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As I know there is the one common language group, Finno-Ugrian, but I'm not sure if that means it is possible to go to Finland and speak to Finnish speakers with my Udmurt language knowledge.

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No, it will not be possible. Most Finno-Ugric languages are so different, that they are not mutually intelligible. Even if you speak Udmurt, you will not understand Finnish and Finnish speakers will not understand you.

There are plenty of online resources for hearing the Finnish language if you still want to give it a try. Just search e.g. for any arbitrary Finnish YouTube video.

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    +1. I just eyeballed the Udmurt article on Wikipedia, and despite some grammatical similarity, as a native Finnish speaker the vocabulary is 100% unrecognizable.
    – lambshaanxy
    Feb 18, 2019 at 21:46
  • They are not even in the same branch. Udmurt is Permic and Finnish is, well, Finnic. I'd expect them to be as mutually intelligible as French and Greek or Mandarin and Burmese (i.e. really not very mutually intelligible at all).
    – xuq01
    Feb 20, 2019 at 22:28
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    @xuq01xuq French and Greek actually have quite a lot of common words, you will find many similarities in basic words like numbers and pronouns and there has been relatively much recent exchange through culture and technology. In Finnish and Udmurt, you will find nothing of this.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Feb 21, 2019 at 0:32
  • @Tor-EinarJarnbjo Well, I am aware that many words in European languages in general are of Greek origin. However this still really doesn't help a French (or English) speaker understand much Greek :-(
    – xuq01
    Feb 21, 2019 at 8:50
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    @xuq01 Of course it can help an English or French tourist in Greece to understand the many common words. You will land at the aerodromio, leave the building through the exodos, take a taxi to the hotel, check-in at the resepsion, go to the kafeteria if you want something to drink or a bite to eat and later to the toaleta when the drink has passed through.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Feb 21, 2019 at 13:22

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