Growing numbers of young people in Finland are buying books in English rather than their native Finnish, raising concerns among publishers about the future of translated literature. According to the Finnish Booksellers Association, one in four titles sold in bookshops last year were in a foreign language, overwhelmingly English.
The rise of BookTok, a reading community on TikTok, is a major driver of this trend. Young readers are unwilling to wait for Finnish translations to participate in online discussions, opting instead for English-language versions. The dominance of English on the internet, social media, film and TV also makes it aspirational for young Finns to read and speak English.
Translated fiction has long been vital to Finland's publishing industry, given its population of 5.6 million. Last year, Finnish-language fiction generated just €26 million (£23 million) out of €57 million in total fiction sales. Popular English titles include works by US authors Rebecca Yarros and Colleen Hoover.
Leena Balme of publishing house WSOY said changed buying habits force them to weigh the risk of translating a book into Finnish. She expressed concern for young readers, noting that some Finnish-born teenagers with Finnish-speaking parents now speak English to each other. Another factor is that English can make sex scenes less embarrassing to read.
WSOY is exploring AI to speed up translations, though it has not yet used the technology. Balme acknowledged that translators are worried about their tradition. Johanna Laitinen of Gummerus described the English dominance as a Europe-wide phenomenon, putting translators under time pressure. However, she noted a positive side: reading in English connects Finns to the international community.
