Language

You will continue to work with the Handbook for translating into Czech and you will read about and summarize the general rules for translators. Next, after reading several points on language and style of Czech texts, you will identify problems in given translations. Based on the Handbook, some language reference books useful for Czech translators will be suggested in this chapter. Another publication you will work with here is the Interinstutional style guide. You will work with its Czech and English version.
Ikona iDevice Task
Read the introduction in the Handbook for translating into Czech. You can use the version you downloaded in the previous chapter or the reference webpage underneath. Then sum up the basic rules that one must follow when translating for Europe in five points.

Ikona iDevice Task
Read the language and style requirements concerning Czech texts on page 3 in the same source. Then explain what is wrong with the following translations:
dopad nároků na pracovní pozici

v časovém horizontu dvou let

výhody pojištění pro budoucnost

podpora prodeje paperbacků

hlášení o zpoždění spuštění topení

The handbook suggests primary sources dealing with language which each translator should use. These are:

  • Pravidla českého pravopisu - školní a akademická
  • Slovník spisovné češtiny pro školu a veřejnost
  • Mluvnice češtiny

There are some other useful tips which might help with language issues:

  • Svozilová, N., Prouzová H., Jirsová A.: Slovník slovesných, substantivních a adjektivních vazeb a spojení. Academina: Praha, 2005.
  • internet language handbook http://prirucka.ujc.cas.cz
  • FAQ http://www.ujc.cas.cz/poradna/porfaq.htm

Another useful and unavoidable language source that needs to be used when translating EU texts is the Interinstitutional style guide.

The Interinstitutional style guide contains uniform stylistic rules and conventions which must be used by all the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union.

 

Ikona iDevice Task

Go to the Interinstitutional Style Guide website and compare the rules for writing Numbers, dates and time in English and in Czech.

To access the guide, please go to http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-000100.htm

and in contents go to chapter 10.5. From the previous chapter, you should know how to access the Czech version of the same document.


Besides the guide itself, the website sums up 'Some useful pages' where you can check correct translation for countries, currencies, official names of various institutions, acronyms and abbreviations, etc.
Ikona iDevice Now you know
  • what the basic rules for EU translations in general are
  • what some of the specific requirements for translating into Czech are
  • which reference books and sources you should be using