Snabböversätter

Snabböversätter is a term used in Swedish to describe individuals or services that offer rapid translation of text from one language to another, prioritizing speed while striving to maintain accuracy. While not a formal profession, it is commonly encountered in marketing materials and job postings for express translation services.

The word is a compound of snabb (fast) and översättare (translators). In everyday Swedish, snabböversätter as a noun is less common than snabböversättare for a person, but the phrase also appears as the verb form snabböversätter meaning "translates quickly." In practice, the concept covers both freelance translators who specialize in quick turnarounds and agencies that offer express options.

Operations and methods vary. Some snabböversättare perform translations entirely by human specialists with experience in a specific field, aiming for high-speed delivery. Others use computer-assisted translation tools or machine translation, followed by rapid human post-editing to improve readability and accuracy. Turnaround times range from minutes for short messages to a few hours for standard documents and up to 24 hours or more for complex or specialized texts. Express services often command higher rates.

Quality and risk considerations are central. Speed can affect nuance, terminology consistency, and error rates. Quality assurance may include glossaries, quick peer review, or post-editing workflows, as well as confidentiality agreements and data protection measures. For legal or official purposes, certified or sworn translations may be required, which can limit speed.

See also: translation services, machine translation, post-editing.