Finnish IRL

Situation

Kela, DVV and the letter you cannot read

Finland does officialdom well and does it in Finnish. The service is often in English; the envelope in your letterbox is not.

The short version

  • Kela handles social benefits, DVV handles your registration and address, Vero handles tax. Almost everything else is a municipality.
  • The long compound words on a form are usually three ordinary words stacked. Split them and most of the vocabulary stops being frightening.
  • Kela, DVV and Vero all serve in English. The letters that arrive at your address are still Finnish and Swedish.

The words on the letter

Finnish English When
Finnish hakemus Englishapplication When the thing you send Safe anywhere
Finnish päätös Englishdecision When the answer - this is the word to look for first Safe anywhere
Finnish liite Englishattachment / enclosure When the document they want with it Safe anywhere
Finnish määräaika Englishdeadline When usually bolded, always real Safe anywhere
Finnish henkilötunnus Englishpersonal identity code When the number everything hangs off Safe anywhere
Finnish lisätiedot Englishfurther information When what they need before deciding Safe anywhere

Booking and arriving

Finnish English When
Finnish Haluaisin varata ajan. EnglishI'd like to book an appointment. When on the phone or at the desk Safe anywhere
Finnish Mulla on aika kymmeneltä. written: Minulla on aika kymmeneltä. EnglishI have an appointment at ten. When arriving Casual - fine once you know people
Finnish Onks teillä palvelua englanniksi? written: Onko teillä palvelua englanniksi? EnglishDo you have service in English? When usually yes Safe anywhere
Finnish Otan vuoronumeron. EnglishI'll take a queue number. When the ticket machine by the door Safe anywhere

Asking about your case

Finnish English When
Finnish Mä lähetin hakemuksen viime kuussa. written: Minä lähetin hakemuksen viime kuussa. EnglishI sent the application last month. When opening the question Casual - fine once you know people
Finnish Onko päätös tullut? EnglishHas a decision come? When the thing you want to know Safe anywhere
Finnish Mitä liitteitä tarvitaan? EnglishWhat attachments are needed? When before you send anything Safe anywhere
Finnish En ymmärrä tätä kirjettä. EnglishI don't understand this letter. When entirely acceptable to say Safe anywhere

The move that gives you away

Don't

  • Do not ignore a letter because you cannot read it, and do not assume a deadline is soft.

Do

  • Find the word päätös or määräaika, photograph the page, and ask. Kela answers the phone in English.

Finnish administration is unusually forgiving about language and unusually literal about dates. The letter is a schedule, not a warning.

Same thing, three registers

  1. Written Haluaisin tiedustella hakemukseni käsittelytilannetta.

  2. Spoken Mä kysyisin mun hakemuksesta.

  3. Casual Onks mun hakemus käsitelty?

This is the one situation where the written form is not overkill - it is what the letter you are holding is written in, and staff will not blink at it.

At the Kela desk

Moi, miten voin auttaa? Hi, how can I help?
Moi. Mä lähetin hakemuksen kuukausi sitten, onks päätös tullut? Hi. I sent an application a month ago, has a decision come?
Katotaan. Onks sulla henkilötunnus? Let's see. Do you have your personal identity code?
Joo, tässä. Yes, here.
Joo, se on käsittelyssä. Siitä puuttuu yks liite. Right, it's being processed. One attachment is missing.
Mikä liite? Which one?

Quick check

A letter from Kela arrives with the word PÄÄTÖS at the top. What is it?

What is a henkilötunnus?

Words used here

Kela - a man sitting alone in a row of plastic chairs in a Kela waiting room holding a paper queue ticket, snow through the glass door
Kela The letter arrives before you have worked out who sent it
anteeks - a young man squeezing past an older woman in a narrow Finnish supermarket aisle with one hand slightly raised, melting snow tracked across the floor
anteeks written anteeksi The most-used politeness word in the country, and the final letter falls off
katotaan - a woman in an office doorway waiting on an answer while the man at his desk keeps his eyes on the screen and lifts one hand in a vague maybe
katotaan written katsotaan Nothing is a plan here until someone names a time

Questions people ask

Can I deal with Kela in English?

Yes. Kela, DVV and the tax office all provide phone and desk service in English, and much of their website is translated. What is not translated is the individual letter about your case.

What is the difference between Kela and DVV?

Kela is the social insurance institution - benefits, health cover, student support. DVV is the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, which handles who you are and where you live.

Why are the words on Finnish forms so long?

Finnish compounds rather than using prepositions. Asumistukihakemus is asuminen + tuki + hakemus - housing, support, application. Splitting a compound is the single most useful reading skill for official Finnish.

Do I need Finnish for citizenship?

You need a language certificate, usually YKI level 3 in Finnish or Swedish. This site is not a YKI course and does not claim to be one - but the listening half of that test is spoken Finnish, which is what these pages are about.

The health centre The shop