Finnish Translation: Beware of False Friends

False friends, those tricky words that are a translator's enemy and that can be found in almost every document we translate, also exist between English and Finnish. In this article, we take a look at them so that they won't cause you a nightmare during your next translation project.

So, what’s a false friend? Well, as many of you might know, a false friend (from the French faux ami) is a word or an expression that shares a similar written form in two languages, but which has different meanings. Therefore, false friends can be quite problematic because, when you see them, you might assume they have the same meaning as a similar word in your native language.

Sometimes, even fluent users of a language can confuse them; even professional translators can be misled by a false friend. That’s why, as a translator, it’s crucial to familiarise oneself with them. Remember that when it comes to translation, ‘false friends are worse than bitter enemies’, as the Scottish proverb says, and you should keep your eyes peeled, because they might be waiting for you around every corner.

It seems no language is free of false friends, and the Finnish language is no exception. During the years I’ve spent working as a translator, I’ve come across many false friends; they were in that urgent assignment, or that translation I finished off without first having my coffee, trying to confuse me. Luckily, I was able to spot them and translate them properly. Therefore, I would like to help you in your war against false friends by sharing some of them with you.

Finnish False Friends

Finnish word	It looks like…	But it means…
alas	alas	down
ale	ale	sale
angiina	angina	tonsillitis
appelsiini	apple	orange
biljoona	billion	trillion
dokumentti	document	documentary / document
fagotti	faggot	bassoon
greippi	grape	grapefruit
happi	happy	oxygen
harmonikka	harmonica	accordion
he	he	they
helppo	help	easy
hinta	hint	price
home	home	mould
housut	house	trousers
impi	imp	virgin
joki	joke	river
kaniini	canine	rabbit
katu	cat	street
kinkkinen	kinky	tricky
kissa	kiss	cat
kone	cone	machine
kudos	kudos	tissue (as in muscle tissue)
kulta	cult	gold
lampi	lamp	pond
lapsi	lapse	child
lento	lent	flight
levy	levy	disc
likööri	liquor	liqueur
lintu	lint	bird
mappi	map	binder
matto	mattress	rug
me	me	we
miten	mitten	how
motoristi	motorist	motorcyclist
nanni	nanny	nipple
novelli	novel	short story
pantti	panty	deposit
pasuuna	bassoon	trombone
pateettinen	pathetic	pompous
petroli	petrol	paraffin oil
piste	piste	dot
porkkana	pork	carrot
pussi	pussy	bag
pusu	pus	kiss
riski	risky	strong / risk
ruska	rusk	autumn colours
silikoni	silicon	silicone
takki	tacky	jacket
tunnelma	tunnel	ambience
undulaatti	undulate	budgie
uni	uni	dream (sensations occurring while sleeping)
uuni	uni	oven
viina	wine	liquor

Quite a few, huh? I’m sure there must be many others I’ve missed; so, I invite you—Finnish translators, Finnish native speakers, Finnish language lovers—to contribute to this list by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

6 Comments

• 
  Tansku 21/05/2012 at 15:52

  pateettinen – pathetic – pompous

  Reply
  • 
    Sergio Guillen Rodriguez 23/05/2012 at 16:45

    Kiitos, Tansku, that’s a good one. It’s been added to the list.

    Reply
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• 
  Iina 25/05/2012 at 15:51

  uni – uni – dream (meaning the thing one sees when he is sleeping)

  Reply
  • 
    Sergio Guillen Rodriguez 28/05/2012 at 08:38

    Thank you for your suggestion, Iina. I’ve added it to the list.

    Reply
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