Did you know that Norwegian has two official written forms of the language, Bokmål and Nynorsk? In practical terms, this means when translating into Norwegian, you have to decide which of the two versions to choose.
We’re going to explore how these two distinct forms came to be, why Bokmål is more widely used, and when it might be appropriate to translate into the lesser used Nynorsk form. Here’s an example of how the two forms differ from one another:
English: I will not tell anyone the secret.
Bokmål: Jeg skal ikke fortelle hemmeligheten til noen.
Nynorsk: Eg skal ikkje fortelja løyndomen til nokon.
Source: Visit Norway
Until Norway achieved its independence from Denmark in 1814, Norwegians wrote in Danish. In the years that followed, Bokmål was developed to make the written language more reflective of how people spoke. Today, Bokmål is the most used version of written Norwegian and is in daily use by 90% of the population. Despite the impetus to make a break from Danish, Bokmål still includes many Danish loanwords. It is more dominant in the East of the country and in the major cities such as Oslo, and it is often viewed as being more formal and traditional. Most technical translations into Norwegian or where targeting urban areas of Norway would be into Bokmål.
Nynorsk is now only taught in 11% of primary schools. It is associated with more rural areas in Western Norway and was based on a mix of Norwegian dialects. Unlike Bokmål, Nynorsk which literally means ‘New Norwegian’ was a standardization of the nation’s rural dialects that had not been influenced by Danish. It is often seen as more creative and expressive. If targeting Western or Central Norway, translating into Nynorsk might be more appropriate.
Importantly, Bokmål and Nynorsk are mutually intelligible and Norwegian readers who are fluent in one form can understand the other.
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