Since the Finnish have been in the spotlight due to their taking the reigns in the European Union‘s presidency, a startling passion of the Finns has been revealed to the world – a penchant for Latin.
Latin is far from dead in Finland apparently, where even Elvis songs have been translated into the language and gets played, translated, in public places like hotel bars. Dr.Jukka Ammondt, an academic who translated and sings some of the ing’s hits, like “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – or “Non adamare non possum” explained:
“The legend of Elvis Presley lives for ever, and it’s of course very important to sing Elvis Presley’s songs in the Latin language, because Latin is the eternal language”
In Finland, the passion for Latin also extends to the news, where national broadcasts are also made in Latin. Apparently, its gets quite a good audience of around 75,000 listeners, which is more than some radio shows on the BBC.
