Sunday, April 11, 2010

lost in... was that a translation?

I've been trying to give Becky examples of how sometimes English is incorporated in to an otherwise undecipherable (for those lacking familiarity) language.... some words are "Czechified" with a "u" or an "ova" or some other combination. And you can find some regular English words sometimes in the ads.

I used an example in the metro for a film festival being hosted by a movie theater - Kino Atlas. It said something like Kino Atlas hostu filmovy ameturistke festivalu - OK I just butchered it, but it was from a poor recollection and for illustrative purposes only - it is enough for you to get the idea of what the article was about even though you don't know Czech. So, we talked a bit and she laughed and I pointed out a few more things and the day went on... her last day in town.

A Letna adventure, bocce balls, absynthe, slivovice, beckerovka, and so many beers later I am walking Becky home ( her consumption, most definitely NOT mine!)... and we're headed down the street and pass a few hernas - which are covered in large lettering that read
HERNA - BAR
NON STOP
plus some other stuff I can't remember right now. And Becky turns to me with a little quizzical expression on her face and asks, "So Jen, what does non-stop mean here?"
The answer - NON STOP.

And for some reason we laughed the whole way home.

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