# "The Heat Is On"



## mcsittel

I am trying to translate the phrase "the heat is on". Our city's minor league hockey team, the Omaha Lancers, plays the song "The Heat Is On" by Glenn Frey when a goal is scored and at other celebratory times during each game. Our team recently acquired a new player from Finland and I'd like to create a sign to hold up at games with this phrase correctly written in Finnish.

The Google translator suggests "Lämpö on päällä" is the correct translation.  I'd like to get other opinions as to if this would be recognizable if written on a poster, or if there is a better way to say it.

Thanks,
Matt


----------



## Gavril

Hi Mcsittel,

"Lämpö on päällä" means that the heat is on in a literal sense: "the heating (of the building, etc.) is turned on". I'm not sure if the phrase is used in the more metaphorical sense you're thinking of, but I'm not a native speaker.

I haven't yet found an idiomatic translation for "the heat is on" -- hopefully, the native speakers will help us.


----------



## ibarrere

My Finnish isn't that great, but I don't think that's the translation you're looking for. "The heat is on" is quite idiomatic, so it's debatable as to whether the phrase is translatable while still retaining its meaning.

The construction above is the same one you'd use to say, for example, the glass is on the table:

Lasi      on     pöydän          päällä
glass     is      table-GEN      head-ADE
The glass is on the table

So the phrase you've got would mean quite literally that the heat is on top of something. I'm sure a native speaker will be more helpful though.

EDIT: Gavril beat me to it.


----------



## altazure

As a native speaker, I can't think of any metaphorical translations for  "the heat is on" in Finnish, at least not any literal enough so that I'd  instantly link it to the English idiom. I'm not even sure there are _any_  good Finnish metaphors to express the same idea, but then again I am a  bit feverish at the moment and not able to think perfectly clearly, so  I'd like some input from the other natives too.


----------



## akana

With Finland's vibrant sauna culture...there must be...there just _must_ be a similar idiom  Something with "löyly?" 

If nothing else "lämpö on päällä" would get him to laugh. Sauna on päällä?

I was thinking of things like:
_Nyt pannaan toimeksi.
Nyt pistetään tuulemaan.

_But maybe he wouldn't get the connection to the lyrics.


----------



## Grumpy Old Man

I think the most common Finnish battle cry is _Hakkaa päälle!_


----------



## Gavril

Grumpy Old Man said:


> I think the most common Finnish battle cry is _Hakkaa päälle!_



Not to get too caught up in English examples, but do you know of a Finnish phrase that roughly corresponds to _Now it's on!_, which means that a fight or competition is starting to get intense/serious?


----------



## Grumpy Old Man

Gavril said:


> Not to get too caught up in English examples, but do you know of a Finnish phrase that roughly corresponds to _Now it's on!_, which means that a fight or competition is starting to get intense/serious?


No. The expressions and phrases commonly used in different countries seldom correspond in meaning, I think. _Heja, Sverige!_ is very common in Sweden, for example, but in Finland no one shouts _Hei, Suomi! _or even _Eläköön, Suomi!_


----------



## mcsittel

Gavril said:


> Not to get too caught up in English examples, but do you know of a Finnish phrase that roughly corresponds to _Now it's on!_, which means that a fight or competition is starting to get intense/serious?



That would work too.  We have a young Finnish goalie who just joined our team.  I think he'd enjoy anything that he would recognize and take as encouragement.


----------



## mcsittel

I didn't even get to make the sign before he got traded!  Thanks anyway for your suggestions.


----------

