Sweden/Sverige på/in Engelska/English

SWEDEN/SVERIGE/ på/in English/Engelska.

av Urban Lundberg 2008-08-19

Konungariket Sverige
Kingdom of Sweden
Our swedish flag is blue with yellow crosses.

Coat of ArmsDen svenska vapenskölden.

Kungens motto "För Sverige - I tiden" "For Sweden – In This Age"
Anthem/Nationalsång: Du gamla du fria, Thou ancient thou free: Royal Anthem/Kungssången/The Song of the King.

SVENGELSKA

Det finns ju en del att ta fram om vårt modersland beträffande vår mat och våra traditioner och vad det heter på engelska, så att turister och även andra som kan berätta en del om "Sweden" när de är i ett "annat land." Eller om vi får besök av "utlänningar", som egentligen är vad jag tycker "världsmedborgare". Men vi har väl våra "revir" så då kanske det är acceptabelt att försvara vad vi har åstadkommit genom generationer i vårt kära fädernesland.

Jag har numera ett ganska bra översättarprogram som heter "babylon" där jag hittar de ord som jag vill använda, så att det blir lite "proffsigare" än min "skolengelska"

Det finns en del bra litteratur om Sverige på svenska, som jag har översatt, "förståeligt", hoppas jag. Jag tänkte blanda svenska med engelska så att jag "översätter" inom parenteser ibland osv...ungefär som nedan.

Det gäller att ha rätt uttal,(Pronounce/uttal)) eller hur?
Who are you? (Vem är du?) How are you? (Hur mår du?) What time is it? (Hur mycket är klockan?) How much is the clock? ( Hur mycket kostar klockan?)Det vill till att veta vad man vill och pratar om, när man tror att man skall uttrycka sig rätt eller hur?

Tillägnat min son Anders som numera bor i USA. Dedicated to my son Anders that now lives in the USA.

Here comes Anders the tennisplayer with Nan in Gothenburg 2006.

Anders and another good tennis and hokeyplayer Wladimir Zadbrodsky who had a tennis camp in Ronneby 1967.

The Olympic games in Peking-KINA. (No gold this time) 2008.
Tittade just på OS-semifinalen 2008-08-18 där Sanna Kallur tyvärr trampade på första häcken och föll, nu var det för hennes del fyra år till spillo och många svenskar led med henne. Men om fyra år igen så får hon en ny chans. Det gäller att ta nya tag när man kommer från det "lilla" landet Sverige.

Location of Sweden in Europe.(orange) ( Här håller vi till!) The European Continent (Sweden camel/white)–Norway on the left side and Finland on the right. Denmark is situated nearby Skåne on the south-west corner.
The 25 provinces/provinser of Sweden .

We have a total population of over 9.2 million.The area is 449,964 km2 (173,732 sq mi). Modern Sweden emerged out of Kalmar Union formed in 1937, and by the the unification of King Gustv Vasa in the 16th century the swedeish country expanded into its territories to form the swedish empire.The last swedish war was 1814.(Det moderna Sverige växte fram då Kalmarunionen bildades 1397 och genom enandet av landet av kung Gusav Vasa på 16-hundratalet. Under det 1700-talet utökades teritoriet till att bilda det svenska riket. Det sista krig Sverige var inblandat i var 1814 då Sverige med militära medel påtvingade Norge den personliga unionen som varade till 1905.)
We make love instead of war.My oldest son Anders is kissing Eva-Marie.(1964 may-be)
We are celebrating a HAPPY NEW YEAR 1965.

Swedish smörgåsbord, and also Julbord/X-Mas table, is almost the same ,there is a slight different only with the ham and som other cooked meals.
Celebrating Midsummer Eve, you never go to bed and the girl will pick 7 flowers to hide under her pillow and dream about her belowed. My daughter Jenny, born 1971 is celebrating Midsummer Eve in Ljungsbro 1973.

Anders 2 (born 1960)år i mammas klänning i Tylösand 1962. Her we are going ice-bob in the winter-time, Anders in the front and Per stays behind (1966).Skiing-competition 1966. Learn how to swim 1965 in Ljungsbro.Per in Bohus-Malmön on the west-coast 1967.
New bikes 1967.
Kolmården djurpark/ Zoo. 1966.

Celebrating Lucia 1966. Eastern/Påsksmällare in Ljungsbro. 1967.Båstad -Tennis in early 1968, with my son Per in the front.

Jag ofta funderat på att skriva en artikel om "Svengelska!"
Jag menar "Sweden in English!" Nu är det gjort!

Man kan skriva en del om vår snaps, som så här kanske: "Coffe might be our most popular drink, but of course it does not make us so jolly that we start to sing.

Sweden has the highest level of coffe-consumption in the world, apart from Finland.

Coffee./Kaffe
Kaffeblask/dishwater,kaffedags/coffetime,kaffekask/coffee with alcohol,kaffe på bit/coffe with lump, kafferast/coffee break, kaffesked/coffee spoon, faffesugen/feeling for coffee, kaffesump/coffe grounds,brygga kaffe/ te brew coffee, fikapaus/coffebreak, påtår/tretår/refill,three--, språngfika/coffe on the run.

Schnaps.

However that is just what we do when we drink schnaps with herring, crayfish etc.."
HELAN GÅR!

The best known of many drinking songs is probably, "Helan Går".

Here is a humorous "English" transcription: " Hell and gore, Chung Hop father Allan ley, Hell and Gore, Chung Hop father Allan ley, Oh handsome in the hell and tar, And hell are in the half and four, Hell and gore, (the dram is downed!) Chung Hop father Allan ley."( Helan går sjung hopp fallerallan lej, helan går sjung hopp fallerallan lej, å han som inte helan tar, han heller inte halvan får, helan går(snapsen i magen) Sjung hopp faller allan lej!

Some Inventions and history
We have done some "Inventions!"

Johan och Carl Lundström invented 1855 the safety match (tändstickor från Jönköping, Swedish Match).

Johan Petter Johansson invented 1891 an adjustable spanner (skiftnyckel- Bacho).

Sven Wingquist invented 1907, ball bearings (SKF).

H Hammarlund invented 1902, Halda taximeter, now all over the world(Taxametern, även skrivmaskinen Halda kom därifrån, Svängsta).

Gustav de Laval invented 1878 a milk separator, it is a machine that skims the cream from the milk.

Axel Wennergren got the idea for a vacuum cleaner in Vienna 1908, worlds first cleaner( Elektrolux dammsugare blev det sedan av den).

Alfred Nobel invented the dynamite 1866 and even more important things for the explosive industry. Look into my article about Alfred Nobel if you want further information ( only in swedish for the moment).

C.E. Johansson invented 1894 an instrument for measuring size, called "Skjutmått" in swedish, it was one of the things that made advanced mass production possible.

There are some more inventors like: Hilding Flygt, who obtained his patent 1940, for the under water pump to take away large quantities of water using minimum pressure.

Victor Hasselblad invented 1948 a camera that also have been used by American astronauts.

Bengt-Gunnar Magnusson invented switching center in which telephone lines are inter-connected( LME, numera Ericssons växlar bl a).

Another man from "Svängsta" is: Göte Bergström who invented the revolving spool 1939, a spinning reel, attached to a fishing-rod (ABU-Record-spinnrullen som kallades för "Ambassadeur" och blev en klassiker).

Ruben Rausing presented his "Tetrapack" in 1951, and today it is one of the world´s most popular packaging systems.

1912 Nils Gustaf Dahlén founder of AGA (AGA-fyren)and gas accumulator in lighthouses and Nobel Prize-winner in Physics of the AGA-cooker and the Dahlén light.More tha 100-patent. He got blinded from an acetylen explosion.

Do not forget another "inventor"!
I like to menthion, mr Ingvar Kamprad from Älmhult who started with an idea, which enabled funiture to be transported in flat packages and easily assembled at home. To-day it´s all over the world under the name "IKEA!"

And why not menthion all other interesting people like:

Astrid Lindgrens world at Vimmerby in the provins of Småland, there you are able to meet: Pippi , Emil, Ronja and others of her tales. (Pippi Långstrump-Pippi Longstocking, have been translated into over forty languages since the first character come into print 1945).

"ABBA" and "Roxette", Ingemar Johansson, Björn Borg, Arne Borg, Ingemar Stenmark, Annicka Sörenstam, Zlatan, "Grenoli" (Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl, Nils Liedholm), Jussi Björling, Ingmar Bergman, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, and some others.

There are amusements like: Liseberg in Gothenburg, founded 1923 , Gröna Lund and Skansen in Stockholm founded as early as 1883, Furuvik south of Gävle and "Sommarland" in Skara.

Det finns en hel del att berätta som kan vara lätt att för vidare i en diskussion med "icke" svenskar".

Food/Cuisine

You may fish salmon/ att man kan fiska lax/Öring i Stockholms ström/.Clean water even in Stockholm.
You have to start early as my son Per is doing.(1966,he was born 1963).

A lot of pikes/gäddor that my sons Anders and Per looking after. (1966)
Nice grilling party after the fishing 1965. Father Urban with the sons Per and Anders.
Fishing-Harbor in Lysekil on the west-coast of Sweden 1967.

We have an abundance/öveflöd of seafood, salmon,trout,heering,lobster,oysters and crayfish.

There are some typical specialities like soft red sausage/falukorv served with browned potatoes. Another is black pudding or sausages made of blood, eaten with lingonberries. ( Blodpudding med lingon).

A good fish wrapped i foil in the owen is also common.

You have "Janssons frestelse" / Jansson´s temptation, a dish of potatoes and tinned sprats.

We also have "Kalles" kaviar and others from a toothpaste tupe from a lumpfish roe. (röd kaviar).

We also have "Kroppkakor", which is dumplings with small pieces of pork, served with clarified butter.

We eat many, many crayfish in August.

Also "Surströmming" is a popular fish for people in the north, (Marinated Baltic heering)

Dill-cured salmon /Gravlax is very popular.

Glassblower´s heering/ Glasmästarsill and many other "sill-specialities".

"Svartsoppa" wich is Goose blood soup with the Goose.

"Lingon"/Lingonberries/cowberries, we eat almost to everything, best with your morning cornflakes.

In X-mas we eat dried fish/Lutfisk.

"Pytt i Panna" is also very commom, swedish hash of potato and leaft-over meat. Usually served with pickled beetrot/rödbetor and fried egg/stekta ägg.

Beef patties à la Lindström/Biff à Lindström

At last,"köttbullar"/meetbols our most popular meal with potatoes and lingonberries/cowberries and a glas of milk, outstanding.

Dagens rätt/The days meny.

Lunch

Butter/smör,knäckebröd and other bröd / bred, milk/mjölk, or/eller lättöl/light beer and kaffe/coffee, with a cake.

You will have normaly three dishes to choice between.(meet,fish,pasta)

The price will be only 60-75 swedish crown.

If you order alcohol thogether with the food it will be very expensive due to the taxes. Don´t do!( Ask first about the price!)

Trees, berries,flowers, birds, animals.

Trees

In the north we have some birch/björk forests. The we have spruce/gran, pine/tall. And in the south we have Oak,Elm and Ash, ther are also some Bech/bok.

Berries.

This is blueberries, will be picked in August/September.

In the autumn we have wild berries like, bilberries/blåbär and lingonberries/cowberries/Lingon, also a pofushion of wild mushrooms.

This is Lingon/cowberries,will be picked in August and September.

Flowers.

The wild spring-flowers are : the wood anemones/virsippa, coltsfoots/tussilago, primroses, prinula, lilies of the valley/ liljekonvalj and the summer flowers are: buttercups/smörblomma, cornflowers/blåklint, oxeye daisis/prästkraga, harebells/blåklocka and the bright and brave and yellow dandelions/maskros.

Birds.

Wild duck/and, eagle owl/berguv, blue tit/ blåmes, chaffink/bofink, bullfink/domherre, woodpecker/hackspett, blackbird/koltrast, crow/kråka,lark/lärka, gull/mås, nightingale/näktergal,waxwing/sidensvans,magpie/skata, sparroe/sparv, swallow,svala,swan/svan, wagtail/sädesärla/great tit/talgoxe.

Animals.

The fauna of Sweden no longer plays important in the economy of the country. Only the Saami - people still keep their herds of reindeeer. But the swedish laws are not all that respectful/and helpful.

This is a Moose/Älg.

There are still plenty of moose/älgar in Sweden, we have to shoot approximately 100 000 moses to decrease the numbers in a good condition and not be dangerous for the traffic etc. But there are not so many wolves/vargar, bears/björnar, eller badgers/grävlingar left, some lynx/lodjur can be found and beaver/bävrar. Foxes/Rävar and hares/harar, wild boar/vildsvin, red dear/kronhjort,fallow-dear/dovhjort. And in the sea many grey seal/gråsälar.

We have still some big wild - life birds like: Black grouse/svart orre, great grouse/ tjäder, snow-grouse/fjällripa, golden eagle/kungsörn and the sea-eagle/havsörn are increasing in numbers.

ALLEMANSRÄTTEN.

The Right of Public Access

An old swedish unwritten law (sedvanerätt) is the law of public asses to open land(allemannsrätt). This gives everyone the right to go everywhere except into privat property gardens and park where an entrance fee is charged. Anyone is allowed to swim in a lake or camp on open land on condition that no damage is done. The only restriction is what is called "hemfridszon". This means that you are not allowed to go within 200 metres of the nearest building. Within this area only the owner of the building has the right to pick protected plants, like mushrooms/berries etc. You are not able to stay more that one night in a "protected area" and you have to take care with fires etc. This "Allemanssrätt" is the opposite to " No trespassing" sign, which you will find in most other countries.

We feel rather free in our country

Picking berries and mushrooms, Hunting, angling. "Allemansrätten!"
Våra/Our nationalparker.Voting. And telling "stories" about Norway.

Stockholm have a lot of attractions.
"The north of Venice!"

Swedish Classics
Vasaloppet/skiing, 90 km long, first sunday in March, is an international ski-race marathon from Sälen to Mora in Dalarna it is the greatest race of it´s kind in the world.

Lidingö/running, 30 km long.

Vansbro/swimming, 3 km long.

Vätternrundan is a 300 km cycle race around the lake Vättern our second bioggest lake where we take the drinkwater from in my area.

Other sporting event.

Other well known sporting events is : The Stockholm marathon ca 10 000 runners from all over the world.

O-Ringen a five days international orienteering, some 20 000 people compete.

Tjej-Milen-held towards the end of August in Stockholm. This is the biggest jogging race for woman some 35 000 women compete over a distance of 10,3 km.

Festivals.

Lapplands Festspel in Arjeplog end of June to beginning of July.

Musik vid Siljan, will be held in the first half of July.

The Stockholm Water Festival the second week of August.

The Umeå Jazzband Festival end of October.

The Hultsfred Festival early August.

Sweden is fantastic!
This is a phrase used ironically, more often than not, by us Swedes, when we are talking about our fantastic bureaucracy, or our fantastic rules, regulations and laws- not to menthioned our fantastic taxes, which we firmly beleive are the highest in the world. But we have a lot of humor and that keep us happy.

But there is another side to the "slogan!"
We really do belive that Sweden is fantastic, when we think about our wonderful scenery and countryside.

Sweden is Europe´s fourth largest country.
Sweden is mainly divided into Norrland, Svealand and Götaland, Norrland is approximately 70% of the total area. Svealand is considered to be the center of Sweden because the capital and the goverment is located there.
The real middle (center) of Sweden is "Flatabacken", between Ånge and Sundsvall in Norrland.

Scandinavia is situated far north if you look at the latitude, you will find that Stockholm have the same latitude as the southern trip of Greenland!
It is therefore really surprising what a relatively mild climate the Scandinavian countries have.
This is due to the westerly winds and the Gulf Stream, the ocean current that brings warm water from the West Indies to the Noth Atlantic. That´s why it is possible to grow grain, such as wheat, rye, oats, barely and potatoes, even in the northern part of Sweden.
However the glacial remains from the last Ice Age, which are to be found all over the country, remind us that Sweden has not always enjoyed such as good climate.

Sweden will come to Naples in Italy if you turn it from
the southest city Trelleborg and down over Europe. The distans from Trelleborg to the "Three Nations Marker" (Treriksröset) is 1,574km (978miles)which will be the same to Naples in Italy from Trelleborg in the south of Sweden.

You must understand that the temperature is quite different. In Karesuando in the north of Sweden the average temerature is -1.5 centigrade and in Lund in the south +7.8centigrade.

In Skåne (Scania), right in the south, the summer is twice as long as in the north of Sweden.

Stockholms winter temperature is somewhat higher than New York´s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden

If you want to know more about our country Sweden, like politics/economy/religion etc you may look into "Wikipedia" there you will find a lot of statistics etc.......

Here will follow some pictures from Sweden.

Min vän Yngve Pettesson promenerar i Kiwiks stenrös in the south of Sweden. With a mound of Stones/wall.

Christmas Eve / Julafton 24 december.. Barnbarnet Martin väntar på julklappar.(2005.)
Another X-Mas Eve with Santa Claus picking the gifts ( 1966)Mina Vänner/Grannar äter kräftor, / Cray-fish party with my friends. (2004)

Cray-Fish Party
Cray-Fish Party. Picking the crayfish! (2004)

My happy brother Ronny have catched a big "Abborre" /Perch.(2005)
Runsten/ruenstone from Aspa is the oldest native source menthioning Sweden from the 11 th century.
Visby on the Ireland of Gotland in the Baltic sea and it´s medival city . Here you see "Ringmuren"!

This is the "Turning Torso" 190 meter tall recently built in Malmö.

Midsommer Eve in Dalarna, painted by Anders Zorn.
I have catched som Pikes / Gäddor in Sämsjön. (2005)
My wife Ann-Marie show a Nice Gös/Pike Perch at ca 4 kilo.(2005)
This is a small "Smörgåsbord" with ål/eel; Marinade Salmon, Eggs, tomatoes and mixed salmon and shrimps.(Lax-paté)
A trip with my wife Ann-Marie in Lasses old wodden boat with a "T-Kule motor" (dunk-dunk-dunk-dunk) in lake Mälaren at the old city of Sigtuna.(2006)

See-crayfish from the west coast, Schnaps/beer,cheese and toasted bread, Wow!
Carneval in My small city Falköping , here you will see som "LAPS"!(2007)
Läckö Slott/nearby Lidköping and the lake Vänern, biggest lake in Sweden.

Camping i Sweden. (2006)

My wife Ann-Marie and my oldest son Anders in front of the "Höga Kusten Bron" between Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik at the HIGH COAST BRIDGE of Sweden a very, very beautiful place/area.(2005)

A view from "Skuleberget" at the High Coast of Sweden between Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik. (2008) You take the cableway up/ Linbana.

Help or destroy with Data?
The Goverment are looking after us, may be to much, because a lot of Swedes and Swedish companies left Sweden. This is mainly because of the high taxes a suppose. Ingvar Kamprad/IKEA for instans is not paying a penny in Sweden, and all the goood sportsmen /woman live outside. This is something we have to change I beleive.

Alfred Nobels Price. You may look into my blog if you want to know more about the "NOBEL-PRICE".

On a bridge in the south/west of Sweden.(Västkusten/Bästkusten) (2006)

This is also a picture from the south west of Sweden. "The Westcoast"! Here you see my hometown Falköping below from the montain Mösseberg and in the background you will see the montain Ålleberg
Some stones at my hill Mösseberg in Falköping. "Sveriges Vagga" Some Historical Proffessors believe that Sweden "was born" in my area Falköping, may be? (2008)This is a "Stone-animal" at my montain Mösseberg. (2008)

Ale´s Stones in SCANIA/SKÅNE from the 7th century AD.

When I give away my X-Mas Spruce/Gran to the Govermenet in Falköping för X-Mas Celebrating in the Town.(2005)

The riksdags building / Riksdagshuset in Stockholm


Swedish WASA "Knäckebröd"!

Rock carvings from the West-coast at Taunum, several thousands have been found in Sweden.

The Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen built by SAAB in Sweden.

The Rapadalen Delta at Sarek in Lapland very north of Sweden.

Typical red house/("röda stugor tågar vi förbi, glatt kring nejden hörs vår melodi") in Sweden.

The Volvo Police car.

Stockholm from above
The "High Coast"! (2007)
Swimming with grandchild Thurs in Härnösands havsbad. (2007)
My grandchild Alv and Swedens number two highest waterfall.(2007)

Stockholms castle in the background.
Stockholm by night. "The north of Venice"!
Typical swedish girl at the north in the summertime.

The highest mountain is Kebnekaise 2 111 metres high ( 6000 feet) covered by a glacier.

Fly-Fishing at Hökensås between Jönköping and Hjo, approximately 50 small lakes with salmon-fishing.

Some catched/cooked fishes.

Preparing for the fishing.
Afterwords!

Lappland.
A real SAME-Lapplandia - women! Mina söner/sons, Per och Anders leker/plays renar/reindeer.
Canoting when the sun never goes down. It´s called "The Midnight Sun"!
(midnattsssolen)
Some Ice-Bears/Isbjörnar at Skansen in Stockholm


You have to see the Wasa museum in Stockholm.

Typical swedish girl with Stockholms stadhus in the background.

ÄNGLAMARK.

Here comes "Änglamark" from Evert Taube, first published 1971.

I will try to translate into an English version:

Where Angels Tread

Where angels tread,

A very paradise or Eden if you will.

This Earth we´re given,

Its woodlands and medows,

Buttecups and bluebells.

And the daisies growing on the hill.

Leave them to grow there,

For they are so lovely!

Children shall dance here as angels upon the green,

Play hide-and-seek ´mid the appletree´s blossom,

Birds sing their anthem of praises in the ravine.

Let all the fishes swim deep in our river

Cease all this slaughter of wild creatures in the woods!

Eagles shall fly over the mountains in freedom,

And the last river that roars foaming through the dale,

Let it forever flow peacefully in the vale!

My father Harry born 1910, my mother Britta born 1918 and my brothers Kjell born 1955, Ronny born 1943 and myselves born 1937.

Welcome to Sweden!