses.

He regretted missing out on a few marks, because he didn't put the door off-centre. Good point. Doors, opportunities and solutions in life aren't generally to be found dead in the centre. Project plan and project experience often run slightly off course.

The house drawing also boasts lots of windows to look out of or to let in lots of light, depending on your perspective.

There is even a skylight to look up at the sky and stars.

Smokes rises from the chimney. This is a warm house with a fireside to huddle around in the cold depths of winter.

There is a large garden with a low fence. (Well, honestly, what would you expect from the son of a keen gardener?) The grass is depicted with meticulous strokes of green. Details matter.

That little drawing can stay on our fridge all year. I am very proud of my son. I am grateful to the inspirational Physics teacher who asked for something a little different. He showed James that his different perspective has value.

Our little family tale seems particularly relevant this week. We have seen ordinary people show warm, out-of-the box thinking towards refugees, in contrast to rigid, flat 2-dimensional thinking from wealthy, highly educated politicians.

People aren't numbers or quotas. Every individual has value.