Czech Update

Google struggling to translate 'friends' into Czech

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:25:08 -0500

According to Zive.cz, Google.cz is asking the Czech internet community how they would like to translate the now ubiquitous word 'friend' into Czech. This is a real problem. There are two basic words for friend in Czech 'přítel/přítelkyně' or 'kamarád/kamarádka' (with different forms for male/female). 'Kamarád' is a general friend (more of a buddy) and in some contexts considered less formal while 'přítel/přítelkyně' would be used in more formal language and would mean 'boy/girl friend' when used of somebody of the opposite sex. But both these words actually mean something closer to what English would refer to as 'close personal friend' - the kind of friend depicted in the sitcom 'Friends' but not the kind of friend you acquire on Facebook in the hundreds. For those friends, Czech reserves the word 'známý/známá'. But that would be very impersonal for most contexts so classifying your real friends as that on a social network would be tantamount to an insult.

There are two possible solutions. 1. Forget about the fake 'friend' and just use the generic 'kontakt'. 2. The whole social web world could take a lesson from Czech and divide friends into two kinds 'personal friends' and 'internet friends'. Facebook already does that with the 'Friend/Fan' distinction but I think many people would appreciate it to be able to have friends with whom they share more info than with others.

V minulém týdnu se v diskusním fóru českého

Google User Group pro uživatele řešil překlad termínu tab (diskutovalo se o možnostech karta, záložka a panel), nyní se Jana Vořechovská, která pracuje v Google

jako jazyková specialistka v Google, všech uživatelů ptá, jak v aplikacích a službách překládat slovo friend. Někde totiž překlad přítel není to pravé, lepší

je třeba známý, ale někdy se může hodit například kamarád.

Irglová: Czech singer and actress reaps fame rewards after Oscar win

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:55:19 -0400

"Co Čech to muzikant" (Scratch a Czech, find a musician) goes an old Czech saying (going back to 1800s at least) that used to be known around the musical world. And now it is again! A little bit and on YouTube where there are dozens of clips of her singing including on David Letterman or Later with Jools Holland.

AFP: Fairytale rise to fame for Czech singer turned actress PRAGUE (AFP) — With low-budget musical movie "Once" winning awards from Hollywood to Moscow, and its soundtrack ballad "Falling Slowly" climbing the charts worldwide, Czech youngster Marketa Irglova has experienced a fairytale rise to stardom.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly (Later)

PĚT "P" (Pohromadě)

Aczua — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:52:17 -0400

People speaking Czech on YouTube 1: 10 Survival Phrases

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:01:29 -0400

Sometime ago I started a theme of Czech music on YouTube but never followed up on it. Here's an extension of it: People speaking Czech on YouTube. There are lots of people speaking Czech on YouYube, sometimes the clips are funny, sometimes interesting and informative, and sometimes obscene. The first example is a run down of top 10 phrases from travellinguist.

Note that strictly speaking How are you? is not a particularly useful phrase for a tourist in the Czech Republic since Czechs only use it with people they know and never with someone they just met!!!

Strčprstskrzkrk.com launches

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:42:08 -0400

I've owned the StrčPrstSkrzKrk.com domain for a year but only now did I find a few minutes to make it live. All it contains is a video of me pronouncing the phrase. But with any luck, I will be adding more Czech tongue-twisters there, as time goes on.

Can you teach an old president new tricks?

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:56:21 -0500

"Starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš" goes the saying. But the freshly re-elected right-wing nationalistic populist Václav Klaus isn't particularly interested in anything new: “I will fight to retain the Czech koruna for as long as it is advantageous for Czechs,” he boasted. His rants about national identity make him a popular figure with people who easily forget a mixed record on corporate responsibility and half-witted views on immigration and the environment. Of course, his popularity had nothing to do with his election; the Czech president is elected by members of both chambers of the parliament where his party have a narrow but sufficient majority. So, we're stuck with him for another five years. Luckily the constitution limits the Czech president to largely ceremonial duties.

Václav Klaus, the Czech Republic’s eurosceptic president, was re-elected for a second five-year term on Friday after a tense, drawn-out and closely-fought process.
FT.com / Europe - Eurosceptic voted back as Czech president

Translating Prime Minister's profanity

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:28:22 -0500

Now, the prime minister Topolánek is getting sued for saying this: "Češi obvykle ale vidí všechno negativně a když k něčemu dojde, podělají se". And the English translation that made it into the English edition of Aktuálně.cz was "the Czechs usually see everything in negative light and when something happens, they get shit scared". Well, they got it wrong. "podělat se" is better translated as "to mess one's pants". The Czech news wire service ČTK got closer: "Czechs usually see everything negative and when it comes to the crunch, they fill their pants."

Of course, the proper translation for 'shit scared' is 'posraný strachy'. But the more important lesson to be learned is that Czech profanity related to the scatological and sexual is generally much stronger than the equivalent profanity in English. So one needs to be careful when reading into it.

And, of course, the prime minister's remarks were simplistic and silly but hardly criminal. So, who cares. The linguistics is where all the fun's at.

Free pocket guide to Czech language

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:05:49 -0400

Single-serving.com has come up with an easy to print and fold PDF brochure covering most of the basic phrases a tourist coming to the Czech Republic may want. The format makes it easy to carry in your pocket.

Learn Czech web navigation with Aktuálně

Dominik Lukeš — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 05:50:28 -0400

This nascent Czech news service has finally introduced an RSS feed but even more importantly it provides its non-Czech speaking users with a handy little glossary for understanding the Czech navigation on their site. Perhaps the most important: Přidat názor = Add your opinion but there are many more. Click and learn!

Pavel Vondra » Feed yourself and learn Czech with us learn those useful Czech phrases for which you will no doubt be grateful until your very last day :-)

Hollywood Rains Puns on Czech

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:53:09 -0400

Jossip Brad And Angie Take A Rain Czech Ditch Boring Senators In Favor Of Glam Hollywood Film July 12th, 2007 » 2 Comments angelina-jolie-pensivemic.JPG According to Us Weekly, Angelina Jolie hasn’t exactly been living up to her (honorary) title as U.N. Ambassador. Reportedly, the pro-adoption humanitarian recently left the Czech senate hanging, canceling a planned get-together in Prague in order to wrap up shooting her latest film, Wanted.

Isn't all so Jolly? The puns on the word Czech continue. Every Czech living in an English speaking country is sick of them and the entrepreneurial Czech living in Prague puts them on T-Shirt. Czech is like 'check' and 'cheque' and the options are limitless: the Czech is in the mail, Czech it out, Czech in, Czech off, rain Czech, cancelled Czech. I've heard them all. And I have to admit that even after all these years, they are kind of funny. But they are not new and editors should exhibit more self-restraint and good taste to only leave them in the body of the text.