Swedish first: notes on product language
Written by
Erik Engervall
Engineering and product
Builds Klara Stiftelsesystem at Noaa AB. Focuses on the workspace, the bookkeeping module, and how the product behaves in production.
Klara Stiftelsesystem is built for Swedish foundations first. Swedish is therefore the default language in the workspace, in email, and on the marketing site. English is available for anyone who prefers it, but it mirrors the same product rather than a separate English edition with its own vocabulary.
On the marketing site that means concrete URL rules: Swedish pages without a locale prefix, English under `/en/`. In the app, the locale preference is stored so you do not have to switch again after every sign-in. Copy should feel like foundation administration, not a translated American SaaS template.
Imported directory records and user-entered names are not auto-translated. If a foundation name is Swedish in the source, we keep it. Auto-translating proper names and register text creates more noise than help, especially when a board or auditor compares with external documents.
The same discipline applies to bookkeeping language. We use terms such as verification, account, and annual report where they belong, and we avoid pretending features exist before they are saved and traceable. Language is part of trust: if a button says something is done, it must also be readable back from the database.