2
Dec
2011
Here at Sandberg Trygg we are obsessed with making sure that we communicate effectively with our target audience. But that doesn’t mean that everyone understands what we are saying.
The b2b agency for better business
5
Apr
2011
Communication is never easy. Particularly not in a foreign language. And you can only guess what the people who wrote these sign really wanted to say. Or you can just smile. The photographs were taken in Istanbul.
27
Jan
2011
Anyone who’s been involved with creating global campaigns has had his or her share of headaches as they wade through feedback from local sales organizations. ‘The Chinese hate it, the Indians don’t understand the headline, the Germans have no word for future-proof, the Italians would like to use another model, the Brazilians are doing their own stuff … and the Americans, well, if we don’t make the necessary changes, they’ve threatened to send in the Marines.’
25
Jan
2011
When I was growing up in England (many moons ago), advertising was liberally sprinkled with all manner of grammatical transgressions.
These ranged from the tantalisingly tautological ‘Domestos – kills all known germs dead’ (they’re already dead if you’ve killed them, right?) to the British Egg Industry’s admonition that we all ‘go smash an egg.’
18
Nov
2010
Mark Twain once said ”I didn’t have time to write a short letter so I wrote a long one instead.”
There is, of course, something in what he said. But how do you write briefly and succinctly? Here are some useful tips.
3
Nov
2010
Don’t be fooled by the ready smile and the polite, friendly manner. Like a bird of prey, she hovers over our printouts, swooping down with her red marker to eliminate stray umlauts, greengrocer’s apostrophes and a thousand other illiteracies. For sensitive American audiences, she happily removes taps and installs faucets, while never straying from the sidewalk to the pavement. In fact, very few words in any language or medium leave the building before she’s cast a critical eye over them – carefully weighing linguistic and cultural subtleties. The people who wrote or translated them wouldn’t have it any other way. And neither would the clients. Thank you, Barbara, for not only being a patient sounding board, but also our ultimate quality insurance policy.
PS. If you have any questions of your own about English copy, by all means get in touch with Barbara at
12
Oct
2010
Many of our customers are looking to sell their products and services internationally. So they need solid, confident, native English copy.
Because it’s not just about grammar. Texts need to have a style and tone that rings true to the reader. A reader who is often more wary of foreign suppliers and needs extra reassurance that they are speaking the same language – both commercially and culturally. One word out of place and you’ve suddenly got a much bigger mountain to climb to gain their confidence.
8
Jul
2010
You’ve heard of course Aesop’s fable about The Hare and the Tortoise. An ancient story with a moral that may be hard to apply to the world of business today.
16
Apr
2010
We meet customers, suppliers, partners, creators and marketing people on a daily basis who have lots of interesting things to say. So, we thought, why don’t we let them do it here?
No sooner said than done. Now and again guest writers will contribute to this site with their thoughts and ideas about advertising, communication, B2B, brands, inspiration and other interesting topics. And if you have anything to share, just let us know.
Our first featured guest is Anna Cederberg Gerdrup, a former client turned freelance reporter and author. She tells us about her thriller The Martyr, which takes place in the business world of Gothenburg, and about the joy of writing.
First perspiration, then inspiration
Anyone who’s written a long text knows that you can’t wait around for inspiration. It comes once you get started. Like a reward. First perspiration, then inspiration. And when you’ve got it and sentences start to flow across the screen, you need to stay focused and not go overboard. It’s easy to get side-tracked. Because your brilliant idea for a twist in chapter five demands more research, and surfing around various sites can be devastating. Without knowing how, you’ve left your fantasy world and entered reality. Then you need to get your focus back and that’s not always easy. This process repeats itself again and again until you get to the last full stop.
1
Jan
2010
No, it’s not a typo in the headline. Happy New Year to all of you celebrating according to the Gregorian calendar. To all others: Happy New Year in advance! Time is, as famously said, relative and so is chronology.