Would I be able to make it in Sweden?

[Helsingborgaren]

Originally Posted by Ichig

Taking advantage from this topic I would like to ask if an individual from Denmark or Norway would be required to learn Swedish in order to work in Sweden?(since some universities in Sweden exempt students from Norway and Denmark to prove that they are proficient in Swedish)

For the most, no, as well as the other way around. Even a couple of local doctors in my town are Danes, and they speak Danish (with a few Swedish words added into it), not Swedish. I don't know how well that would work in Stockholm or the north, but here in the south it works fine. Danish pronounciation is radically different from most dialects in Sweden and in particular different from Standard Swedish, which is what makes it hard outside the south. Maybe a Dane in Stockholm would have to learn a bit Swedish.

Norwegian however (unlike Danish) is widely understood and mutually intelligible all over Sweden. I don't think there is any jobs who would demand a Norwegain to speak Swedish unless it involves writing skills as almost all words are spelled diffently when written with slight differences, like skola vs skole, stjerne vs stjärna and vackert vs vakkert etc, you get it.

You don't know how to write all those differences unless you have studied the language, yet you understand them when they are written and spoken cause they are so similar with just mere spelling differences. There are also a few words that actually are different, but you don't have to live here very long to integrate those few words into your speech.

Likewise, Swedes working in Norway speaks Swedish and there are for the most not any demand for them to speak Norwegian. When spending a day out in Oslo its almost impossible to not hear any waitress, cashier or store employee speak Swedish.

[Ichig]

Originally Posted by MagnusPetersson

For the most, no, as well as the other way around. Even a couple of local doctors in my town are Danes, and they speak Danish (with a few Swedish words added into it), not Swedish. I don't know how well that would work in Stockholm or the north, but here in the south it works fine. Danish pronounciation is radically different from most dialects in Sweden and in particular different from Standard Swedish, which is what makes it hard outside the south. Maybe a Dane in Stockholm would have to learn a bit Swedish.

Norwegian however (unlike Danish) is widely understood and mutually intelligible all over Sweden. I don't think there is any jobs who would demand a Norwegain to speak Swedish unless it involves writing skills as almost all words are spelled diffently when written with slight differences, like skola vs skole, stjerne vs stjärna and vackert vs vakkert etc, you get it.

You don't know how to write all those differences unless you have studied the language, yet you understand them when they are written and spoken cause they are so similar with just mere spelling differences. There are also a few words that actually are different, but you don't have to live here very long to integrate those few words into your speech.

Likewise, Swedes working in Norway speaks Swedish and there are for the most not any demand for them to speak Norwegian. When spending a day out in Oslo its almost impossible to not hear any waitress, cashier or store employee speak Swedish.

Thank you

[Natten]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

It's very hard for foreigners to get work in Sweden, even if their Swedish is perfect, unless they transfer in via an employer in their home country. It might be different for students, though, I don't know. As you may know, you wouldn't necessarily need Swedish for some of the international student programs, but it would help for your job. It's not that hard. Take a class in 1st-year Swedish at university. Hopefully, you're going to a college that offers that...? If not, look around for a local Scandinavian union, or something. They usually offer language classes.

I havent read through the thread so perhaps this is already in the thread but you will most likely not get a job if ur not fluent in Swedish. Hell, even Swedes cant get jobs. We have a high youth unemployment.