From Finnish to German and sometimes the other way round

By Tapani Ritamäki

Compared with the other Nordic countries, Finnish literature adopts a more modest position as regards translations to foreign languages. But the trend is upwards. One of the people doing the heavy work is Stefan Moster, a translator of Finnish literature to German.

On Moster's list from recent years are Mikko Rimminen, Hannu Raittila, Kari Hotakainen, Matti Yrjänä Joensuu, Daniel Katz, Petri Tamminen...

"Hmm, it does seem to be exclusively men," he comments with a wry smile.

The final decision about which books to translate is taken by the German publishing companies, in consultation with the original publishers, and the translator. Literary prizes and sales figures in Finland can have an influence, but there is nothing automatic about it. For one thing, the Finlandia Prize (never mind the others) is not so well known in Germany - in fact, not even the Nordic Council's Literature Prize is - and for another, the German taste and market have their own logic.

"Translations to other languages are not necessarily something that German publishers take a particularly close look at. Arto Paasilinna is extremely popular in France, but he's not a big name in Germany.

"Certain publishers do of course carry more weight: the fact that a book has been published by Bonniers or Gallimard is definitely not a minus."

Another thing that is definitely no minus is good sales figures. 4000-5000 sales is a good figure, in Moster's estimation. Under 2000 is a flop. The most successful Finnish author in Germany, the thriller writer Leena Lehtolainen, achieves figures that exceed 10000.

"Of course, a good publisher isn't just obsessed with the figures but takes on an author with a longer timescale in view. When I'm considering which publisher to offer a book to, that's the most important aspect of all."

Moster says that he rarely does a sample translation: his strategy is to write reports, a kind of review that can sometimes extend to over ten pages.

"If an author's use of language is particularly individual, like for example Mikko Rimminen's in his Pussikaljaromaani (Park Life), then of course you have to give a sample, but 10-20 pages really doesn't give an impression of the whole thing, and often a comprehensive report is much more useful for a publisher. Not least, you can use it to make sure that you answer and find a balance between the two most common arguments for not having a book translated - that the book is far too Finnish, or alternatively that it is not Finnish enough.

If the translator's report is to be taken seriously, then the translator too needs to be taken seriously. There are no short cuts: it's a question of building up good contacts with the publishers, both Finnish and German - and above all it's a question of producing good translations. Stefan Moster should be well placed, since his translations have been praised, and even the Finnish Ministry of Culture discovered this eventually, awarding him the national translators' prize a few years ago.

Translators from Finnish to German are few in number. There are five or six of them who like Moster can make a living by translating, even though the job is not exceptionally well paid. A ten percent increase in fees is on Stefan Moster's wish-list, not to mention having the opportunity at some stage of getting to grips with the classics.

"Volter Kilpi and Joel Lehtonen would be worth translating, and there are others. Classics from peripheral areas could even change the view of European literature: romanticism, not to mention realism, looks different in Finnish literature. Non-fiction is effectively not translated at all; what we ought to do is look into which non-fiction books could fill a gap from the European perspective as well. Finnish essays that could make it in Germany are thin on the ground - a Kari Enqvist is a rare exception."

Stefan Moster has translated books in all genres, from childen's books to poetry. But he has also worked in the other direction. Last year saw the publication, on his initiative (and with himself as editor), of an anthology of German poetry translated into Finnish, in which the basic translations that had been done by normal translators were then polished by a group of Finnish poets. The method was praised by reviewers, who also didn't neglect to point out that the anthology filled a gap. A large gap, in fact: the previous translation of German poetry into Finnish came out in the 1930s.

And what next?
"Next on the list is Katja Krohn's children's play Iso paha susi (The Big Bad Wolf), then Hannu Raittila's Ei minulta mitään puutu (I shall want for nothing), Tiina Krohn's Kortti Recifestä (Postcard from Recife)...," says Moster in conclusion, and hurries off to a meeting at the German Library in Helsinki, which this year has had its grants from both Germany and Finland reduced to zero. This autumn's anniversary celebration looks like it will be transformed into a wake. Oh well, the library did manage to keep going for 125 years.

Translated by Roy Hodson