Language writes itself

It is often said that a translated work is never exactly the same as the original. This is especially true when translating philosophy into Finnish. Translator Viljami Hukka is accustomed to rethinking the works he translates.

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Viljami Hukka is a translator living in Helsinki. Previously, he has translated Dodie Bellamy’s, Maurice Blanchot’s, Jean-Luc Nancy’s and Georges Bataille’s works into Finnish. The Kone Foundation funded the translation of Bellamy’s and Bataille’s works.
Translating philosophical and theoretical literature into Finnish requires a translator to have an exceptionally broad understanding of the work’s topic and origin.
Hukka is currently translating Philosopher Jean-François Lyotard’s work, Libidinal Economy. The Finnish translation will be published in spring 2026. The Kone Foundation has awarded a grant of EUR 32,400 for the project.

When Translator Viljami Hukka is asked if he is afraid that artificial
intelligence will take away his work, he responds with a deep sigh.

“Today, everyone wants to talk about AI, as the entire industry is in a
turmoil. However, as a literary translator, I do not feel any need for it. AI
can translate words but cannot understand context.”

However, a translator’s work is all about understanding context. AI can
translate individual words and sentences but does not read text as a whole or as part of a literary continuum.

Hukka is currently working on translating Jean-Francois Lyotard’s work, Libidinal Economy, into Finnish. Lyotard builds his thinking on the Marxist and psychoanalytic traditions. Without understanding these, translating the work would be impossible.

On the other hand, translators often must deal with the impossible.

Translating philosophic texts requires exceptional precision. Philosophy is not so much a matter of conveying information, but rather of developing entirely new ways of thinking.

Therefore, it is not enough to translate words and sentences into Finnish. Instead, the translator must rethink the entire work.

“In addition, at least Blanchot, Bataille, and Lyotard paid a great deal of attention to what language leaves out. Many philosophers whose works I have translated are very sceptical about language.”

Linguistic scepticism refers to a critical attitude about the ability of
language to describe the world as it truly is. According to the view, it is not possible for language to perfectly capture any phenomenon or experience.

“Their philosophy often starts with language as the place where thinking takes place – and what language reveals about itself. Naturally, there is a great deal that cannot simply be translated.”

Hukka points out that, in fact, whenever translation is discussed in any
theoretical sense, it ends up as an impossibility.

For example, when Hukka translated Blanchot’s Tuhon kirjoitus (The Writing of Disaster, Tutkijaliitto 2024), the philosopher’s preference to play with the word désastre frustrated him. The Finnish word for this is “tuho” (destruction). The Finnish translation does not include the French term’s inclusion of “astre,” which refers to a star or celestial body.

“For Blanchot, the term also refers to the lack of stars, separation from the cosmos or something similar. It is impossible to repeat this meaning in the translation.”

On the other hand, translation also includes opportunities. For Tuhon
kirjoitus, the Finnish language provided an entirely new meaning. For example, Blanchot’s thinking combines patience and suffering with one
another. In the Finnish language, both words include the Finnish verb
“kärsiä” (to suffer).

“This etymological connection is not present in French in the same way but simply popped into my head when I started translating the work into
Finnish. It is almost as if the language itself re-wrote the work.”

Sometimes translators need to rack their brains around difficult choices.
After all, people translating theoretical literature carry a great deal of
responsibility for the end result.

“This work involves the creation of terminology that other scientists will
use in their respective fields,” Hukka point out. “A translation may have a great impact on how a work is received in Finnish philosophical circles.”

Inspiration guides choices

Hukka says that he suffers from an occupational disease common amongst translators. Its symptoms include the same question always arising when reading an interesting work: Should I translate this?

All of Hukka’s translations have originated from his own interest. The latest of these was the US author Dodie Bellamy’s work Kun sairailla on kaikki valta (When the Sick Rule the World, Tutkijaliitto 2024).

“A friend lent me the book and I was very impressed. It is based on
harnessing and conveying intensity and harnessing powerful emotions like shame or desire as part of the writing process. This is very interesting!”

A large part of high literature, poetry and philosophy published in Finland is translated with the help of grants. In a small language area, the opportunities for economic success are limited.

According to Hukka, cultural life in Finland would be intellectually greatly impoverished without the translation work financed by grants.

“For example, Bellamy’s works provide access to an entirely new literary scene. I wanted to bring that way of writing to Finland,” says Hukka.

Bellamy lived and worked in the 70s and 80s as part of the New Narrative movement and theory born in the queer circles of San Francisco. The New Narrative intentionally broke down traditional rules of good literature.

“For example, writing schools teach writers to show and not tell. Bellamy has stated that she does not understand this line of thinking. For example, if she feels ashamed, she just says that she feels ashamed,” illustrates Hukka.

The impossibility of translation stems from the fact that the original text is the authority and the object of an ethical obligation, but in the course of the work of translation it is inevitably distorted to conform to the established expressions and meanings of the target language. However, one could say that this impossibility can be applied to written language as a whole. We do not simply master language. We are also subject to it. Any literary work can raise doubts and frustration towards words. According to Dennis Hollier, written and especially “literary” language constitute an unnatural phenomenon that can only exist in the world as a type of translation: text always conceals that which cannot be read. Translation is an explicit expression of this impossibility.

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Language writes itself – Translator Viljami Hukka brings new ways of thinking to the Finnish language

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