Finnish to English Translation | Cultural Research | Consulting Services

As a brief introduction, I’m Iiro, an anthropologist and translator. Maki Services, LLC is my translation, cultural research, and sustainability communications consulting company, and I help clients communicate clearly across languages, cultures, and conceptual domains.

I know it’s typical to present a business using formal language, and I could be writing this as “we here at Maki Services.” However, in this case, my greatest business asset is, in fact, me. Not only am I bilingual, but I’m also bicultural and academically trained to research and understand cultural phenomena. I don’t run an agency, and I don’t outsource work, nor am I planning to do either of those things. I focus on providing consistently high-quality services for businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals—which is why I do all the work personally.

Translation with 15 Years of Experience

Expert Finnish to English translation with accuracy and style across technical and creative texts

I have translation experience that spans thousands of pages and millions of words, ranging from instruction manuals and public policy documents to marketing material and literature.

Each requires a slightly different approach and, in that particular order, falls on a spectrum from fairly technical to highly creative. What they all have in common, though, is the need to convert the source language into the target as faithfully and fluently as possible—in other words, to produce the best possible ‘copy’ of the original while preserving its meaning, tone, and context.

Every project is unique, and I work closely with clients to make sure that their specific needs are clear and I’m able to meet them.

I currently work with several of the world’s largest translation agencies, and I’m now building a clientele of direct clients. My experience includes:
  • High-profile projects in policy, governance, and sustainability
  • Executive-level municipal documents for major cities
  • EU-level projects with the highest quality requirements
  • International NGO reports on sustainability and cross-border policy
  • National-level sustainability material for the Finnish tourism sector
  • Many public-facing projects in art, culture, history and science

Content Adaptation and Cultural Research

Make your message feel native to your audience and uncover real insights to communicate effectively

Adapting content to fit cultural nuances goes beyond simply translating—it’s about making your message feel native to your audience, which is the first step in compelling cross-cultural communication.

While translation leans more toward art, the study of cultures and the diversity of human expression across space and time is both an art and a science, often in equal measure.

Data-driven and theoretically informed cultural research lets you understand your target audience and produce communication that’s more than just advertising. It can become useful information that they genuinely need or care about. This applies whether you’re selling a product, offering a service, or raising awareness, and it’s foundational to good, ethical, human-centered marketing.

Today’s wealth of available data and the reach of social networks give small businesses and non-profits the tools to reach people as effectively as larger ones—when they ask the right questions.

That’s where I come in. With in-depth cultural expertise, analytical skills, survey methods, and the rigor of academic research, I can help you develop those questions and a strategy to connect with your audience on a meaningful level.

I help organizations adapt Finnish content into fluent, audience-ready English and understand Finnish culture in context. My background includes:
  • Adapting Finnish texts into natural, compelling English for international audiences
  • Academic and practical knowledge of Finnish and American culture, communication, and audience expectations
  • Master’s level training in cultural research methods and survey design
  • Applied skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis
  • Ability to identify questions and turn them into actionable insights

Sustainability Communications

Sustainability communication that bridges concepts, policies and practices to help organizations communicate honestly, credibly, and meaningfully to drive real change

Nearly all of my academic research, a good portion of my professional work as a translator, and even many of my recreational activities involve sustainability. From conceptual frameworks, policies, and corporate responsibility statements to practical applications and independent research – covering topics like permaculture, traditional/indigenous stewardship, and regenerative farming practices – I’m constantly learning more.

It is my personal and professional opinion that sustainability (or ‘resilience’, which is essentially the same concept framed in the language of humanity perhaps being incurably unsustainable) is the foremost issue of our time: barring unforeseeable changes, we will have to confront environmental, social and economic limits—whether proactively or as they become impossible to ignore.

Much of what we ‘ought’ to do, of course, is up for debate, but few would disagree with the overarching principle recognized since the first official global report on sustainability in 1987: to leave the world as good as, if not better than, we found it. This is something that almost everyone can agree on and contribute to, although it requires some thinking about, which is what I’m here to help with.

If you’re looking to explore what your organization is already doing and could realistically do more sustainably, and communicate authentically about it, I might be a good fit in helping you do so. I have a solid understanding of the relevant concepts, many key policies, helpful certifications, and actionable measures—but none of that matters more than showing a genuine effort to be sustainable and communicating it effectively, no matter the size of your organization.

Let’s learn and create meaningful change together!

I’ve worked extensively with sustainability texts, and now make that experience available to direct clients. My background includes:
  • In-depth knowledge of:
    – Corporate sustainability and CSR reports across multiple industries
    – NGO and third-sector reports on sustainability and ethics
    – Municipal policy on environmental governance
  • Deep academic knowledge of  sustainability and resilience concepts and frameworks
  • Hands-on knowledge from regenerative and low-impact practices

Writing and research are at the core of all my services: clear, credible, culturally informed text that will help you connect with impact.

Let's talk about your project!

Iiro Maki

Owner

Email: info@makiservices.net
Phone: +1-561-315-7249
Proz Profile: https://www.proz.com/translator/1217894