Reddit user translates Finnish NHL player names to English

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by 3rd line Grinder

This just shows me how much of a strange, alien, and untranslateable languauge finnish is. ISnt the next closest related language hungarian?

You have it reversed. Some linguists believe that Finnish is Hungarians closest relative, but there are a few languages more closely related to Finnish than Hungarian.

Originally Posted by driveway

Actually, Estonian is closer, being a Finnic language. The Finnic languages are a subgroup of the Uralics, one of which is Hungarian.

Erzya as well (the language of the Mordvins). However that language is dying fast and being replaced by Russian.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

Your Icelandic guy should be taller.

[BigFlameDog]

LOL some of our game threads are going to be very confusing to anyone who hasn't read this one first.

Axel Birch was a beast tonight.

[Pablothegreat]

Originally Posted by BurningYears

Oh no.... the Oilers have another jesus.

When you think you have two, you really have none.

[FFF]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

You have it reversed. Some linguists believe that Finnish is Hungarians closest relative, but there are a few languages more closely related to Finnish than Hungarian.

Complete the sentence: Finnish is as close to Hungarian as Swedish is to

Spoiler!

Old Persian

.

But with linguistic relatives like ours, any kinship feels close.

[Itse]

Funnily enough, Hungarian is probably the most incomprehensible of all European languages to your average Finn, since it's nothing like Finnish and not like any other language they're likely to know.

Also,
Leo Komarov = Leo Mosquito
Teppo Numminen = Clark Moor Stephen Heath (I realize moor and heath are sort of synonyms, but I'd say this is clearly closer)
Tuomo Ruutu = Timothy Rectangle Thomas Square

I think Barkov = Barge

I also think you could add some humour to the names while keeping true to the meaning.

Olli Jokinen = OJ Riverish
Jori Lehterä = George Grovey (although Yogi Grovey is even more funny)
Jere Lehtinen = Jake Leafy
Teuvo Teräväinen = Ted Sharpish

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

George would be more accurate.

I'm all aboard the George train.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Itse

I think Barkov = Barge

Barka is the Russian for Barque, a 1600's (?) sea-going vessel.

PS I am forgetting my Russian - it's the feminine "barka". Almost all Russian words for old ship types are just transliterations of English.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Bark is the Russian for Barque, a 1600's (?) sea-going vessel.

Cool, thanks. I even know what a barque is

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Itse

Funnily enough, Hungarian is probably the most incomprehensible of all European languages to your average Finn, since it's nothing like Finnish and not like any other language they're likely to know.

Also,
Leo Komarov = Leo Mosquito
Teppo Numminen = Clark Moor Stephen Heath (I realize moor and heath are sort of synonyms, but I'd say this is clearly closer)
Tuomo Ruutu = Timothy Rectangle Thomas Square

I think Barkov = Barge

I also think you could add some humour to the names while keeping true to the meaning.

Olli Jokinen = OJ Riverish
Jori Lehterä = George Grovey (although Yogi Grovey is even more funny)
Jere Lehtinen = Jake Leafy
Teuvo Teräväinen = Ted Sharpish

Axel Barge? So fracking good. Even better than Birch. I'm sticking with Barge. "Axel Barge and Johnny Rivers come down into the zone on a 2 on 1, broken up by George Set-Of-Rivers!"

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by FFF

Complete the sentence: Finnish is as close to Hungarian as Swedish is to

Spoiler!

Old Persian

.

But with linguistic relatives like ours, any kinship feels close.

Yeah, I think when linguists group languages together, it's more based on things like grammar, palatization, how verbs are conjugated, the type of tenses, tonal vs. non-tonal, etc.. Vocabulary is actually a secondary characteristic as it changes quickly over generations. They have been separate for so long. A lot happens in 1400 years and languages change. You can see even in 100 years how much Danish and Swedish changed from each other due to different standardization.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I'm all aboard the George train.

"Jyrki" isn't that difficult to spell/pronounce. I think folks trip over their tongues and fumble their fingers over "Jokipakka" moreso.

Still think Big Chief Beef Jerky, which a radio broadcast sponsor, should hire him as a spokesperson.