Czech Update

Fables and Understories: Čapek on the Web

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:46:17 +0000

Andrew Malcovsky, the self-described 'Slavicist on spec' (I wonder if this is a conscious bilingual pun for špek) found a great new way to exploit the medium of the blog. For translating Karel Čapek's famous whimsical short pieces Bajky a podpovídky (as Fables and understories). It's certainly a great services to the student of Czech culture. read more »

Translating Prime Minister's profanity

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 02:28:22 +0000

Now, the prime minister Topolánek is getting sued for saying this: "Češi obvykle ale vidí všechno negativně a když k něčemu dojde, podělají se". read more »

The explicative genitive

Melvyn Clarke — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:18:20 +0100

Sometimes you get the feeling that a subject is being explained to death, with a dozen words being used where none would do. In his The Noun in Translation, Aleš Klégr gives one reason as: "an interesting difference between Czech and English: the much-favoured construction in Czech, termed the expicative genitive, read more »

Hyponyms and hyperonyms

Melvyn Clarke — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:16:28 +0100

One of the differences I find between Czech and English in the lexical sphere is that of the greater or lesser degree of specificity used in referring to certain objects, i.e. the use of hyponyms and hyperonyms. read more »

Post-position adjectives

Melvyn Clarke — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:14:33 +0100

The position of an adjective before or after a noun can occasionally change its entire meaning in English. As you drive into Prague, why do the numerous roadside hoardings offering "free rooms" strike you as not quite right? Because an adjective before a noun can denote a permanent state and after a noun a temporary state. In this read more »

Overuse of Participle Forms

Melvyn Clarke — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:01:41 +0100

English often prefers prepositional phrases to straight participles.

It is being reconstructed - it is under reconstruction
The observed team - the team under observation

The considered design - the design in question
The disputed matter - the matter in dispute read more »

Possessive Pronouns

Melvyn Clarke — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:35:07 +0100

There are many cases where a possessive pronoun needs to be recast in some other form, particularly where it acts as direct object of a verb:

Tento výčet deseti doporučení není jistě vyčerpávající, ale jejich důsledné uplatnění vždy výrazně změnilo průběh a především výsledky pravidelných porad sledovaných manažerských týmů. read more »