(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
'Ungoogleable' removed from list of Swedish words after row over definition with Google - Europe - World - The Independent
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20130401055946/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ungoogleable-removed-from-list-of-swedish-words-after-row-over-definition-with-google-8550096.html

'Ungoogleable' removed from list of Swedish words after row over definition with Google

California based search engine giant asked Swedish to amend definition

The Language Council of Sweden, the regulatory body charged with the 'cultivation' of the Swedish language, has removed the term "ogooglebar" (which translates as ungoogleable) from a list of new words after pressure from Google.

The body, which describes its mission as that of 'monitoring the development of spoken and written Swedish', added the term to a list of new words last year, defining it as: "[Something] that you can't find on the web with the use of a search engine."

According to 'The Local' website the California based search engine giant asked the council to amend their definition.

The Swedish refused and instead removed the term from a list of words altogether.

The English language Swedish news website, The Local, quotes the head of the council Ann Cederberg saying: "We're removing the word today and stating our displeasure with Google's attempt to control the language".

According to reports, Google's apparent displeasure came from the prospect of a word based on its name being defined by Sweden's "official language cultivation body".

The search engine giant wanted the Swedish organisation to specify that the word only related to searches made using Google - and not those made using their rival's products.

Ann Cederberg claims that long email exchanges with Google's lawyers demanded too much work so the organisation removed the word from the list altogether. The is the first time in the council's history that it has removed a word from its annual list.

Cedeberg was clear that the removal of the word was not forced by Google and did not indicate the word won't be used in the language. She also said that the council refused to make amendments to the definition in order to spark a debate.

She told The Local: "If we want to have 'ogooglebar' in the language, then we'll use the word and it's our use that gives it meaning - not a multinational company exerting pressure. Speech must be free!".

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Bay of Naples tour
Seven nights half-board from £679pp Find out more
Dubrovnik
Seven nights half-board from £799pp Find out more
Lake Como and the Bernina Express
Seven nights from £749pp Find out more
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Recruitment Consultant Wanted, London

£20000 - £27000 per annum + uncapped commission: SThree: SThree is an internat...

Trainee Recruitment Consultants Required ASAP!

£20000 - £35000 per annum + Incentives, Commission, Benefits: SThree: Trainee ...

Hands On Development Manager - Birkenhead

£45000 - £55000 per annum: Computer Futures: Hands On Development Manager,Birk...

Polymer Engineer Plastics Extrusion

£29398.53 - £40422.55 per annum + benefits: Real Staffing: This is a key role ...

Day In a Page

Kevin Garside: Nothing can erase what Radcliffe has achieved but her race is run

Nothing can erase what Radcliffe has achieved but her race is run

One more 10k is all she asks, one more crack. She is 39. It’s over
Hacked off: the power of the anti-press

Hacked off: the power of the anti-press goes global

The pressure group has foreign leaders clamouring for its talents
The day my 11-year-old son found violent porn on the web

The day my 11-year-old son found violent porn on the web

Lizi Patch reveals the horrifying effect a ‘funny’ video had on her son
Liza Berezovskaya: My father was 'one of the greatest men of our time'

Liza Berezovskaya: 'One of the greatest men of our time'

So says Boris Berezovsky's eldest daughter, who recalls a charismatic man fired by freedom, honour - and guilt
Women love science – what a surprise!

Women love science – what a surprise!

Why did the revelation a woman runs a science website shock people?
Inside the Alpha Course - British Christianity's biggest success story

Inside the Alpha Course - British Christianity's biggest success story

What makes an Alpha male? They may not all clap happily and speak in tongues, but they are all part of an evangelical tide; a global Anglican phenomenon
Video piracy on a truly epic scale... Adventure series 'Game of Thrones' is the most illegally downloaded ever

Video piracy on a truly epic scale...

Adventure series 'Game of Thrones' is the most illegally downloaded ever
Two Doctors get to meet in space and time

Two Doctors get to meet in space and time

David Tennant returns for the 50th-anniversary programme with Matt Smith
Diners shun wine for a nice cuppa

Diners shun wine for a nice cuppa

Speciality teas are becoming the drink of choice in top-notch restaurants
Too cold for comfort: British weather having a serious effect on wildlife

Too cold for comfort

British weather having a serious effect on wildlife
Back in black: Hurts model some of the latest clothes from the labels they love

Back in black: Hurts turn their hand to modelling

The most stylish band on the planet say it’s crucial that their dress sense is as sharp as their sounds.
Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser: 'I think people want to punch me in the face'

Vincent Kartheiser: 'People want to punch me'

He’s a slimy, self-pitying womaniser– and that’s how Pete Campbell has become Mad Men’s most interesting character.

Confessions of a cycling snob

Simon Usborne used to be happy in an old pair of jeans on a clapped-out racer. Now, only the best (and priciest) kit will do.
Get it on: Are you man enough to wear flowers on your shoes this season?

Fashion: Are you man enough for flowery shoes?

From camouflage to getting the Gatsby look, we reveal how to shop the new season...
We want it all. And we want it now. But why?

We want it all. And we want it now. But why?

Life seems to get faster and faster. On the 75th anniversary of the invention of powdered coffee, Julian Baggini pauses consider the Instant Society