Research group

Picture of the Retra research group, November 2024. People from the left in the upper row: Juho Suokas and Lauri Havukainen. People on the lower row from the left: Juha Lång, Erja Vottonen, Esa Penttilä. Missing from the photo: Helka Riionheimo.
Picture of Esa Penttilä

Esa Penttilä (PhD)

Project manager, Professor (English language and translation)

Esa Penttilä is professor of English language and translation and head of the School of Humanities at the University of Eastern Finland. His research interests include non-professional translation, cognitive language and translation studies, multilingual communication, and metaphorical language.

Picture of Juho Suokas

Juho Suokas (PhD)

Project Researcher, University Lecturer (English language and translation)

Juho Suokas is a university lecturer in English language and translation at the University of Eastern Finland and postdoctoral researcher in the ReTra-project. Alongside research translatoriality, Juho’s other research interests include user-centered translation, non-/paraprofessional translation, and language philosophy. Outside of academia, he spends most of his free time with music-related activities.

Picture of Erja Vottonen

Erja Vottonen (PhD)

Project Researcher, Academic Affairs Specialist (University Services)
Picture of Helka Riionheimo

Helka Riionheimo (PhD)

Advisor, Professor (Finnish and Karelian language)

Helka Riionheimo is an expert in Finnish language and linguistics. Besides Finnish, her research field includes other Finnic languages, with special focus in the Karelian language. Her research interests consist of topics related to spoken language, language contacts, and more recently, endangered languages and revitalization. In her work Riionheimo emphasises the majority language speakers obligation to strenghten the status minority languages as well as development of sustainable multilingualism where linguistic diversity is seen as a resource.

Elina Kainulainen (MA)

Research Assistant

Elina Kainulainen is Master of Arts majoring in English language and translation (UEF). Besides multilingualism and language contact, their research interests include intralingual translation, themes of accessible communication and AI-based solutions in translation and language technology.