English to Finnish Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be submitted in Finland. The typical applicant is someone presenting a diploma, a registry record or a company document issued in an English-speaking country to a university, an employer or an authority in Finland. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon layout, while the destination assesses it according to Finnish administrative tradition and the structure of the language.

Concrete examples bring the direction into focus: taking a diploma obtained abroad through recognition in Finland, a foreign company entering the Finnish market with its registry documents, criminal record and medical documents submitted for a work permit. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon reality, while the destination assesses it in the language of Finnish administration.

Education and employment files predominate in this direction; which official language the documents will be required in, Finnish or Swedish, is clarified at the outset. That choice determines the target of the translation directly.

Translating these documents means settling the analytic structure of English into the affixal structure of Finnish; this is a transfer at the level of structure, not of individual words.

In this direction, which official language the document is required in, Finnish or Swedish, is the first question of the application; if the institution has not specified, Finnish is preferred in most contexts, but no translation is begun until this has been settled. The wrong choice of language leads to the document being translated again.

English diplomas and degree names are given in their original form with an explanation rather than according to their counterpart in the Finnish higher education framework; the recognition decision is taken by the Finnish authority. Credit information is preserved in a comparable form.

In work and residence files the documents are often prepared for the immigration service (Migri); in these documents the consistency of dates, issuing authorities and identity details is watched particularly closely. Official wording is settled into the established formulas of Finnish.

As the prepositional structure of the English source is resolved into the affixal structure of Finnish, care is taken that no information is lost; every condition and qualification finds its counterpart in the target text. This matters above all in legal and administrative texts, because a single omitted qualification can change the obligation or the right the document carries and can require the application to be put together again.

Technical points specific to English into Finnish

The prepositional structure of English is carried inside the word in Finnish by means of case endings; this calls not for a word-for-word transfer but for the structure to be rebuilt. English names are kept in their original Latin spelling in the Finnish text, because the Finnish records system uses the Latin alphabet.

English legal concepts are rendered according to their function; company forms (Ltd., LLC) are not automatically converted into the Finnish Oy structure, and the original abbreviation is kept and explained. Word-for-word translation produces artificiality and a shift of meaning in Finnish.

The destination institution may state whether it wants Finnish or Swedish; both languages are official in Finland. Dates and currency are not converted, and the usage of the target language is followed.

English abbreviations are expanded and, where needed, given in brackets. The signature and date information in the document is kept in place.

In diploma applications the degree and credit information is conveyed explicitly and in a form comparable with the Finnish higher education framework; English degree names are not forced into equivalence with a Finnish degree but explained, and the Finnish authority takes the decision.

In commercial files, conveying the company name, the partners and the amounts with exact consistency is necessary for the application to be assessed as a whole; registration numbers are not translated but given with a reference to the record.

In work permit files the date and the issuing authority of criminal record and medical documents are stated explicitly; the official wording in these documents is settled into the established administrative formulas of Finnish.

Documents for which this direction is requested

• Diplomas, transcripts and professional documents
• Birth, marriage and residence documents
• Company registry records and commercial contracts
• Work and residence application documents
• Criminal record and medical documents

Education and employment files predominate in this direction; which official language the documents will be required in is clarified at the outset. Degree and credit information is conveyed explicitly.

In commercial documents the company form and the registry details are kept in their original form. In criminal record documents the date and the issuing authority are stated explicitly.

Chain of certification

Finland rests on an authorised translator (auktorisoitu kääntäjä) system; the authorisation examination is run by EDUFI, and official applications commonly call for a translation carrying that authority. A document arriving from the English-speaking source country is expected to bear an apostille.

To see these expectations and Finland’s certification regime, look through the country page and the requirements for the document type. Tell us the target language and the institution before you send the document.

By uploading your document you can see the page count and the current fee, and compare the unit prices.

The figures here are for a typical file; the page count and the difficulty of the subject may affect the outcome. Ask the competent authority for confirmation before you apply.