Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.
Fuj, meduza! Pa ni čisto tako
Ugh, jellyfish! Well, it's not quite like that
Written by Urša Adamič, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Najbrž poznaš ta občutek, nemara te celo skrbi, da se mu v prihajajočih počitniških dneh ne bo mogoče izogniti.
You probably know this feeling, maybe you’re even worried that it won’t be avoided in the coming holidays.
To je tisti občutek, ko med brezskrbnim plavanjem v morju ob nogi začutiš nekaj sluzastega. Fuj! Meduza! Stik je res neprijeten, čeprav večina meduz ne opeče kože in ni nevarna.
It’s that feeling when you’re swimming without a care in the sea and feel something slimy with your foot. Ugh! Jellyfish! Touching one is really uncomfortable, although most jellyfish do not sting the skin and are not dangerous.
Meduzam delamo krivico. Njihova vloga v ekosistemu oceanov je izredno pomembna.
We do jellyfish an injustice. Their role in the ocean ecosystem is extremely important.
Meduze so izjemno raznolike. Znanstveniki predvidevajo, da je v oceanih vsaj tristo tisoč vrst meduz, ki jih še ne poznamo.
Jellyfish are extremely diverse. Scientists estimate that there are at least three hundred thousand species of jellyfish in the oceans that we do not yet know.
Veliko jih živi zelo globoko in številne imajo sposobnost bioluminiscence. To pomeni, da se lahko v čisti temi globokomorja svetijo v različnih barvah.
Many live very deep and many have the ability of bioluminescence. This means that in the pure darkness of the deep sea they can glow in different colours.
Pri meduzah znanstveniki iščejo tudi odgovor na skrivnost nesmrtnosti. Meduza z latinskim imenom Turritopsis dohrnii je namreč edini znani organizem, ki lahko čas prevrti nazaj in se iz odrasle živali prelevi v fazo polipa.
In jellyfish, scientists are also looking for an answer to the secret of immortality. The jellyfish with the Latin name Turritopsis dohrnii is the only known organism that can turn back time and transform from an adult animal into a polyp phase.
To je podobno, kot če bi se metulj lahko spremenil nazaj v gosenico. Proces pomladitve se lahko odvija v neskončnost, zato je ta vrsta praktično nesmrtna.
This is similar to if a butterfly could turn back into a caterpillar. The process of rejuvenation can take place indefinitely, so this species is virtually immortal.
Nekaterim živalim meduze nudijo zatočišče in varnost, za druge so hrana.
For some animals, jellyfish offer shelter and security, for others they are food.
Pravzaprav je skoraj vse življenje v oceanih odvisno od njih, tudi mi.
In fact, almost all life in the oceans depends on them, so do we.
Glede na raznolike ekosistemske storitve, ki jih nudijo, bi jim lahko rekli tudi lebdeči gozd oceanov. V tem gozdu domuje množica živih bitij, ki brez meduz ne bi mogla preživeti.
Given the diverse ecosystem services they offer, they could also be called a floating forest of the oceans. This forest is home to a multitude of living creatures that would not be able to survive without jellyfish.
Ali veš, da so ponekod meduze celo hrana za ljudi?
Do you know that in some places jellyfish are even food for humans?
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
