Students are often able to choose between different language versions of the "same" source. This may particularly be the case for Finnish students writing in English about topics concerning Finland, where sources may exist as a Finnish original and an English translation. In such cases, which language version should one use?

1. When the source text exists in both Finnish and English

For papers which are written in English about Finnish topics where the same material exists in both Finnish (or Swedish) and an English translation, the normal procedure would be to cite the English version as the source. This would enable the entire paper (including references) to be in English, and would make your paper more 'readable' or accessible to readers who may not understand Finnish. It thus promotes the citation principle of easy accessability to the scholarly material you have used to research your paper.

However, in some cases the Finnish version might be used even where an English version exists. This would typically be the case if something has been omitted in the English version that you absolutely want to include, or the English version conveys a different meaning from the Finnish.

Such a difference between two versions of the "same" source does not necessarily imply that the English version (assuming this is the translation of a Finnish original) is at fault; as any translator knows, there are many reasons why different language versions might not 'read' alike. However, if you have spotted a mis-translation, all the more reason to use the original Finnish version (if you have determined that it is reliable). In this case you would cite the Finnish version and use an Author Note to explain why you are not using the English version.

Papers may also compare the Finnish and English versions of the same text. In this case both versions would both be listed as sources, and reference would be made to each in the normal manner. However, in such a case the Works Cited entries may be different. The Finnish version would always cite the name of the original Finnish author, but the translation might cite the translator as the primary entry, if the paper had compared differences in the translations as such. In this case the 'value' of the source would primarily be that of the translation, rather than the original work (see Citing Translations: Author or Translator? for more on this).

2. When the source text exists only in Finnish

The most straightforward way to cite Finnish sources is to use their Finnish names without any explanations. However, to assist non-Finnish readers, an English translation of the Finnish title may be provided. The neatest way of doing this is to include an English translation in square brackets [x] in the Works Cited listing.

For example:

• Vaijärvi, Kari. Apuraha avain [The Key to Getting a Grant]. Turku: Cultura Oy, 1997. [Title translated by XX XXX].

  Note above the inclusion at the end of the Works Cited listing in brackets of the name of the person who translated the title (assuming that there wasn't an English translation for the title to start with). Instead of this option, one might also use an Author Note to explain that in the Works Cited all translations into English of foreign-language titles had been done by the author of the paper.

If you refer in the text to a Finnish title which is not listed in the Works Cited (if you simply referred to the work but did not use any material from it), you can include the translation in the text in the same manner as above, using square brackets [x]. To inform readers that the translations in square brackets are by the author you may include an Author Note together with the first instance of your translation(s), and also note this point within square brackets [x] in the Works Cited entry (see Works Cited example above).

3. 'Official' vs. 'unofficial' translations

The problem of whether a translation is 'official' mainly concerns Acts of Parliament and other legislative texts. A small number of Acts of particular importance exist in English as official translations, i.e., the translation has been endorsed by authorities. Many other Acts have been translated into English by organisations or individuals who wish to provide information on their content to non-Finnish readers. An unofficial translation is not necessarily a poor one, but it is legally less binding than one which has been endorsed officially.

If it is clear to you that the translation of a legislative text which you have found is not official, it would make sense to mention this, together with an indication of where you found it. If you are uncertain about the authority of a translation, use an Author Note to say so. If you find several English versions of the same text, you must consult your own good sense (which includes a critical look at the sources where the translations were found) or native speakers as to which one is the best. If you think it useful or necessary, you may point out in your paper (either directly in the text, if of relevance to the paper itself, or otherwise in an Author Note) that several translations exist.

Thanks to Heli Mäntyranta for her input to this page!