A translator is someone with mastery of at least two languages who is at least able to render language from one language into the other, and possibly able to translate in either direction. A Finnish translator is an expert in rendering Finnish into at least one other language and/or at least one other language into Finnish. The term Finnish translator can also refer to an online program or software application that attempts to translate into Finnish or translate Finnish into other languages.
Translation is best done by a native speaker. Someone who advertises as a Finnish translator will usually be a native speaker of Finnish who is bilingual or multilingual. The person may specialize in translating into or out of Finnish from one particular language. Translators work on a variety of written documents including books, correspondence, documents, newspapers, and articles. Translation of documents from and to Finnish may be priced based on the source and target languages, the length and complexity of the document, and the timeframe for completion.
While some Finnish translators focus on documents, others may act as interpreters, providing spoken live language translation, either into Finnish or from Finnish. This may be necessary in medical settings, in court, in diplomatic settings, and in conferences and business meetings with multinational or international attendees. While Finnish translators often work from a home office and focus on the precise rendering of text, Finnish interpreters have the goal of rendering the meaning and tone of the spoken word, which may be best expressed in a very different way in the target language. Interpreters do not have time to ponder, but must be able to think on their feet and understand the effect that their words will have on their audience.
In addition to language specialties, a Finnish translator may have one or more subject area specialties. Common specialties include legal translation, business translation, medical translation, academic or scholarly translation, and technical translation. The translation of works of literature, including poems, play, novels, and short stories is a subspecialty. Another subspecialty is the translation of documents involved in commerce, such as advertisements and brochures.
Still other Finish translators may specialize in translation of multimedia, including, but not limited to subtitles and websites. Software translation is another specialty area. Official documents can be translated by a certified Finnish translation service. This is appropriate for legal documents, such as certificates of birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, and death, academic degrees and diplomas, academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and contracts.
