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Välttää vältännin puolesta

English translation: It will do for want of something better

14:42 May 9, 2018
Finnish to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Finnish term or phrase: Välttää vältännin puolesta
”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
G. L.
United States
Local time: 12:25
English translation:It will do for want of something better
Explanation:
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.
Selected response from:

Ian Mac Eochagáin
Finland
Local time: 22:25
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1It will do for want of something better
Ian Mac Eochagáin


  

Answers


1 day 16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
It will do for want of something better


Explanation:
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.

Ian Mac Eochagáin
Finland
Local time: 22:25
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
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).
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