Women's sexuality is handled sensitively and correctly in 14 languages

RFSU, the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education, is a non-profit membership organisation that, among other things, works extensively with the target group of women with migration experience and newly arrived migrants. On behalf of the government, RFSU translates and simplifies information materials regarding sexuality and health. This can range from female genital mutilation and sexual violence to abortion and contraception – a task that is far from simple, for several reasons.

– In many languages, words are missing because the subject is taboo. Sometimes the words associated with the female body are automatically derogatory and offensive, says Magdalena Abrahamsson, project manager and public health scientist at RFSU.

This became clear when a first round of translations into 14 languages, including Arabic, Dari, Kurmanji, Sorani, Somali and Tigrinya, came back from the translation company at the time and were proofread by RFSU's own reviewers.

Magdalena Abrahamsson, RFSU
Photo: Daniel Ivarsson

– In one translation, 'homosexual' had become 'sodomite'. And in another text, the translator had taken it upon themselves to add a paragraph about abortion which stated that the woman would become infertile following the abortion. These are gross transgressions that, thankfully, we stopped before they were published, she says.

From other organisations with similar remits, Magdalena Abrahamsson had learned that it was difficult to get high-quality translations, and she was prepared for several rounds of reviewing.

– But this took too much time and caused delays in the project. Furthermore, we felt that we couldn't trust that it would be correct. For us, it was a major problem.

Speechless

RFSU were recommended to contact Språkbolaget instead, and project manager Linda Haggren travelled from Gothenburg to Stockholm to introduce herself.

– We established a good dialogue straight away. We were told that they translate directly from Swedish, without stopping off in English. It felt good to cut out one step in the process, says Magdalena Abrahamsson. In close collaboration, RFSU and Språkbolaget then developed a clear process which includes engaging translators who feel comfortable with the female body and have knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights, who are well-versed in Swedish conditions and, as far as possible, live in Sweden. RFSU also wanted two different people to translate and review each language, all to get as many fresh pairs of eyes on the texts as possible. A project manager at Språkbolaget manages the entire chain and acts as a single point of contact for RFSU regardless of language or project.

A sign of quality during the process was that Magdalena Abrahamsson now received more questions from the translators, via Linda Haggren.

– Yes, it might sound odd to be pleased about questions, but for me it was a clear sign of quality. We know that the subject is sensitive and misunderstandings can be numerous, so if no one asks what a hymen is, for example, we get worried. The translators made us aware of things that could be misunderstood and came up with suggestions and explanations at a detailed level.

Result

Språkbolaget had to start with a test delivery that made Magdalena Abrahamsson feel completely secure.

– We noticed a big difference straight away. A big difference. Our reviewers had far fewer comments and the process worked incredibly well. We operate at such an extreme pace that we need partners we can trust, and we can with Språkbolaget, she says.

The assignment has grown since its inception in 2017, and so far Språkbolaget has, among other things, been responsible for translating Vårdkartan, a glossary for conversational support for staff at youth clinics and healthcare centres, as well as voiceovers for information films. More languages are on the way. The material can be found all over Sweden – and the films have received a great deal of attention.

– Umo.se, an online youth clinic, Vårdguiden 1177 and several organisations and universities have asked to be allowed to publish and distribute our material, and they would never have done that if it hadn't been well translated. We can also see that we are getting hits from abroad, and that is a good sign, says Magdalena Abrahamsson.

Sofia Eriksson