Swedish Translation Notes

Swedish (sv-SE) Translation Notes

Translation Goals

The Swedish translation aims to:

• Maintain consistency across all application interfaces
• Use clear, natural phrasing for Swedish-speaking audiences
• Follow technical accuracy for security-related terminology
• Apply appropriate voice and tone for different contexts
• Provide clarity while maintaining professional tone

Rationale for Adjustments

The primary goal was to align the existing Swedish text more closely with the specific terminology and tone guidelines. This involved:

1. Distinguishing password and passphrase: Ensuring “lösenord” is used strictly for account login and a distinct term like “lösenfras” is used for secret protection
2. Clarifying secret: Translating secret as “hemlighet” or “meddelande” depending on context, emphasizing the confidential information being shared rather than a personal secret
3. Improving Clarity and Natural Flow: Refining phrasing to sound more natural in Swedish and ensuring clarity, especially for potentially less technical users (recipients)
4. Applying Voice Guidelines: Adjusting verbs in UI elements to the imperative mood (“Skapa”, “Spara”) and using declarative/passive voice for informational text (“Hemlighet skapad”, “Sparad”)
5. Consistency: Ensuring terms like “burn” (“bränn”), “view” (“visa”), “share” (“dela”), etc., were used consistently throughout

Important Examples of Adjustments

secret Translation

While often kept as “hemlighet”, context determines the best choice:

• In created_success (“Hemlighet skapad!”), it reinforces the idea of the item created
• In your_secret_message (“Ditt hemliga meddelande:”), “meddelande” clarifies it’s a message being viewed

password vs. passphrase Distinction

Critical terminology distinction maintained:

• field_password: “Lösenord” (Correctly used for account login)
• secret_passphrase: “Lösenfras” (Correctly used for secret protection)
• incorrect_passphrase: “Felaktig lösenfras” (Adjusted for consistency)
• enter_passphrase_here: “Ange lösenfrasen här” (Adjusted for consistency)

burn Translation

Consistently translated as “bränn”:

• burn_this_secret: “Bränn denna hemlighet”

UI Actions vs. Status

Imperative mood for actions, declarative for status:

• button_create_secret: “Skapa hemlig länk” (Imperative action)
• STATUS.created: “Skapad” (Declarative status)
• LABELS.save: “Spara” (Imperative action)
• LABELS.saved: “Sparad” (Declarative status)

Clarity Improvements

• secret_hint (homepage): ” En länk som bara kan användas en gång och sedan försvinner för alltid.”* (Simplified for clarity)
• why_use_description (about): Phrasing adjusted slightly for better flow in Swedish while retaining the core meaning

Summary of Changes to the Swedish (Sweden) Translation

The translation was updated to ensure strict adherence to the distinction between:

• “lösenord” (account password)
• “lösenfras” (secret passphrase)

The term “hemlighet” was generally used for secret, but “meddelande” was employed where it improved clarity regarding the shared information.

Voice and Grammar

• Verbs adjusted to use imperative mood for actions/buttons
• Declarative/passive mood for statuses/notifications

Natural Flow and Consistency

• Minor phrasing adjustments made throughout for improved natural flow
• Clarity and consistency following the project’s style guide
• Untranslatable brand names preserved

Key Terminology

English	Swedish	Context
secret (noun)	hemlighet / meddelande	Context-dependent; “meddelande” for clarity about the message
password	lösenord	Account login credential only
passphrase	lösenfras	Secret protection mechanism
burn	bränn	Permanent deletion metaphor
create	skapa	Imperative form for buttons
created	skapad	Past participle for status
save	spara	Imperative form for buttons
saved	sparad	Past participle for status
view	visa	Display/show content
share	dela	Share/distribute

Voice and Tone

Direct Address

Use informal “du” form consistently when addressing users:

• Ange ditt lösenord (Enter your password)
• Ditt hemliga meddelande (Your secret message)
• Du visar... (You are viewing…)

Swedish naturally flows with direct “du” address in most contexts.

Imperative Voice (for Actions)

Use imperative voice for buttons, links, and user actions:

• Skapa hemlig länk (Create secret link)
• Kopiera till urklipp (Copy to clipboard)
• Skapa konto (Create account)
• Spara (Save)
• Bränn denna hemlighet (Burn this secret)

Passive/Declarative Voice (for Information)

Use passive or declarative voice for informational text, status messages, and descriptions:

• Hemlighet skapad! (Secret created!)
• Din hemliga länk visas nedan. (Your secret link is shown below.)
• Hemligheten förstördes manuellt... (The secret was manually destroyed…)
• Sparad (Saved - status message)

Common Translation Patterns

User Instructions

Use imperative forms:

• Ange ditt lösenord (Enter your password)
• Kopiera till urklipp (Copy to clipboard)
• Ange lösenfrasen här (Enter the passphrase here)

Status Descriptions

Use passive voice or past participles:

• Kopierad till urklipp (Copied to clipboard)
• Hemlighet skapad (Secret created)
• Sparad (Saved)

Help Text and Descriptions

Use declarative sentences in 2nd person informal:

• Du visar det hemliga innehållet (You are viewing the secret content)
• Detta innehåll visas endast en gång (This content is shown only once)

Error Messages

Use clear, direct language:

• Felaktig lösenfras (Incorrect passphrase)
• Ett fel har uppstått (An error has occurred)

Special Considerations

The Term “Secret”

Fundamental to the application - translate as hemlighet or meddelande depending on context:

• hemlighet emphasizes the confidential item/concept
• meddelande clarifies it’s a message when context requires

Examples:

• Hemlighet skapad! (Secret created! - the item)
• Ditt hemliga meddelande: (Your secret message: - the content)

The Term “Burn”

Consistently translated as bränn (verb) / bränd (past participle):

• Conveys the permanent, irreversible nature of deletion
• Metaphor works well in Swedish

Examples:

• Bränn denna hemlighet (Burn this secret - button)
• Hemligheten är bränd (The secret is burned - status)

Technical Security Terms

Prioritize accuracy over casual localization. Use established Swedish technical vocabulary:

• krypterad (encrypted)
• kryptera (to encrypt)
• verifiering (verification)
• autentisering (authentication)

Swedish Grammar Essentials

Compound Words

Swedish compound words are written as one word without spaces or hyphens:

• lösenord (password) — NOT “lösen ord”
• lösenfras (passphrase) — NOT “lösen fras”
• användargränssnitt (user interface) — NOT “användare gränssnitt”
• säkerhetskopia (backup) — NOT “säkerhets kopia”
• användarnamn (username) — NOT “användar namn”

This is essential for proper Swedish orthography. Incorrect spacing looks unprofessional and is grammatically wrong.

Two Genders

Swedish has two grammatical genders:

• Common gender (utrum): en — masculine and feminine merged
• Neuter gender (neutrum): ett

Important gender assignments:

• en hemlighet (common — the secret)
• ett lösenord (neuter — the password)
• en länk (common — the link)
• ett konto (neuter — the account)

Gender Agreement for Adjectives

Adjectives must agree with noun gender:

• Common gender definite: -en ending (den skapade hemligheten)
• Neuter gender definite: -et ending (det skapade lösenordet)
• Indefinite common: -ad ending (en skapad hemlighet)
• Indefinite neuter: -at ending (ett skapat lösenord)

Swedish Letters å, ä, ö

These are distinct letters in the Swedish alphabet, not variants of a and o:

• Alphabetically they come after z
• Never substitute with a, a, o or ae, oe
• Essential for proper Swedish spelling

V2 Rule (Verb Second)

In declarative sentences, the verb comes second. When the sentence doesn’t start with the subject, word order changes:

• Subject first: “Hemligheten skapas här” (The secret is created here)
• Other element first: “Här skapas hemligheten” (Here is created the secret)