Saksanpähkinät (the walnuts)

The Walnuts work group includes translators into Finnish Oili Suominen, Jukka-Pekka Pajunen, Tarja Roinila, Pirkko Roinila, Ilona Nykyri, Marja Kyrä, and copy editors Alice Martin and Leenastiina Kakko. Contributing also is Elina Kritzokat, translator from Finnish into German, who speaks almost flawless Finnish, and therefore, offers a unique perspective into our discussions.

Of our group members, Elina Kritzokat and Pirkko Roinila live in Germany. Included in the group are two copy editors, one more experienced and one at the beginning of her career. We have also invited two guests to join our discussions: Professor Emerita Auli Hakulinen to discuss dialogue, and Professor Liisa Tiittula to tell us about the use of colloquial language in translations.

Our goal is to analyse in depth the translations each of us are working on. As preparation, each member has familiarized themselves in advance with the texts and translations. All the prerequisites for fruitful conversation are in place as the group includes both experienced and less experienced translators into Finnish who already know each other relatively well. Everyone benefits; the experienced translators fear falling into a rut and the beginners require the support of colleagues who are more experienced.

At the Residence, the Walnut group discussed the following works, among others: Opernball by Josef Halsinger, Flüchtlingstheater by Ritteberger, Grimms Wörter by Günter Grass, and Totta by Riikka Pulkkinen.