Gail Owen

There are approximately 9.5 million native Swedish speakers worldwide; the modern Swedish language is spoken in both Sweden and Finland and is easily understood by native Danish and Norwegian speakers. This mutual understanding has historical roots; Swedish, alongside Danish, Norwegian, Faroese and Icelandic originates from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.

An Indo-European language, belonging to the Germanic family, Swedish didn’t become distinguishable as a language in its own right until the 13th Century. Throughout the Middle -Ages the Swedish language continued to be influenced by German. Many class the year 1526 as a turning point for the Swedish Language; in this year the New Testament was translated into Swedish for the very first time. The translation did not adhere to the colloquial speech of common use, but neither was it archaic in style. In the centuries that followed there was much debate over spelling and grammatical rules and it wasn’t until the 20th Century that a more standardised Swedish evolved.

Today, English is thought to be the biggest current influence on the Swedish language. English is taught in Sweden from a very early age and most young Swedes have an excellent standard of English. However, when marketing your product to Sweden, it is important not to underestimate the goodwill generated by translating your documentation into Swedish. Communicating with potential or existing business contacts in their native language can only enhance your business relationships.

Roevin provides high quality translations into and from Swedish. For a free quotation please contact us.