Simplified language is not a new invention. Yle started broadcasting news in simplified Finnish already in 1992. Multilingual Info Mainio, Tampere city’s low threshold service counselling for immigrants, started using simplified Finnish in a new way in November 2022. Why did Mainio want to hire a separate simplified Finnish counsellor and how has the experiment worked out?

Mainio’s Service Manager Kristina Kemi noticed while working as instructional trainer in integration training and in projects relating to language learning, that a person learning Finnish in a language course can have a high language level barrier when using different services in Finnish. The Finnish spoken language can feel like an entirely different language altogether than the studied written language. Furthermore, in Mainio there was a need to offer an intermediary step for existing customers to encourage them to use Finnish as their language of communication.

Mainio’s most important target audience should be those who have recently immigrated to Tampere, but in reality, the biggest customer group consists of those who have lived in Finland for a longer period of time. Even when they speak Finnish very well, they prefer to take their matters to a familiar counsellor speaking their native language. However, when there have been long queues to a counsellor speaking their own language, many began to feel motivated to speak Finnish to another counsellor. 

When asked if she speaks to the clients in a different way, the simplified Finnish counsellor in Mainio, Hanna-Kaisa Härme, says that she tries to clarify and slow her speech in a way that still feels natural. In addition, she tries to use a simpler language and to avoid figurative expressions that could confuse someone learning the language. For example, she won’t ask ”terkkarissa asioidessa pitää olla Kela-kortti tai henkkarit mukana”, but rather ”kun menet terveyskeskukseen, ota Kela-kortti tai henkilökortti mukaan”. (When you visit health centre, you should take Kela card or an identity card with you.) It is always better to use so called basic words like ‘health centre’ rather than ‘HC’. They are probably more familiar and neutral in tone.

In this job cultural sensitivity is also important. People may not in any way indicate that they have not understood what they have just heard, which may also be a culture related way to act. It might not be even noticeable from their facial expressions but becomes noticeable when seeing how the client understands the situation or what they intend to do next. In these cases, it is best to go through the main points again in an even clearer way or by using different words.

Kristina Kemi reminds us that several groups of people (about 15 % of adults living in Finland) would also benefit from simplified Finnish so its usage should become habitual. Clear communication benefits everyone. In addition to different groups with special needs, it also more easily reaches elderly people and those whose reading skills are weaker or only just developing.  

Cristina Rosas Bagaces, the City of Tampere

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