Three years with the Swedish Language Act

– impact, experiences and lessons learned

Nathalie Parès Language Council of Sweden

Comparison between the American Language Act and the Swedish one

• The public

• The level of detailed provisions

• The scope

Contents of the Language Act

• The position of the languages used in Sweden

• Swedish

• Minority languages

• Sign language

• The use of language in the public sector

• The individual’s access to language

The Swedish language

• Swedish is the principal language in Sweden.

• As principal language, Swedish is the language that everyone in Sweden should be able to use in all areas of society.

• The public sector has a particular responsibility for the use and development of Swedish.

The national minority languages

• The national minority languages are Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli (Tornedal Finnish), Romany Chib and Sami.

• The public sector has a particular responsibility to protect and promote the national minority languages.

• The public sector has a particular responsibility to protect and promote Swedish sign language.

The use of Swedish in the public sector

• The language of the courts, administrative authorities and other bodies that perform tasks in the public sector is Swedish.

• The language of the public sector is to be cultivated, simple and comprehensible.

• Authorities have a responsibility for developing Swedish terminology in their areas of expertise.

Individuals’ access to language

All residents of Sweden are to be given the opportunity to learn, develop and use Swedish. In addition, those who have another mother tongue (such as a minority language or the Swedish sign language) are to be given the opportunity to learn, develop and use it. The public sector is responsible for ensuring that the individual is given access to language.

Cases reported to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen

1) Unnecessary use of English, at the expense of Swedish,

within the public sector

• … in the choice of slogans, or names, of organizations

• … in e-mail addresses of Swedish state agencies.

2) Demands for use of English, in applications for research

grants or employment, within in the public sector.

The Parliamentary Ombudsmen care for Plain Language

In a case that was not originally reported for

breaching the Language Act, the Parliamentary

Ombudsmen criticized the lack of plain Swedish

(in a public authority’s decision, addressed to a

citizen).

Reports from the Language Council

• The language situation within higher education and research (2010)

• The language situation on the Internet (2010)

• The Language Act in practice (2012)

• A guide to multilingual information (2012)

• Childrens access to sign language (2012)

• Mother tongue education (2012)

• Translation and interpretaion (2012)

• Plain Language (2013–2014)

• The Language used in politics (2013–2014)

• The use of Swedish and English in academic theses (2013–2014)

• The Language used in eldercare (2013–2014)

”English or Swedish?” – a survey of the language situation within higher education and research (2010)

”Nine out of ten Swedish theses are written in English.

Meanwhile, in those areas where English is nearly the

only language used in writing, the theses’ abstracts are

written in Swedish more often than elsewhere.”

”A language policy for the Internet” – a survey of the language situation on the Internet (2010)

”How accessible is information and service on the websites

of state agencies and municipalities, from the perspective

of national minorities and people with another mother

tongue than Swedish? Far from enough, as shown in this

report about the language situation on the Internet, with

suggestions on how to improve the situation.”

The Language Act in practice – guidelines on the interpretation of the law (2012)

“Which obligations do public agencies and local authorities have to use simple, clear language? And what is simple language? What can local authorities do to protect the national minority languages and Swedish sign language?

The Language Act in practice contains a review of the provisions in the Language Act and provides advice and information about how the Act should be interpreted and applied. Every chapter is followed by a check-list with proposals for concrete, specific measures.

In a separate part of the book, there are interviews with officials, judges, webmasters etc. on how they apply the Language Act in each of their particular areas.”

” Guide to Multilingual Information” – practical guidelines for multilingual websites (2012)

“The Act on National Minorities and National Minority Languages (2010) places demands on municipalities, county councils and other public bodies, requiring them to reach out with information to national minorities and to people with a mother language other than Swedish.

This guide provides practical advice on what to consider when publishing information in different languages, especially on the web. It is intended for public bodies, but the advice it provides is also useful for other organizations and for companies.”

Contact the Language Council

Plain Language issues:

Eva Olovsson and Nathalie Parès

Phone: 0046-8-442 42 12 / -17

E-mail: klarsprak@sprakradet.se

Internet: www.sprakradet.se