George Hopkins Sep 11, 2011:

We are, you are Responding to Phlebas' comment below, I would suggest:
We are to work on the basis of concrete and clear plans.

George Hopkins Sep 11, 2011:

Indeed... Translating the Swedish 'skall' into the English 'shall' is not always clear cut. In English the word shall can be interpreted as being abrupt and 'bossy', ie, impolite. After many years in Sweden I still react when someone says "Du skall,,,"

Åsa Schoening Sep 11, 2011:

Still sounds to me as if "shall" would be appropriate, given that it concerns a policy. Another example that appears to fit this context: "In order to implement this policy we shall..." To me, the consistent use of "shall" would appear to be both a safe and appropriate choice.

Thomas Johansson Sep 11, 2011:

In that case and for that particular example, I would simply use present tense: "We work with concrete and clear plans." - On the assumption that the declarative nature of the statement is made clear by the context and that the statement concerns current practices and policies.
If, on the other hand, the statement concerns future practices and policies, e.g. for a planned future project or business, constructions with "will" should be used instead. If it concerns stipulations of policy, use "shall".

Phlebas (asker) Sep 11, 2011:

The context is that it's a piece of external communication, i.e. a policy, like an environment policy or equal opportunities policy. Example: Vi ska arbeta med konkreta och tydliga planer.

Thomas Johansson Sep 11, 2011:

I think it really depends on the specific context in each case. Could you perhaps post a few sentences?

Phlebas (asker) Sep 10, 2011:

My question concerns the translation of 'ska'.