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esteetön
RE-direktiivi
Jun 3, 2011 16:46
13 yrs ago
Finnish term

ensin kuolee mumma.

Finnish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
First sentence of a novel. What I find difficult is the difference between "ensin" and "ensimmäiseksi": i.e. does this mean "Grandma died FIRST" (and then other people die, as it actually happens in the novel) or "To begin with, Grandma died"? Or maybe both?

Paljon kiitoksia avusta!

Vale
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 First, grandma dies.
5 Ensin
References
Marketing Translation

Proposed translations

+2
15 hrs
Selected

First, grandma dies.

Grandma died FIRST (and then other people die, as it actually happens in the novel) or 'To begin with, Grandma died'? Or maybe both?

Yes, it can actually mean both, or either of these, so the translation selected depends entirely on the context... But at least in my opinion, the target translation I inserted here would cover both of these options in English as well.
Peer comment(s):
agree Timo Lehtilä : Yes, first happens this and then something similarly bad (but not necessarily a death of sb). “To begin with” is too strong of an expression (“ensinnäkin” would be quite equal with it).
8 hrs
agree Owen Witesman : http://www.suomitranslation.com/2010/death-of-the-bear-karhu...
1 day 4 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you so much for your help. As other characters in the novel die much later, and not in the span of a few lines, I believe that "First, grandma dies" is the best translation."
23 mins

Ensin

Diff is: first granny dies. / The first one to die was granny. Choice dependent on context.
Example sentence:

First, granny died. Then my dad and then.... / The first one to die was granny. In about two weeks, we had the next casualty, my dad. In a car accident...

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Reference comments

1 day 23 hrs
Reference:

Marketing Translation

I did a sample translation in cooperation with the author and her agent. A really close reading will reveal a few differences from the original (like the tenses), but for the most part it closely follows the Finnish version.
Reference:

http://www.suomitranslation.com/2010/death-of-the-bear-karhun-kuolema/

Note from asker:
Thank you so much! I will refer to it should any more doubts come up :)
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