# Finnish — General Legal Sub-Lexicon

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps Finnish general legal terms to their
correct English equivalents.

## Universal Legal Terms

| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| sopimus | contract / agreement |
| sopijapuoli / osapuoli | party |
| ehto / sopimusehto | Section (US default) / Clause (UK) / provision |
| pykälä / § | section / article |
| momentti | subsection / paragraph |
| kohta | item / point |
| johdanto / johdantolause | recitals / preamble |
| määritelmät | definitions |
| sopimuskausi / voimassaoloaika | term / duration |
| purkaminen | termination / rescission |
| irtisanominen | termination (with notice) / cancellation |
| uusiminen / jatkaminen | renewal / extension |
| siirto / luovutus | assignment / transfer |
| subrogaatio / sijaantulo | subrogation |
| kuittaus | set-off |
| muutos / muuttaminen | amendment / modification |
| luopuminen / oikeudesta luopuminen | waiver |
| ilmoitus / tiedonanto | notice |
| ilmoitusvelvollisuus | notification obligation |
| lausunto / vakuutus | declaration / statement |
| velvollisuus / velvoite | obligation / duty |
| oikeus | right |
| vastuu | liability / responsibility |
| siviilioikeudellinen vastuu | civil liability |
| vahingonkorvaus | indemnity / compensation / damages |
| korvaus / hyvitys | damages / compensation |
| saamatta jäänyt voitto | loss of profit |
| välitön vahinko | direct loss / direct damage |
| välillinen vahinko | indirect loss / consequential damage |
| ylivoimainen este / force majeure | force majeure |
| hyvä usko / lojaliteettiperiaate | good faith / duty of loyalty |
| tuottamus / huolimattomuus | negligence |
| tahallisuus | wilful misconduct (UK) / willful misconduct (US) |
| törkeä tuottamus | gross negligence |
| sopimusrikkomus | breach of contract |
| suoritus / täyttäminen | performance / compliance |
| luontoissuoritus | specific performance |
| takaus / vakuus | guarantee / surety |
| vakuus / vakuusmaksu | security deposit / bond |
| panttaus / panttioikeus | pledge |
| kiinnitys | mortgage |
| valtakirja | power of attorney |
| toimeksianto / valtuutus | mandate / agency |
| luonnollinen henkilö | natural person / individual |
| oikeushenkilö | legal person / juridical person |
| sovellettava laki | governing law / applicable law |
| tuomioistuin / oikeuspaikka | jurisdiction / forum |
| välimiesoikeus | arbitral tribunal |
| sovittelu | mediation / conciliation |
| vanhentuminen / vanhentumisaika | limitation / statute of limitations |
| preklusiivinen määräaika | prescriptive period / non-extendable time limit |

## Additional Universal Terms (extended)

| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| oikeustoimi | juridical act / legal transaction |
| oikeuskelpoisuus | legal capacity |
| oikeustoimikelpoisuus | capacity to act / capacity to enter into legal transactions |
| oikeudellinen velvoite | legal obligation |
| konkludenttinen tahdonilmaisu | implicit manifestation of will / conduct indicating consent |
| tahdonilmaisu | declaration of will / expression of intent |
| sopimusvapaus | freedom of contract / party autonomy |
| kohtuullistaminen | contract adjustment (Contracts Act s. 36 — broad judicial power to adjust unfair terms) |
| kohtuuttomuus | unconscionability / unreasonableness |
| hyvän tavan vastainen | contrary to good practice (non-binding statutory standard) |
| velkoja | creditor |
| velallinen | debtor |
| saamisoikeus / saatava | claim / receivable |
| velkasuhde | debt relationship / obligation |
| velvoiteoikeus | law of obligations |
| esineoikeus | property law / law of things |
| omistusoikeus | ownership / title |
| hallinta | possession |
| rajoitettu esineoikeus | limited right in rem |
| käyttöoikeus | right of use / usufruct |
| panttioikeus (kiinteistöön) | mortgage / real-property pledge |
| yrityskiinnitys | enterprise mortgage / floating charge over business assets |
| saatavien panttaus | pledge of receivables |
| vakuusluovutus | security assignment |
| esisopimus | preliminary contract / pre-contract |
| optiosopimus | option agreement |
| aiesopimus | letter of intent (LOI) / memorandum of understanding (MOU) |
| salassapitosopimus / NDA | non-disclosure agreement (NDA) |
| puitesopimus | framework agreement |
| konsernisopimus | intra-group agreement |
| lisäsopimus / liite | addendum / Schedule (US/UK) / Annex (EU/international) |
| muistio (pöytäkirja) | minutes / memorandum |
| pöytäkirja | minutes |
| hyvän hallintotavan periaate | principle of good administration |
| yhdenvertaisuus | equal treatment / non-discrimination |
| suhteellisuusperiaate | principle of proportionality |
| luottamuksensuoja | protection of legitimate expectations |
| ennakkoratkaisu (tuomio) | preliminary ruling / precedent decision |
| vahingonkorvausvelvollisuus | liability in damages / duty to compensate |
| sopimusperusteinen vastuu | contractual liability |
| sopimuksenulkoinen vastuu | non-contractual / tortious liability |
| puhtaasti varallisuusvahinko | pure economic loss |
| vahingon aiheuttaja | tortfeasor / wrongdoer |
| korvausvastuu | liability / liability to compensate |
| tuottamusvastuu | fault-based liability |
| ankara vastuu | strict liability |
| konkurssi | bankruptcy / insolvency (liquidation) |
| yrityssaneeraus | corporate restructuring / reorganization (Restructuring of Enterprises Act) |
| yksityishenkilön velkajärjestely | private person's debt adjustment |
| selvitystila | winding-up |
| pesänhoitaja | trustee in bankruptcy / liquidator |

## Cross-Reference Conventions

| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| X §:n mukaan / nojalla | pursuant to section X / under section X |
| mukaisesti | in accordance with |
| rajoittamatta | without prejudice to |
| ellei toisin sovita | unless otherwise agreed |
| lain sallimissa rajoissa | to the extent permitted by law |
| tässä sopimuksessa | for the purposes of this agreement |
| mukaan lukien, mutta ei rajoittuen | including but not limited to |
| tämä sopimus | this agreement |
| rikkova osapuoli | the defaulting party |
| ei-rikkova osapuoli | the non-defaulting party |
| osapuolet sopivat | the parties agree |
| tulee voimaan ...sta alkaen | shall take effect from |

## Key Finnish Legislative References

| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| oikeustoimilaki (laki varallisuusoikeudellisista oikeustoimista) | Contracts Act (Act on Juridical Acts in the Field of Property Law) |
| kauppalaki | Sale of Goods Act |
| kuluttajansuojalaki | Consumer Protection Act |
| osakeyhtiölaki | Companies Act (Limited Liability Companies Act) |
| vahingonkorvauslaki | Tort Liability Act |
| tietosuojalaki | Data Protection Act |
| EU:n yleinen tietosuoja-asetus (GDPR) | General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) |
| kilpailulaki | Competition Act |
| henkilötietolaki (kumottu) | Personal Data Act (repealed) |
| laki yksityisyyden suojasta työelämässä | Act on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life |
| korkein oikeus (KKO) | Supreme Court |
| korkein hallinto-oikeus (KHO) | Supreme Administrative Court |

## Notes

- **Finnish contract law**: Finland does not have a comprehensive civil code. Contract law
  is based on the Contracts Act (oikeustoimilaki, 1929), the Sale of Goods Act (kauppalaki,
  1987), and extensive case law. The Nordic legal tradition applies — more flexible than
  civil law systems but with some codification. Flag this hybrid nature.
- **"Sopimus" vs "sopimus"**: Finnish legal texts often use "Sopimus" (capitalized) to
  refer to the specific agreement being executed. Translate as "the Agreement" when
  capitalized.
- **Nordic cooperation**: Finnish contract law shares significant features with other
  Nordic jurisdictions (Sweden, Denmark, Norway). The Sale of Goods Act is based on the
  Nordic Uniform Sales Act. Terms may align with Swedish equivalents.
- **EU member state**: Finland is an EU member. EU regulations (GDPR, etc.) apply directly.
  EU directives are implemented through national legislation. Always check for EU law
  dimensions in Finnish legal documents.
- **"Oikeustoimilaki" (Contracts Act)**: The foundational contract law statute. Key
  provisions include rules on formation (offer and acceptance), invalidity (sections 28-36
  on unfair terms), and representation. The "reasonableness rule" (kohtuullistaminen,
  section 36) allows courts to adjust unfair contract terms. Flag this broad adjustment
  power.
- **Bracketed placeholder dates (`[1.2020]`, `[15.1.2021]`)**: Finnish legal drafts
  commonly use square brackets around a date (or date-range) to signal "to be confirmed"
  — typically when the commencement of an obligation depends on an event whose date is
  not yet fixed (start of construction, long-stop date, signature date of a related
  deed). The brackets carry real drafting meaning and MUST be preserved in the English
  translation. Render as `[1 May 2020]` (UK) / `[May 1, 2020]` (US) — keep the brackets
  around the date, do not silently resolve them. When the bracketed date is itself the
  subject of a tracked-change edit (bracket ins/del around a date ins/del), keep both
  the bracket wrappers AND the date edit so that a reviewer using Accept/Reject can see
  the placeholder-resolution gesture. The skill's `strip_noop_tracked_changes.py` is
  bracket-aware and will not collapse these brackets on its own,
  but the translator must still render the brackets in the `en` and `en_segments`
  fields.
