Have you ever overheard a conversation between Scandinavian speakers and noticed that their speech is sprinkled with English borrowings? Sometimes it might feel like every other word we use is on loan from the English language, with our accents often chopping and changing as we mould our mouths around the correct pronunciation in both languages.
You might think this is a blessing for translators – after all, there are certain words they can just lift wholesale, without having to think about the meaning or translation. Right? Well, not quite actually, thanks to a phenomenon known as pseudo-anglicisms. Meaning English words that have taken on a new life in their new language. Words like sparring, afterwork, kick-off and soft.
For today’s article, I am going to take a look at the way Scandinavian languages and English often overlap, and what this can mean when translating Scandinavian texts.
Germanic roots and global links
There are two primary reasons why Scandinavian speakers are able to lift so liberally from English. First of all, the Scandinavian languages and English are both Germanic languages. This means that their grammars are very similar and many words share a common etymological origin. As a result, it is relatively easy to take English words and simply slot them into sentences in the other language.
Sometimes this requires a little moulding or Scandification. For example, words like face, fake and bacon can become fejs, fejk or bejkon in Swedish. This spelling change means the pronunciation remains the same in the new language. Verbs, on the other hand, are usually adapted to take an –a or an –e on the end so that they can be conjugated according to the normal rules of Scandinavian grammar. Like scrolle or banna. In some cases – like mejla for sending an email – both changes are present together.
Add to this natural ability to accept English words the fact that English has become a lingua franca that is ever present in an increasingly globalised world. Swedes, Danes and Norwegians consume bucket-loads of American and British culture, and they use English to communicate with each other and with their neighbours from across Europe.
This has meant that more and more English words have become commonplace within Scandinavian speech, from design and makeover to walk-in closet and whistleblower or Frankenstein half-calqued words like touchskærm and hårspray.
Beware of pseudo-anglicisms
So while English words can and do get readily subsumed into Scandinavian languages, the story doesn’t end there. Sometimes they go on to take on a whole new life once their transition is complete. Overtime, English words can get sucked deeper and deeper into their new tongue until they are detached almost entirely from their meaning in English.
This is how we end up with words that look, sound and feel English, but which nevertheless raise eyebrows among native speakers. It is a phenomenon known as pseudo-anglicisms. English words that aren’t quite English anymore. Let’s take a look at some examples:
An afterwork what?
One of the most classic and widespread examples – and one that expats in the Nordic countries will typically come across quite soon after arrival – is the infamous afterwork. In English, afterwork is an adjective and almost always followed up by a noun. You can have afterwork drinks, an afterwork gym session or an afterwork activity.
In Scandinavia on the other hand, an afterwork is a cultural phenomenon that requires no further explanation. Sometimes referred to in short hand as an AW (Ah-Veh), it is part of the same pantheon of routine Swedish social occasions as fredagsmys (cosy Fridays) or lördagsgodis (Saturday sweets). Specifically, an afterwork is a get-together for drinks and social interaction with colleagues after the working day. A bit like an American happy hour, it is an event that typically revolves around snacks, drinks and sometimes games.
A soft smoking and a babysitter
Sticking with Swedish, soft is another classic example. Also existing as the verb softa and the antonymous osoft, the word no longer means a smooth, comfy or pliable material. Instead, soft can be used for anything that is somewhat pleasant or agreeable. Like a smoking! Which of course has nothing to do with cigarettes or tobacco but refers instead to a sharp and snazzy-looking tuxedo – something akin to what English speakers once would have called a smoking jacket.
Meanwhile, if you here a Swede looking for a babysitter, there is no need to get on the phone – they don’t mean an actual person to look after their baby but a baby bouncer. Literally a seat to put their baby into. Kind of like what we Danes call a babylift, or a carrycot in English.
Translating English words back into English
So what does this phenomenon mean for translators? Well basically, it means English words ought to set off alarm bells. Rather than just copying and pasting these words back into their home language, the linguist needs to stop and examine their use and context carefully.
Key factors to consider will include the intended meaning and the target readership. When translating for non-native speakers living in Scandinavia, it may still be appropriate to retain the term as-is if it will be understood. In other cases, it might be necessary to find a synonym or to explain around the term so that its intended meaning is understood by the reader of the translation.
It is never enough to simply transfer the word across without giving it some thought first, and this is one thing you need to be wary of when using machine or automated translation solutions.
If you would like to know more about how professional translators deal with hidden pitfalls such as pseudo-anglicisms, calques or loan translations, head to the COMUNICA website or feel free to reach out for a chat. It’ll be soft!