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Considering a move to Sweden - seeking advice
Thread poster: Wendy Cummings
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 10:57
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
The Swedish Association of Professional Translators (SFÖ) Dec 28, 2019

You could contact the Swedish Association of Professional Translators (SFÖ)
http://www.hansnaslund.se/SFOE.htm

I must admit that I would not move to Sweden unless I specialised in translation from Swedish.
I have family there, but personally prefer Denmark. There are considerable advantages in living surrounded by your source language, when your target language is English, and
... See more
You could contact the Swedish Association of Professional Translators (SFÖ)
http://www.hansnaslund.se/SFOE.htm

I must admit that I would not move to Sweden unless I specialised in translation from Swedish.
I have family there, but personally prefer Denmark. There are considerable advantages in living surrounded by your source language, when your target language is English, and accessible from practically anywhere on the globe, easily accessible from Europe. I would not choose Scandinavia unless I was going to specialise in one of the Scandinavian languages.

One of my friends (not a translator) has become a German citizen with dual citizenship, and is planning to move to Scotland.

I have visited England regularly as an ex-pat, and understand very well why some people might want to leave.
We cannot discuss here whether Brexit was a democratic decision. About 28% of those entitled to vote did not in fact do so, and in Scotland, Northern Ireland and many cities in England, a majority voted to remain in the EU. The majority of those who voted for Brexit was almost as tiny as it could be - 52%, and it was only about 37% of the voters. 35% voted to remain. Apart from that, many ex-pats who will be affected were not entitled to vote at all. OK, no politics, so I will keep to objective facts and hope the Moderators do not need to remove my post!
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Fiona Grace Peterson
Tom in London
Angie Garbarino
Rachel Waddington
 
Eva Corijn
Eva Corijn  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 10:57
Dutch to English
+ ...
Still in two minds? Apr 17, 2020

Hi Wendy!

I just found this old-ish thread here, not sure if you're still considering that move to Sweden?

If you are, I'm very happy to offer my two cents. I myself made the move to Sweden back in 2013 and haven't looked back since. It's a great country to live in! Of course (and as you seem well aware of), every country has its pros and cons.

Quick answers to some of your initial questions:
- How easy is it to register as a freelancer: as Vera said
... See more
Hi Wendy!

I just found this old-ish thread here, not sure if you're still considering that move to Sweden?

If you are, I'm very happy to offer my two cents. I myself made the move to Sweden back in 2013 and haven't looked back since. It's a great country to live in! Of course (and as you seem well aware of), every country has its pros and cons.

Quick answers to some of your initial questions:
- How easy is it to register as a freelancer: as Vera said, very easy. Everything happens online and the tax agency (Skatteverket) offers excellent info sessions for those just starting out.
- Taxation: your taxes and social fees are calculated based on what you actually earn. This differs from some other countries, where you may instantly have to pay a minimum monthly fee just to be allowed to be a freelancer. So in that sense, you're lucky: if you earn peanuts, your taxes will be peanuts, so to say
- Regulatory issues: hmmm, this is trickier. I don't feel qualified to comment on your situation as a UK citizen - your best bet would be asking Skatteverket, they'll be able to tell you what you need. As far as I can gather, there are no major issues like needing certificate X or proving you have XXXX GBP on your bank account or whatever to be able to work here.
- Opening a bank account: easy and straightforward IF you are registered in Sweden's population agency! (This is because the all-important "personnummer" (personal identity number) is the key to everything in life here). As long as you have one of those personnummer, you'll be alright.
- Foreign-currency payments: SEPA payments work just fine here, like in the rest of Europe
- Swedish society and freelancers: it wouldn't be a problem. The gig economy is big here, and cafés are filled with hipsters sipping lattes during the day and working on their Macbooks, hehe. Everything is so digitalised in Sweden that a lot of people work from home, even when they're regular employees.

Ultimately, I suggest identifying the aspects of life that are most important to you and then taking a look at how Sweden performs:
- ease of freelancing = I'm very happy with the freedom and convenience Sweden offers to freelancers
- cost of living = high, but then again wages/rates are higher here than in other EU countries
- weather = don't move to Sweden if you love sunshine and light! You'd be doomed...
- housing = the standard of housing in Sweden is excellent, but you'll be forking out quite a bit for a nice place to live
- life with children = Sweden tops the rankings, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better country to live in
- nature = you can literally image-google "Sweden" and start drooling
- social life = ouch, this is harder... with the risk of offending some people here, I'm going to go ahead and say that making friends in Sweden is hard. It's not the most social, outgoing country in the world... But that doesn't mean it's impossible, and the few Swedish friends I have are absolutely wonderful and very loyal
- healthcare = very high standard, but not always easy to get appointments straight away
- ....

It all really depends, but I would definitely say you could have a great life here.
Feel free to DM me if you still want some advice or if you want to talk to a freelance translator in Sweden
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