Contact
Language coordinator: sprakkoordinator@slu.se, 018-67 12 31
On this page you will find links to various writing tools - style guide, glossaries and other resources. If you have any suggestions for other useful tools you think should be added, please email the language coordinator.
According to the Swedish Language Act from 2009, the language of the public sector is to be "cultivated, simple and comprehensible".
Make sure your writing is simple and comprehensible by adapting it to your intended readers and applying the principles of plain language. For cultivated language, follow the stylistic rules and recommendations in the SLU style guide and other guidelines.
A consistent style is important. It facilitates communication and ensures that we speak with "one voice" when we write. Just like we have a visual identity, described in the brand manual, that specifies which colours and fonts to use, we have a style guide that describes what choices to make when it comes to style.
The SLU glossary contains names of programmes and degrees, research subjects according to the Statistics Sweden classification, administration/HR-related terms and most of the entries from the dictionary compiled by the Swedish Council for Higher Education.
The glossary is intended to be used from Swedish into English, but it is, of course, possible to search from English to Swedish as well. The glossary is however based on the Swedish concepts, and any comments are in Swedish only.
The Division of Human Resources is responsible for maintaining the list of titles for SLU staff. If you need the translation of a title, you can use the pdf version of the list.
The easiest way to find out the name of a department or division is to use 'Search employee' on the staff web. Write the Swedish or English name in the Department/division/unit field and when the search result is displayed, switch languages.
The Swedish-English dictionary of the Swedish Council for Higher Education covers several concepts in higher education. Unless the SLU glossary has a different translation, use the translations proposed in this dictionary. Most entries from the dictionary are also included in the SLU glossary.
The Swedish national term bank Rikstermbanken contains mainly Swedish terms but also covers other languages such as English, French, German and Finnish.
The EU institutions' term bank Iate (Interactive Terminology for Europe) is free and covers EU policies in most fields and several EU languages.
The Joint Group for Swedish Life Sciences Terminology (Svenska biotermgruppen, information in Swedish only) is a network set up to coordinate Swedish terminology within life sciences such as biotechnology, molecular biology and genetics. The network consists of scientists, journalists and terminologists. Their concept definitions and term recommendations are available on their web site, and these resources are also available through the Termado app which can be downloaded from Google Playstore or the App Store free of charge.
Utrikes namnbok contains translations into English, Finnish, French, German, Russian and Spanish of the names of Swedish government agencies and organisations as well as translations of Swedish titles used in public administration. The main body of the text is in Swedish, but the multilingual list can be used without any knowledge of Swedish.
Interested in learning Swedish? The Swedish Institute hosts a free, online course for beginners, corresponding to CEFR level A1-A2.
SLU's Division of Human Resources also organises Swedish courses for SLU staff, at two levels (beginners and for those with some knowledge of Swedish).
Language coordinator: sprakkoordinator@slu.se, 018-67 12 31
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