This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
höylä (sawmill)
tasosekoittaja (chemistry)
May 9, 2018 14:42
6 yrs ago
Finnish term

Välttää vältännin puolesta

Finnish to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
”Välttää vältännin puolesta” is a quote I found in the history of a Finnish timber company. It is apparently a comment that one of the founding brothers of the company made about his brothers' tree house when they were young.

"vältänni" seems to be a dialectal word, and I don't know what it means.

Can anyone make sense of the quote?

Thanks
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 It will do for want of something better

Proposed translations

+1
1 day 16 hrs
Selected

It will do for want of something better

I have been told that this is an eastern Finnish dialect term meaning "it will do, faute de mieux" or "for want of something better" or "it will do the job in spite of small insufficiencies". I don't have any etymological information on the form "vältänti", however.
Peer comment(s):
agree Pertti Hietaranta : I agree. It seems to be a dialectal expression (with that particular meaning) used especially in eastern parts of Finland; cf. Heikki Turunen's book "Karjalan kuningas": - Pirukos siinä. Välttää vältännin puolesta, mokomalle käpykylälle.
35 mins
In my own searches for that term that is the only example I could come across, and I found it striking that Heikki Turunen was the author. He's written a book about Honka, the timber company to whom the original poster is alluding (Nestori Saarelainen).
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search