Kääntäh – When people think of translation, the first thing that comes to mind is simply changing a word or a sentence from one language into another. Though it may look like a straightforward task, it actually requires substantial knowledge of languages and cultures as well. The process of translation is termed as kääntäh in Finnish, and the difficulties surrounding this word fit the culture very well since Finnish is a language quite different in both the structure and usage.
In this article, we shall find out what kääntäh is and bring out certain aspects that stand out on the methods of translation that are specific to Finnish. So if you are a translator or an individual who simply is curious on how translation works, then this article is a guide that presents the techniques that support making translation to Finnish quite an interesting and focused task.
Learning the Structure of the Finnish Language
Let’s focus on some useful strategies that will help us in translation. First of all, it is important to understand what kind of language Finnish is. The language Finnish belongs to the family of Uralic languages, which is why it is different from other European languages like the Indo-European Languages, or even English, for that matter.
Characteristics of Finnish Language
Agglutination – Structure: Finnish belongs to the category of languages that adopt agglutination. When a language uses agglutination, it adds an element of a grammatical morpheme in the form of a suffix to a word root to form a new meaning or a new word which is. This gives a greater flexibility in the formation of words. For example, the word talo means a house but with the additions of the words suffixed can convert it to talossani (which means in my house) or talojani (which is at my home). Moving from descriptive texts to interpretation, translators have to be able to make sense of such changes.
15 Cases: Finnish language has a very rich caser system, which comprises of fifteen grammatical cases which include structural-functional types whose purposes include spatial possession, among others. This phenomena demands careful attention when Marsh is translating because it involves coping with grammar and the changes that every case brings with it through the noun, the pronouns and adjectives cases, to include the adjective.
Free Word Order: Although the SVO structure is preferred in the usage of Finnish language sentences, the structure is more descriptive and allows omitting some constraints on word order without changing the meaning. This presents an interesting aspect for translation, since the translator will have to consider the intended meaning and focus in the translated version of the text while keeping the order of the sentence.
Compound Words: Colors like German, the Finnish language reasons the novel compounds through derivation process and subsuming the small existing work in one. This often leads to the formation of very long unwieldy words which often have no corresponding words in other languages.
Considering these factors, translating texts from Finnish to English requires dealing with language particulars, which may seem to outsiders quite peculiar and unusual. These are some of the basic strategies of kääntäh that we are going to discuss in this chapter.
Strategies of FinnishTranslation
Direct Translation
Direct translation is the simplest method. Literal translation where translation is done word by word, is one of the methods which do not require much complexity. Nevertheless, in Finnish because of its culinarily rich and, agglutination majority, this approach seldom operates without modification. This is because the sentences are structured in such a way that most claims a relatively straight forward thanks to least or no connotative meaning attached to it as in the paragraphs above.
As for example, in serious technical rendering or translation of documents where precision is very important – it is possible to translate literally because this increases the risk of losing some information.
Original: Hän kävelee puistossa. He/she walks in the park.
Disadvantages of this approach include cases when an idiom or more figurative or cultural translation is made and it encompasses the meaning that will change to nonsensical structure in the target language. Something a little more sophisticated is employed at this point.
Dynamic Equivalence
As it pertains to dynamic equivalence, the focus is on what is intended and expressed in the text as opposed to translating it exactly as stated. It is for this reason that kääntäh has constant surge in usage in the targeting of idioms, cultural implications and poetic language of the source language into the target language.
For example, parsytieks its a Finnish expression that expresses frustration when one figuratively speaks saying it goes over ones scalp. It can be translated literally to go over one’s scalp but idiomatically it is something that is difficult to comprehend or goes above head. Here, the translator would lean on dynamic equivalence making it a familiar saying in the target language.
Example:
Original: Tämä asia menee yli hilseen.
Dynamic Translation: This goes over my head.
This all tries to achieve, in one form or another, the same communicative impact in the target audience preserves to a larger extent the ideas and feelings of the original text but changes how it is expressed to fit within the limits of the other language.
Functional Equivalence
On the other hand, while functional equivalence departs from dynamic equivalence, it goes further than just the feeling of the readers towards the translated text. This comes in handy in matters such as advertisement, legal documents, user instruction manuals where there is a need to achieve a certain effect from a reader such as buying something or following correct procedure as indicated in the text.
For instance, a Finnish advertisement may incorporate humor, wordplay or other target culture elements. The functional equivalence approach would alter the material with goal to achieve the same persuasive result in the specified population, even if the words and the metaphors differ.
Example:
Original: Osta nyt, maksa myöhemmin! ( “Buy now, pay later”. )
Functional Translation: “You may acquire the goods immediately and pay later under easy terms terms” – essence translated into a culturally pronounced persuasive appeal.
Cultural Adaptation
Language and culture, for example, the Finnish culture, are inseparable, and some expressions and ideas may be difficult, if not impossible to express or carry through in other languages. This seems to be the case here, which is why cultural adaptation is called for. This method consists of changing references, sayings, or even whole ideas to make them suitable to the target audience and understandable to them.
For instance, a reference made in Finnish texts to deep-rooted cultural practices, significant events in the history of that area or to information about the location which might be less familiar to outsiders is commonly done. The choice for the translator is whether he should instead look for an equivalent concept in target cultures or whether the explanation is necessary.
Castle Translation, as it is commonly known, involves converting one language into another. Here, however, what is missing are the words that are used and the idea that is transmitted in accordance with the communicative situation.
Culturally Adapted Translation: Finnish: Saunassa on elämän syke. Saunassa ehtii elämänan energia.” In the sauna, one can say that everyone is busy with something or the other.) English: There is no life as there is no energy in the sauna. Here, a footnote can be added explaining the benefits of sauna.
Back-Translation
In a method known as back-translation, the back translation is performed by a different translator which acts as a quality control step to verify that meaning has not been changed or lost when translating the protruded text back to the original language. This technique, known as back-translation, is beneficial in medical, legal, or technical documentation in which rigid observations are key to comprehension and understanding.
Conclusion
At times, kääntäh involves only changing the Finnish word into any language of choice. This is a work of art that involves the comprehensive understanding of two languages and their cultures. The translator is required to employ any or all the methods including literal translation, dynamic equivalence, functional translation, or cultural translation in order to achieve the meaning and feeling of the final text without changing the essence of the message.
Then, whether works of fiction, legal documents, or negotiation are the ones targeted, the techniques provided in this guide should help surmount the problems faced during the Finnish translation process. At the end of the day, kääntäh is not only about translating the words but most importantly – communicating the ideas, the culture and the meaning behind the words across languages.
