Relocating to a new country is a journey filled with the hope for a better future. Yet, the process of integration often hinges on mastering the local language. Without this skill, securing employment can become a steep uphill battle, forcing some immigrants to abandon their dreams and return home. At Greyland Games, we believe the key to empowering immigrants lies in specialized vocational language tools—resources that bridge the gap between basic language courses and professional terminology, helping immigrants thrive in their new environments.
Language is more than just words—it’s a tool for building relationships, navigating challenges, and securing jobs. A lack of language skills can profoundly hinder one’s ability to participate fully in society. For instance, a report from Massachusetts found that about 480,000 working-age residents were unable to speak English proficiently, significantly limiting their economic opportunities (source).
Here in Finland, government-sponsored language programs provide foundational language skills. These courses are an essential starting point but often fall short of preparing immigrants for professional environments where specialized vocabulary is crucial. Based on our experience at Greyland Games, we aim to address this shortcoming by developing tools to teach practical, industry-specific language skills.
“I’ve been an immigrant for almost half of my life. I left my home country when I was 20 and moved to the UK for a while. After that, I lived in Ireland, Australia, the US, Vietnam, and now Finland. Vietnam and Finland are the two countries where integration took another level, because of the language barrier.
Leaving my home country seemed just like a great adventure at first. I wanted change, I wanted to improve my English skills, see the world, and meet new people. It soon became obvious that going back home wasn’t going to be as easy as it sounded. I changed. I had to adapt to new environments on my own, I had to deal with various challenges on my own and I celebrated successes and failures on my own. I tasted a freedom I never realized I could have, and I have been enjoying it ever since.
But freedom comes at a price. I know now that I do not have a home. I created my own family along the way, and that came with different challenges. I manage to create a home anywhere we stay, but it means being flexible enough to start over and over again. My priorities are definitely more with the people I create a home for, rather than things I fill a home with.
Settling in and learning the ways of my new home country has been the most intense here in Finland. Mainly because I have small kids, and I see Finland as a good country for them to form their one base, family and friends circles, and get an education. I see a difference between me and other expats—especially those that leave their home country and settle in the first country they choose. But some things remain the same. We all go through waves of what I call expats’ blues. It’s basically being homesick, though for some it is longing to be in a certain place, for others, like me, it is realizing that I miss deeper connections that people who never leave their country might have.
It usually comes with time and/or challenges in the new country. One of the biggest challenges could be learning the language, getting a job, and making new friends outside your immigrant circle. For me, it was all of the above. I started learning the language as part of a government-supported course but soon realized that getting a job with only general language knowledge would not be easy. I started forming the idea of how to help myself and others in a similar situation. My course mate, Fari, then became my brainstorming buddy and a game dev consultant, and we drafted the first outline of what Greyland Games is now.”
“I moved here 16 years ago as an au pair and started my Finnish language journey through private courses in the evenings at the University of Tampere. They were helpful, but I still didn’t feel like I was making progress fast enough. After a year, I left my au pair job, and the Finnish government placed me in a sponsored language program at Onnenkieli. There I thrived, since it was less rote memorization, and more using the words in practice. That way, it stuck with me faster, and my language skills just blossomed.
The pitfall came when it was time to get an internship. I was lucky enough to get offered a spot at Kirja-Kärkkäinen (which was later bought by Suomalainen Kirjakauppa), and although I could talk to my fabulous co-workers about everyday subjects, I truly felt the lack of vocational vocabulary I needed to do my job properly. I had to be taught by co-workers what the terms were or listen in on their conversations with each other or customers to pick things up. It felt awful when a customer asked me for something specific, and I had no idea what it was and had no one around to ask when I was alone on shift. I know that if I had a tool like the games we make at Greyland Games for the proper terms needed to work in the book shop, I would have thrived there.
Over these 16 years, I have had to struggle along and learn terms in Finnish on the job for my different vocations, and it is frustrating and can often cause problems. My deepest hope is that our games can help other immigrants avoid this unnecessary struggle, and to actually thrive in their new homes!”
“Moving to a new country is thrilling, but the culture shock stages are quite intense. You get the honeymoon phase where it’s all so exciting, then the frustration of it all—being homesick, trying to navigate your social and professional life. However, you start adapting and eventually you accept it all. As we are different people, we all go through these stages differently, some quicker than others. The one thing, though, is the language barrier that can really take a toll.
Moving to Finland, I was determined to learn the language: motivated, excited, and eager. Learning Finnish can definitely be a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s such a unique and fascinating language, but it also presents some specific challenges that can frustrate even the most determined learners. The complex grammar, vowel harmony (ä/ö), no articles or gender (no “a”/“the”), consonant gradation (K to kk/p to pp), word length, and compounding (Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas), and pronunciation.
Like any language, it’s not just about memorizing vocabulary and grammar; it’s about thinking in that language. Finnish has a very different sentence structure compared to English, and it requires switching to a completely different mindset to use correctly. This can be mentally exhausting. The Finnish system does offer language learning courses to enable easy integration into Finnish society and be an active member of the labor market. Although there is a clear difference between the spoken Finnish (puhekieli) and written or professional Finnish (kirjakieli), this difference can sometimes be a challenge, especially straight out of the language course into day-to-day life, trust me!
When you learn a new language, you gain the ability to express yourself in new ways, build deeper relationships, and truly connect with people. Every conversation, even a simple one, is a victory. The feeling of having a full conversation without resetting to English is AMAZING! Sure, the road can be bumpy at times, and there will be moments of frustration, but every challenge is a step forward. The mistakes you make today will be the lessons that help you thrive tomorrow. And the beauty of it is that, in the end, it’s not just about “fitting in.” It’s about expanding your world in ways you never thought possible.”
These personal stories are a testament to how language acquisition transforms not only careers but lives. At Greyland Games, we strive to fill the gaps left by general courses, empowering immigrants with tools to thrive in their new homes.
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© Greyland Games 2024
