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.

Domače Naloge in Prosti Čas

Homework and Free Time

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Šola je že skoraj zaprla vrata za dobra dva meseca.

School is almost over for the next two months.

Marsikje zadnje dneve pouka namenjajo potepanju po domačem kraju ali širši okolici, za tabore ali pa za sproščeno zabavo na šolskem igrišču.

Many of the last days of school are devoted to travelling around the countryside or wider area, going to camps, or having relaxing fun on the school playground.

Domače naloge in popoldansko delo za šolo so že daljna preteklost, saj imate učenci ocene že zaključene.

Homework and afternoon work for school are in the distant past, as students have already completed their grades.

Ali pač? V Zvezi aktivov svetov staršev Slovenije (ZASSS) še niso pozabili na delo za šolo, ki ga otroci opravite doma.

Or have they? The Association of Parents of the Parents of Slovenia (ZASSS) has not yet forgotten the work for the school that you take home.

Predstavili so izsledke raziskave, ki so jo opravili med starši osnovnošolcev.

The results of research carried out by parents of elementary school students have been presented.

In kaj so ugotovili?

And what did they find?

»Anketa je pokazala, da le dobra petina učencev opravi vse domače naloge, učenje in drugo delo za šolo, v manj kot eni uri. Četrtina jih potrebuje za to uro do dve, slaba petina dve do tri ure. Približno petnajst odstotkov otrok potrebuje kar tri do štiri ure, preostala petina pa celo več kot štiri ure,« pravi dr. Anton Meden, predsednik ZASSS.

"The survey showed that only just over a fifth of students do all homework, learning and other work for the school in less than an hour. A quarter of them need up to two hours for this, one-fifth between two to three hours. Approximately fifteen percent of children need about three to four hours, while the remaining fifth even more than four hours," says Dr. Anton Meden, President of ZASSS.

Šolsko delo doma v urah. Vir: ZASSS /  School work at home in hours. Source: ZASSS

Domače naloge so namenjene ponavljanju snovi, kar je za učenje koristno, meni Meden, saj možgani s ponavljanjem znanje utrdijo.

Homework is intended for repetition of content, and this is useful for learning, says Meden, since the brain gains knowledge by repeating it.

»A razlike v obsegu domačega dela so velike. Družinam, kjer otroci za to porabijo veliko časa, zmanjka časa za druge dejavnosti. V veliki večini primerov za pomoč šolarjem poskrbijo družinski člani. Iz nekaterih povezav med podatki pa lahko sklepamo, da imajo učenci, ki jim starši doma ne morejo pomagati, slabše ocene.«

"And the differences with regard to homework are great. Families where children spend a lot of time for this run out of time for other activities. In the vast majority of cases, family members help schoolchildren. By examining the data we can conclude that pupils whose parents cannot help them parents have worse grades. "

Anketa, ki so jo med osnovnošolci opravili v Zavodu za šolstvo, je pokazala nekoliko drugačne podatke.

A survey, which was carried out among primary school students by the Institute of Education, showed slightly different data.

Po njihovih podatkih za domače naloge porabi večina (55,9 odstotka) učencev do 30 minut, nadaljnjih 29,3 odstotka pa do ene ure. Za učenje porabi 64,3 odstotka učencev do ene ure dnevno, izjema je učenje pred testi, ko se učijo dlje.

According to their data for homework, the majority (55.9 percent) of pupils spend up to 30 minutes, followed by 29.3 percent up to one hour. With regard to studying, 64.3 percent of pupils spend up to 1 hour a day, except for before tests when they study more.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Pajek, ki je hitrejši od rakete

A spider that's faster than a rocket

Written by Urša Adamič, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Pajki raziskovalce vedno znova presenečajo s svojimi metodami preživetja.

Spider researchers are always surprised by their survival methods.

Z mišicami v zadku nit preplete v zaporedne zanke, te pa ga nato kot nekakšna frača izstrelijo proti središču njegove trikotne mreže.

With muscles in its back, [the triangle weaver  spider] weaves thread into successive loops, and then, like a kind of catapult, shoots itself toward the centre of its triangular web.

Proti plenu leti s pospeškom, ki je približno šestindvajsetkrat večji od pospeška vesoljske rakete.

It flies towards its prey with an acceleration about twenty-six times that of a space rocket.

Plen ob tem še zavije v pajčevino, zato ta nima nobenih možnosti za pobeg.

In addition, the prey moves towards the web, so it has no chance of escaping.

Poleg človeka je ta pajek edina živalska vrsta, pri kateri so opisali in posneli tako spretno kopičenje oziroma povečanje energije.  

Other than humans, this spider is the only animal species that is able to obtain such a skilful accumulation or increase of energy.

A tudi druge živali zmorejo podobno neverjetne podvige.

And other animals can have similar incredible achievements.

Rak bogomolčar recimo z ogromno močjo razbije lupine školjk in polžev, s katerimi se prehranjuje. Moč njegovega udarca je glede na njegovo velikost primerljiva z močjo, ki bi jo potreboval človek, da bi zalučal teniško žogico v orbito Zemlje.

A mantis shrimp, for example, breaks the shells of the shellfish and snails on which it feeds using enormous power. For its size, the strength of its strike can be compared to that a person would need in order to throw a tennis ball into the orbit of the Earth.

Bolhe pa imajo v svojem telesu poseben mehanizem, kot nekakšno vzmet, ki shranjuje mehansko energijo in jim omogoča izredno hitre premike. Po potrebi to vzmet sunkovito sprostijo, zato se njihove zadnje noge v milisekundi iztegnejo.

Fleas have a special mechanism in the body, like a kind of spring that stores mechanical energy and that allows them to move extremely quickly. If necessary, this spring is released, so their back legs are extended in milliseconds.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Napadi na Šrilanki

Attacks on Sri Lanka

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Prazniki bi morali biti čas radosti in miru.

Holidays should be a time of joy and peace.

A na velikonočno nedeljo so na otoku Šrilanka odjeknile eksplozije.

And on Easter Sunday, explosions erupted on the island of Sri Lanka.

Med napadi na tamkajšnje cerkve in hotele je umrlo skoraj tristo ljudi. Še veliko več je bilo hudo poškodovanih.

Nearly three hundred people died during attacks on local churches and hotels. Many more were seriously injured.

Mnogi so bili v času napadov pri velikonočni maši. Številni drugi so ravno v tistem času zajtrkovali v hotelskih jedilnicah.

At the time of the attacks many were attending Easter Mass. A number of others were having breakfast in hotel dining rooms at that time.

Šrilanška vlada pravi, da je za napade odgovorna majhna radikalna teroristična skupina NTJ.

The Sri Lankan government says that the small radical terrorist group NTJ is responsible for the attacks.

Po napadih se je izvedelo, da so bili šrilanški policisti opozorjeni na možnost napada.

After the attacks, it was learned that the Sri Lankan police had been warned about the possibility of an attack.

Sedaj pristojni ugotavljajo, zakaj teh opozoril niso upoštevali.

Now, the authorities are investigating why these warnings were not taken seriously.

V državi so razglasili izredne razmere. Zaradi tega bodo lahko policisti in vojaki morebitne osumljence priprli in zaslišali brez posebnega dovoljenja sodišča.

A state of emergency has been declared in the country. As a result, police officers and soldiers will be able to detain and question potential suspects without the special permission of the court.

Na Šrilanki so med državljansko vojno v preteklosti že doživeli podobne izbruhe nasilja. A tokratni napad je zaradi svoje neusmiljenosti in velikega števila žrtev močno pretresel državo. Mnogi napovedujejo, da bodo morala miniti leta, preden se bo rana, ki so jo otoku zadali napadalci, zacelila.

Because of civil war, Sri Lanka has already experienced similar outbreaks of violence in the past. This attack, because of its ruthlessness and the large number of victims, has shaken the country hard. Many predict that it will take years before the wounds that the attackers have made on the island will heal.

Danes je na Šrilanki dan žalovanja.

Today is a day of mourning in Sri Lanka.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Memi in gifi ostajajo vsem na voljo

Memes and gifs remain available to everyone

Written by Katarina Bulatović, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Evropski poslanci so znova odločali o zelo pomembnem dokumentu.

MEPs decided again on a very important document.

Tega so eni željno pričakovali, drugi pa so menili, da bo zaradi njega virtualni svet drugačen, kot je bil doslej.

Some were happy to accept it, while others thought that it would make the virtual world very different to before.

In znova so ga podprli.

And they [the MEPs] supported it once again.

Velika tehnološka podjetja, kot sta Google in Facebook, so direktivi nasprotovala. Na njihovi strani so bili tudi vsi tisti, ki so prepričani, da zaradi direktive ne bodo več mogli dostopati do informacij na enak način kot doslej.

Large tech companies, such as Google and Facebook, opposed the directive. On their side were also all those who are convinced that because of the directive they will no longer be able to access information in the same way as before.

Večina glasbenikov, igralcev, pisateljev in novinarjev pa jo je težko pričakovala.

Most musicians, actors, writers and journalists were really looking forward to it.

Tehnološka podjetja, ki na spletnih platformah, kot je na primer YouTube, ponujajo pesmi ali videoposnetke, bodo morala njihovim ustvarjalcem plačati nadomestilo za uporabo.

Technology companies that offer songs or videos on online platforms, such as YouTube, will have to pay their creators compensation for their use.

Tega doslej niso počela, čeprav zaradi teh vsebin, ob katerih objavljajo oglase, zaslužijo veliko denarja.

Until now, they did not do this, although they show ads earn a lot of money with this content

Po drugi strani pa marsikateri glasbenik ali pisec komaj živi od svojega dela.

On the other hand, many musicians or writers can barely live from their work.

Tehnološka podjetja so podprli tudi številni posamezniki, ki so se bali, da ne bodo mogli več ustvarjati memov ali gifov.

Technology companies have also [financially] supported many individuals who feared that they would no longer be able to create memes or gifs.

Bali so se, da bodo s tem kršili avtorske pravice denimo fotografa in da bodo zato kaznovani.

They feared that if they violated the copyright of a photographer they would be punished.

Poslanci so prav zato izrecno zapisali, da lahko avtorska dela še naprej uporabljamo za citiranje ali za ustvarjanje memov.

For this reason, MEPs have explicitly stated that copyright works can continue to be used for citations or the creation of memes.

Tudi ti lahko torej še naprej svoje videoposnetke objavljaš na YouTubu, prijatelju pa brez skrbi pošlješ gif ali se nasmeješ novem memu. 

So, you can continue to post your videos on YouTube, can send your gifs without worrying, or smile at the new meme.

Direktivo morajo države članice EU prenesti v svojo zakonodajo, zato ne bo začela veljati še vsaj tri leta.

The directive still needs to be transposed by the EU Member States into their legislation, and therefore it will not enter into force for at least three years.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here, while you can study with some Slovenian memes here

Osebni podatki so dragoceni, zato jih moramo varovati

Personal data is valuable, so we need to protect it

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner

Osebni podatki so dragoceni, zato jih moramo varovati

Personal data is valuable, so we need to protect it

Ali veš, kaj vse so osebni podatki?

Do you know what personal information is?

Seveda, to je vendar preprosto: ime in priimek, telefonska številka, starost, naslov in še kaj.

Of course, this is simple: the first and last name, phone number, age, address and more.

Related: Learning Slovene as a foreigner - an interview with two Slovenian teachers

Jih razkriješ, če te kdo prosi zanje? Itak da ne, najbrž odločno odkimavaš.

Will you reveal these if anyone asks you for them? Of course not, you're probably shaking your head.

Kaj pa, če bi ti kdo naročil, da mu razkrij številko ali naslov, zato da začneš igrati spletno igrico?

What if someone asks you to reveal a telephone number or address to start playing an online game?

Hm, tu bi se morda že malo zapletlo.

Um, there might be a little complication here.

»Bi neznancu na cesti povedal, kako ti je ime, kje živiš in kam hodiš po pouku? Najbrž ne, kajne? S tem, ko deliš svoje podatke na spletu, narediš točno to: ljudem poveš vse o sebi. Tistim, ki jih poznaš, in tistim, ki jih ne,« v razmislek svetuje učiteljica Nina Jelen.

"Would you tell a stranger in the street what your name is, where you live and where you are going after school? Probably not, right? By sharing your data online you do exactly that: tell people about yourself. To those you know, and those you do not," advises teacher Nina Jelen.

In dodaja:

And she adds:

Kadar te v igricah prosijo za ime in priimek, si raje izmisli vzdevek.

When they ask you for a first and last name in a game, it’s better to invent a nickname.

Svojih podatkov ne deli po spletu. Še posebej, če nisi prepričan, kdo je na drugi strani.

Do not share your data online. Especially if you are not sure who is on the other side.

Kadarkoli te prime, da bi objavil nekaj o sebi, si predstavljaj, da sredi tvojega mesta stoji pano s tvojimi podatki. Vsi ga lahko vidijo, vsi lahko te podatke hranijo in jih pošiljajo naprej.

Whenever you’re asked to reveal something about yourself, imagine that there is a billboard with your data in the middle of your city. Everyone can see it, everyone can keep this information and send it on.

Seven years married / two months. See more Slovenian memes here

Tudi odrasli še ne vedo dobro, kako varovati svoje osebne podatke. Pol leta po sprejetju uredbe o varstvu podatkov (GDPR) informacijska pooblaščenka Mojca Prelesnik pravi: »Glavni izzivi so povezani s hitrim tehnološkim razvojem.«

Adults do not even know how to protect their personal information. Half a year after the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik says: "The main challenges are related to rapid technological development."

Nadzor je po njenih besedah lahko učinkovit zgolj v prepletu s preventivo. Zato pripravljajo smernice in gradiva, denimo v obliki infografik in vprašalnikov, je dejala ob evropskem dnevu varstva osebnih podatkov na okrogli mizi v Hiši EU.

According to her, such controls can only be effective when used together with prevention. Therefore, guidelines and materials have been prepared, such as in the form of infographics and questionnaires, she said during the European Day for the Protection of Personal Data at a round-table in the House of the EU [in Ljubljana].

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Dr. Sonja Merljak Zdovc is the force behind Časoris, the online newspaper for children that makes a weekly appearance here as part of our efforts to provide more material for adult learners of Slovene. She’s a long-time friend of Total Slovenia News, and was kind enough to answer some questions about her life and work.