Professional language review for perfect texts
Language review is an investment in your brand. Well-crafted, flawless language projects the quality you want your company to reflect. Even minor flaws in the language distract the reader and draw attention away from the message. No matter how well a text-based presentation may be, a single stylistic or linguistic slip can sink it. Our meticulous language review process makes sure your texts are correct, idiomatic and tailored to the context, purpose and target audience.
Proofreading, language review and text editing … are they the same thing? And where does post-editing fit into the picture?
While proofreading, language review & adaptation and text editing are three different services with different contents, they overlap. What are the differences, and which service should you order from a translation agency? What can you expect from each of the services? Let's look at the services in more detail and explore the differences between proofreading, language review and text editing before we turn to the relatively new term, post-editing.
We offer three different levels of linguistic control
We offer proofreading at three different levels, from light editing to comprehensive heavy editing. Whichever level you choose, we make sure your text is accurate, clear and well-suited to its context.
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Proofreading & light editing -
Language adaptation & refinement
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Revision & rewriting
Read more about our levels
Proofreading and light editing
We focus on the text at the superficial level and correct spelling mistakes, typing errors, incorrect inflections and hyphenations, and syntax errors. In the case of translations, we check that everything has been translated, nothing left out and nothing added. We also check that non-breaking spaces are used where required, and that hyphens, dashes and quotation marks are used correctly according to the conventions of the language. However, at this level, no adjustments are made to the text regarding style, flow, structure, paragraph division or similar.
Proofreading, or checking, is the final step in the editing process. Here's where the content gets its finishing touch before printing or digital publication. When writing and working on texts, people often become blind to the content after a while. They read what they expect to see, which can mean missing spelling mistakes or words the spellchecker and grammar checker have not found. This is where you need a fresh pair of eyes; someone who wasn’t involved in the writing process to read through the text from an outside perspective, and who’s better able to spot inaccuracies..
At this stage, the text is usually already completed. The proofreader goes through it with a keen eye one last time on the lookout for spelling mistakes, incorrect punctuation and poor grammar. If the text has been laid out, hyphenation is also checked. However, major changes to structure, sentence structure or style are not addressed.
Our experienced proofreaders are not only located in Gothenburg, but also all around the world. When you choose us for proofreading, we guarantee your text will be free from spelling mistakes, typographical and grammatical errors, and that it complies with current writing conventions. You can be confident your text is flawless and professional, and that it puts your message across without your reader tripping over anything.
Language adaptation and refinement
In addition to level 1 proofreading, the proofreader must now also adjust and adapt the text so that it flows smoothly and reads well, has the right tone for the context, addresses the target audience at the appropriate level and follows linguistic conventions. In one context, direct address may be right, while another may require more indirect and formal language. The clipped style of Swedish in non-fiction is less well-suited to German or Italian linguistic styles. Language adaptation also means reconciling texts from different sources and by different authors so that a text feels uniform, terms are used consistently and the language flows easily.
Language adaptation and refinement takes a deeper look at text than proofreading. The proofreader carefully reviews the content of the text to identify and correct linguistic errors and improve a text's clarity, quality and readability. The proofreader not only takes care of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but also adjusts style and tone, choosing the appropriate terms and idiomatic expressions, checking that the client's terminology is respected and ensuring the text is adapted to the target audience and context. Language review is crucial for making sure a text is correct and professional, that it's at the right level for the target audience and that it conveys your message effectively.
Revision and rewriting
Level 3 is a more extensive level of language review in which an existing text is reworked to suit a new context or a new readership. Text from various sources is adapted and rendered uniform and consistent. This may involve shortening a long article to fit a new format, or simplifying a text so that people with limited knowledge of a language can understand it more easily. This work requires an understanding of readability, language statistics regarding word and sentence length, the ability to untangle unnecessarily complex grammatical structures, and the ability to convey relevant information in a simple way. It may also involve elevating the stylistic level of a simple text to one that feels familiar and appealing to a more linguistically advanced target audience, even if this entails more specialist terms and longer sentences.
Revision and stylistic editing
Revision and stylistic editing is even more exhaustive. Here, the translator goes beyond the level of rewriting, takes greater artistic liberties and becomes immersed in the text. Find out more about revision and stylistic editing here.
Post-editing machine translations
Post-editing is a relatively new concept in the language industry. Here, the translator starts with a machine-translated text and is tasked with elevating it to an agreed and specified level of quality, from the basic level of ”comprehensible, correctly spelled, free of grammatical errors and with correct terminology” to ”near-human quality”. This is known as Machine Translation Post Editing (MTPE) and is usually carried out in a specific environment referred to as Computer Aided Translation. MTPE is a solution that is able in many cases to deliver translations of sufficiently high quality at a lower cost than classic translation and text processing.
When we carry out text processing, regardless of the level involved, our goal is to ensure the text is uniform, consistent and works seamlessly in its intended context. We adapt the text to suit the target audience or culture and make sure the client's company-specific terminology is applied from start to finish.
Naturally, our process also includes reviewing the text’s first impression, which involves proofreading and in-depth language checking on both the basic and more advanced levels.
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Proofreading in many different languages
At Språkbolaget, proofreading forms an integral part of every assignment, and is a cornerstone of our business. We translate, adapt and proofread texts in the following languages:
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Arabic
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Bulgarian
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Danish
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Dari
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English
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Estonian
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Persian
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Finnish
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French
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Greek
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Indonesian
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Italian
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Icelandic
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Japanese
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Chinese (simplified and traditional)
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Korean
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Latvian
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Lithuanian
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Dutch
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Norwegian
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Polish
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Portuguese
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Romanian
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Russian
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Slovak
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Somali
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Sorani
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Spanish
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Swedish
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Thai
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Tigrinya
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Czech
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Turkish
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German
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Ukrainian
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Vietnamese
With Språkbolaget as your translation agency, you get more than just translations – you get a dedicated partner who takes your communication to a new level. If any language is missing from the list above, please don't hesitate to contact us using our form.
Top tips for successful proofreading!
Just as a finalised source-language manuscript is essential for translation, a finished, well-crafted text is crucial when ordering proofreading, regardless of the level of review. It always pays off in the long run! Here are a few tips worth keeping in mind before you send documents to us for proofreading.
- Create a schedule covering every step in the process.
- Contact us as soon as possible, so we can book the most suitable translator for your project in advance.
- If the text is still a work in progress inside your organisation, first decide on the message you want to put across and then send the text to us.
- Send us any reference material, previous translations, terminology lists and language or style guides you may have. This allows the translator to become familiar with your material and find the precise terminology and perfect tone of voice to introduce your business.
- Let us know if the text is in its original language or if it's a translation from another language.
- Give us feedback! We'll take on board all your comments and fine-tune our collaboration.
Proofreading with Språkbolaget as your translation partner
When you choose Språkbolaget to translate your texts, we include quality assurance as an integral part of the assignment. We review all material carefully according to the four-eyes principle, making sure your texts are grammatically correct, idiomatic and tailored to your target audience. If you need help editing existing texts, reworking material or finding the perfect wording, call us right away. We’re expert at proofreading and editing at all levels, including copyediting, text processing and text editing.
See what our customers have to say
”It was important for us to find a partner with experience from our industry in order to make sure the terminology was correct. Språkbolaget led us throughout the process and delivered quality in a very short space of time. Now we’re looking forward to reaching out to new target audiences. ”
Maria Öst, Communications Officer, Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Service
“We’re very pleased with the collaboration and especially the excellent communication with our project manager. It was easy to get in touch and ask questions, and we were kept informed along the way, which made for a smooth process, even though it was a relatively big and time-consuming project.””
Andreas Stridh, Product and Quality Manager, Pharma Systems
“We were truly glad we chose Språkbolaget to translate our book. They always replied quickly and were responsive to our needs. They stuck to their commitments, which combined with their personal approach, made us feel safe and ‘visible’ throughout the process.”
Niklas Eriksson and Pär Skoglund Finquist, authors of “The Leader’s Gearbox”.
“We’re extremely satisfied with Språkbolaget. They translate our annual reports and a great many other business documents besides, which they always do quickly and accurately, even when time is tight. And because they’re also very pleasant and easy to work with, we always feel we’re in safe hands.”
“The online youth clinic Umo.se, Vårdguiden 1177 and a number of organisations and universities have asked for permission to publish and distribute our material, which they would never have done had it not been so well translated. We also note that we’re getting hits from abroad, and that’s a good sign,” says Magdalena Abrahamsson.
”Språkbolaget are professional, accommodating and always listen to the customer's needs. They've helped us translate various research papers. In every single meeting, they've always been responsive to our wishes, accessible and delivered on time.”
”Språkbolaget was a great help when we were looking to translate a lot of information into various languages for new families following childbirth. We’ve enjoyed great contact with Språkbolaget from the very beginning and have had nothing but good experiences.”
”The quality of our deliveries is of the utmost importance to us at Invinn. In Språkbolaget, we’ve found a partner with a professional, pleasant approach and who delivers quality on time. They’re transparent with their schedules and quick to respond to input and comments. Both Invinn and our customers feel equally confident with Språkbolaget as our supplier.”
”Plannja uses Språkbolaget for translations of product brochures and installation instructions for subsidiaries in Poland, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Plannja's customers value quality, reliable delivery and clear communication. For us at Plannja, it is therefore important that this permeates our entire business at all levels, including with suppliers. Språkbolaget is a supplier that meets our expectations extremely well. They provide us with a prompt response and we can always feel confident that we will receive information and delivery on time.”
“Many companies, and especially the biggest, naturally recruit worldwide. We’ve reached 300,000 reference checks per year, which means the texts in the app must be translated into many languages, and for that we’ve enlisted the help of Språkbolaget,”
“We’re putting a huge responsibility on Språkbolaget, and we really have very little opportunity to check all of the translations. However, we’re fully confident that the texts will be as clear as required
Request a quotation
Our quotations are free of charge and non-binding
Fill in your details, tell us what you need translated, and we'll get back to you to arrange a personal consultation.
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Tailored prices
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Personal project manager
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Qualified professional translators
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We work exclusively with businesses
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Short delivery times
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Strict confidentiality
Request for quotation
Or email us at: info@sprakbolaget.se
Request a quotation
Our quotations are free of charge and non-binding
Fill in your details, tell us what you need translated, and we'll get back to you to arrange a personal consultation.
-
Tailored prices
-
Personal project manager
-
Qualified professional translators
-
We work exclusively with businesses
-
Short delivery times
-
Strict confidentiality
Request for quotation
Or email us at: info@sprakbolaget.se
FAQs
Let's get started
Who is your target audience?
Språkbolaget caters to businesses, authorities and organisations that want a reliable language partner, a smooth working process and personal dialogue. We are a full-service translation agency, which means we can help you with all your translation needs – from annual reports and sales brochures to video subtitling.
How is my personal data processed?
Making sure your personal data is processed safely and securely has always been important to us.
We have updated our privacy policy to clarify how we protect your personal data in accordance with the EU's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).If you wish to read our privacy policy, you can find it here.
What can I expect from you?
Quality assurance, strong project management, an international network and professionalism form the foundation of what we deliver to our clients. It’s what every client, large or small, can expect from Språkbolaget. But we actually deliver so much more – peace of mind, a personal relationship and a passion for making sure our clients are satisfied with our work and will want to use us again. The personal dimension in our collaborations builds trust, and projects are always performed best by people who trust each other.
How do I go about hiring you?
Send your text to us and we'll send you a quotation. You can contact any of our project managers directly by email or phone or submit a request for quotation..
Would you like to discuss a collaboration now or later? Contact one of our project managers directly.
Language and services
What languages do you translate into?
We translate to and from most languages. Here are some languages we frequently translate into:
Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Icelandic, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Somali, Sorani, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. If you cannot find your language in the list above, feel free to ask us.
Which industries do you specialise in?
Språkbolaget translates and copyedits advertising and marketing texts across all industries. These include customer and internal magazines; financial reports; legal, technical and medical texts; IT‑related, HR‑related and management texts; and public information. We also provide Easy Swedish, Easy English and audiovisual translation services. We work exclusively with businesses.
Which services do you not offer?
We work exclusively with businesses. We refer to private individuals to the SFÖ website. We do not provide interpreter services.
Can I get my translation in the same layout?
Yes, if you send us a text in InDesign or other formats, we return the translation in the same layout. We also offer additional DTP services if you need print-ready files back. Please specify this when ordering or submitting a request for quotation.
Do you do express jobs?
Yes, absolutely. We'll do everything we can to make sure you get the material back when you need it. Contact us here. Let us know when you need your translation and we'll get back to you without delay.
Pricing and delivery
How much will your translation cost?
The price of your translation is based on a combination of criteria, such as the text’s subject matter and level of difficulty; the text volume; the target and source languages; and the deadline.
Translation prices are very much about supply and demand. Some languages have fewer available translators within specific subject categories, and the prices are thus higher than for languages and subjects where there are more translators to choose from. Some languages are more labour-intensive than others, and a text may need further adaptation to the cultures of the different target countries. Upload your file for a quotation. If the file is large, we recommend you use WeTransfer.
Do you offer contract prices and volume discounts?
Yes, of course. If you have regular translation needs with large volumes, we'll be happy to offer you a contract price. Contact one of our project managers here.
Do you charge extra for express delivery?
We charge an additional 10–100 % for express delivery. Express delivery costs more because the translator has to put other assignments on hold and may have to work overtime to complete yours. In most cases, the work will be completed quickly even without express delivery, so the surcharge may not be necessary. Upload your file with the proposed delivery date for a quotation. If its a large file, we recommend you use Wetransfer.
How quickly can I get my translation?
Delivery times depend primarily on the availability of a suitable translator and the volume of text. A good rule of thumb is to assume a translator has the capacity to translate around 2,000 words per day. On top of this come project management, language checking and file handling. When you receive a quotation from us, we also provide a delivery date. If you have a specific deadline to meet, please state this in your request for quotation and we’ll take it into account. If you’re in a particular hurry, we offer an express service where you can get your text translated extra quickly. Request a quotation here.
Translation process and quality
What does your working process involve?
Our standard work process involves a native-speaking translator with specialist expertise in the relevant field who translates and reviews their own text. After that, a different translator steps in to review the text again. As a regular client, you have the opportunity to use the same translator and the same project manager every time. We can set up specially tailored work processes and workflows for different types of projects. Contact us if you'd like to discuss your project with one of our project managers. We've spent many years honing our work process. Read some of our client case studies here.
Who translates my text?
A qualified native translator specialising in the relevant subject area translates the text, and a second qualified translator reviews it, in accordance with our standard workflow.
What qualifications do Språkbolaget's translators possess?
To be approved as a translator with us, candidates must be trained as translators, translate into their native languages, keep abreast of developments in their languages, have documented experience and good references. They must also pass Språkbolaget’s own tests. We monitor our translators closely and have developed a quality control system to help us choose the right translator for a particular text
How do you guarantee quality?
Språkbolaget offers a quality guarantee for all translations. We only use translators who meet our quality standards, and we have a documented workflow that involves an additional review of all texts. However, should you not be satisfied with our work, we will revise the translation free of charge according to all applicable notes until it meets your requirements.
How do you guarantee confidentiality?
All our employees, translators and partners have entered into non-disclosure agreements. Should you require an additional confidentiality agreement, we are more than happy to sign one.
Do you offer certified translations?
Yes, many of our translators are authorised by the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency. Contact one of our project managers here to check availability.
What file formats can you accept?
We work in a wide variety of programs and formats such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and many more. Ask us here!
Other
How do I pay?
In the case of new clients, we carry out a credit check before beginning a translation project. Our standard terms of payment are 30 days, and we prefer to send invoices by email, but if you would rather receive your invoice by post, that's perfectly OK. Large projects are invoiced in instalments.
Where can I find your terms and conditions?
You can find our terms and conditions here.
How do I join Språkbolaget's team of translators?
To join our international team of translators, you must have a degree in translation or the equivalent for the languages you translate from, and translate into your native language. You must also have at least two years' experience of professional translation, and you must work as a freelance translator through your own business. You must also have good, documented knowledge of the subjects you translate. Send your CV to info(@)sprakbolaget.se.
We receive a great number of applications, so we do not have time to reply to all of them. However, we save all serious applications and will get in touch if the need arises.