CEO
Finnish-Swedish Chamber of Commerce
Stockholm, Sweden
English language is considered to be the lingua franca of our age, in business, in culture and in all interhuman communication. All other languages are secondary and, in many cases, limited to a specific country or region. But there are certain advantages connected to usage of for example Swedish language in Scandinavia. There are historical, social, and practical reasons for Finns to improve and develop their Swedish skills, in particular for making better business.
Swedish is one of the two official languages in Finland. This is a reminiscence of the 800 years of common history, when Finland was named the province of East-Sweden. Trade and labor force crossed the Baltic Sea, which was a domestic territory of the Kingdom of Sweden. Finns also joined the Swedish army to fight for power and influence in Europe, as Sweden was one of the five great powers during the 17th and 18th century. After the Russian victory in 1809 many Swedish speaking citizens decided to stay in Finland and to maintain commercial and cultural connections to their contacts in Sweden. Swedish was still the dominating language in business, in higher education, at courts and in public administration in Finland, although Finnish language slowly strengthened its position.
Even today, you need to prove you have sufficient knowledge of either Finnish or Swedish to apply for Finnish citizenship. Government authorities and many municipalities are obliged to offer public services in Swedish. Around 290 000 inhabitants declare that Swedish is their mother tongue and basic Swedish skills are common among Finnish speaking persons with higher school examination. Still, there is a language barrier between Finland and the other Nordic countries. We can see many examples of Finnish politicians, athletes, musicians, and businessmen, who automatically turn into English in conversations or interviews with their Scandinavian counterparts. And their English is often poor and staggering. The risk of misunderstanding each other is always obvious.
Why Swedish?
The question is why Finnish business representatives should use Swedish in their contacts to Scandinavian customers and partners. Why step onto thin ice when you feel insecure and awkward using Swedish instead of English?
The answers are as evident as the question. All businessmen and politicians know that more resources mean more freedom of action. A financially strong company can operate independently, a person, who speaks other languages than English, for example Swedish, German, French, Chinese or Spanish, has a source of wealth to be used to build stronger relationships and to enhance the position of the company abroad.
Using Swedish makes communication easier with partners, customers, and media. Using the language of the target market also creates a positive impact – Swedes have in general a positive attitude towards Finland, and they appreciate that Finnish businessmen try hard to communicate in Swedish. The links between Finnish and Swedish companies, politicians, journalists, and other influencers are strong – we should show respect towards each other to preserve this positive mood. This is also true for interaction between academic researchers and scientists, though English has established itself as the common global language for scientific papers and reports. But some nice small talk between the learned men and women of the Nordic countries may open new doors – research cooperation between our universities adds new strengths and we should not reinvent the wheel by looking to far for new information.
There are more reasons for Finns to use Swedish. Learning Swedish opens a market with 20 million inhabitants in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, with a high level of income and with similar demands as in Finland – making it easy to adapt the products and services. Swedish websites are surprisingly much more efficient in targeting customers in Scandinavia than a general English webpage. Swedish skills are very valuable, when establishing a business in Sweden – it is much easier to communicate with the tax department and other government authorities in the national language. Mentioning public services – Sweden offers Finnish services to inhabitants in many municipalities thanks to the Act of Administrative Areas for minority languages.
Business intelligence also becomes much easier if you have Swedish skills. Considering that Sweden is the second most important market for Finnish companies it is vital to gather market information about trends, competitors, legislation, and financial development. Reading newspapers, blogs, newsletters, and reports in Swedish offers the management of the Finnish company valuable facts and a good basis for strategic decisions.
To conclude – English will work for communication in Scandinavia, but it will always offer you a second-class ticket. If you want your business to prosper in the best possible way, use Swedish to obtain a first-class ticket. It is a cheap investment with an excellent ROI rate.