# ilmeisesti



## Gavril

It's not always clear to me whether _ilmeisesti_ should be translated "obviously" (implying that there's no room for doubt) or "probably" (implying at least a little room for doubt).

For example, how should this example (from the front page of the online HS) be translated?

"Järistys aiheutti ilmeisesti tsunamin, joka saattaa olla tuhoisa järistyskeskuksen lähistöllä sijaitsevalle rannikolle."

K


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## Hakro

I'd say that the word _ilmeisesti_ is not much more clear to many Finns than to you, Gavril. Even the dictionaries are not very clear in this case.

In my opinion _ilmeisesti_ means more "probably" than "obviously", but I'm not too sure about the exact meanings of these English words. Maybe the Finnish word is somewhere in-between. I think that "obviously" should usually be translated _ilmiselvästi_.

Anyway, in your example _ilmeisesti_ should be translated "probably" or "possibly" (in my opinion).

Other Finns may have other opinions.


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## Grumpy Old Man

I agree with Hakro. "Probably" would be a good word.


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## Mårran

Kielitoimiston sanakirja lists both senses separately so it's possible to user either meaning depending on the context and how you phrase it. For example if you say "aivan ilmeisesti", it can only mean "obviously".


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## sakvaka

Mårran said:


> Kielitoimiston sanakirja lists both senses separately so it's possible to user either meaning depending on the context and how you phrase it. For example if you say "aivan ilmeisesti", it can only mean "obviously".



I agree with this one and Hakro. In my opinion Gavril's quote can be translated the both ways, but no one forbids THINKING ;-).

EDIT: Whoa! 400th post for me.


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## Hakro

sakvaka said:


> Whoa! 400th post for me.


Onneksi olkoon, Sakvaka! Now only 600 more and we'll send you congratulations on Congrats Pages.

By the way, my first 1000 took about ten months. You have only one month left to reach the same result. It's possible, but you have to be really industrious.


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## Gavril

According to _WSOY Elektroninen Sanakirja_ (jossa on vikoja), one meaning of _ilmeisesti _is "supposedly". In English, the word _supposedly _means "jotkut uskovat/väittävät, että ..." (usein edellytetäänkin, että puhuja epäilee vahvasti väitettä/uskomusta). Does _ilmeisesti _ever have this meaning?


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## Tappahannock

I'm wondering why "apparently" isn't showing up in this discussion.

If I were translating from "apparently," _ilmeisesti_ would be one of the first options that would come to mind.  And my three top choices for translating back from _ilmeisesti_ would be "apparently," "obviously," and probably "clearly," depending of course on the degree of clarity or conviction.  I'm not saying it can't be done with "probably" but it feels like one of those approximations where we can't find a word that actually means the same thing.  I doubt that I would use it but I'm not saying there's no sentence that could make me see the light.

I agree with Gavril that "supposedly" is quite a stretch in ordinary contexts.  But I can imagine a situation where the speaker is raising his eyebrows or grimacing with skepticism or disdain as he repeats what a bunch of people have said about someone else to show that he doesn't believe it at all.  A detective in the U.S. could do just that with "apparently," using it sarcastically to mean something we'd more often describe as "supposedly." _This bozo is apparently God's gift to women of a certain age with more wealth than love in their lives._

As usual, your mileage may vary.


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