Ljubljana related
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.
Zakaj so medvedi po prespani zimi še vedno fit?
Why are bears still fit after a sleepy winter?
Written by Urša Adamič, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Predstavljajte si, da bi celo zimo prespali.
Imagine sleeping all winter long.
Mišice bi izgubile svojo moč, na koži bi se pojavile odrgnine in verjetno bi bili sestradani. No, grizliji s tem nimajo težav.
[Your] muscles would lose their strength, there would be bruises on the skin and you’d probably be starving. Well, grizzlies have no problem with all that.
Grizli je podvrsta rjavega medveda, ki živi v Severni Ameriki. V nedavno objavljeni raziskavi so znanstveniki razkrili, kaj grizlijem pomaga, da ohranijo mišice tudi po prespani zimi.
Grizzlies are a subspecies of brown bear living in North America. In a recent study, scientists revealed what helps grizzlies retain their muscles after a sleepy winter.
V času zimskega spanja oziroma hibernacije medvedi izgubijo skoraj tretjino telesne mase.
During the winter sleep, or hibernation, bears lose almost a third of their body weight.
Zaradi upočasnjenega dihanja in srčnega utripa se upočasnita tudi prebava in nastajanje urina. Med zimskim spanjem medvedi kar nekaj mesecev ne izločajo urina in blata, zato pa se v njihovem telesu kopiči dušik.
Due to slow breathing and heart rate, digestion and urine production are also slowed down. During the winter sleep, bears do not excrete urine and faeces for several months, which is why nitrogen builds up in their bodies.
Dušik je ključna sestavina aminokislin, iz katerih so zgrajeni proteini, iz njih pa so sestavljene mišice.
Nitrogen is a key component of the amino acids that proteins are made of, which muscle is made of.
Znanstveniki so ugotovili, da medvedi med zimskim spanjem dušika ne izločijo iz telesa z urinom, pač pa se ta vgradi nazaj v mišice in tako prepreči njihovo razgradnjo.
Scientists have found that bears do not excrete nitrogen from the body during the winter sleep with urine, but that it goes back into the muscles to prevent their breakdown.
Izguba mišične mase je problematična pri ljudeh, ki zaradi bolezni dolgo časa ležijo.
Muscle loss is problematic for people who are lying down for a long time due to illness.
Tudi pri astronavtih, ki mišic v breztežnostnem prostoru v vesolju ne morejo uporabljati, se te postopoma začnejo razgrajevati.
Also in astronauts who are unable to use their muscles in the weightlessness of space they gradually begin to break down.
S poznavanjem mehanizma ohranjanja mišične mase bi lahko olajšali tako življenje v vesolju kot tudi na Zemlji.
Knowing the mechanism of preserving muscle mass could make life easier in space as well as on Earth.
Slovar / Dictionary
Proteini (oziroma beljakovine) so sestavljeni iz aminokislin in imajo v telesu zelo različne vloge, med drugim so pomembni tudi pri izgradnji mišic.
Proteins (or proteins) are made up of amino acids and play very different roles in the body, including being important in muscle building.
Aminokisline so molekule iz dušika, vodika, kisika in ogljika, ki predstavljajo osnovno gradbeno enoto proteinov.
Amino acids are molecules of nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon, which are the basic building blocks of proteins.
Dušik je kemijski element, ki se nahaja v ozračju in je pomemben gradnik v vseh živih bitjih. Iz telesa ga izločamo s sečnino oziroma urinom.
Nitrogen is a chemical element that is found in the atmosphere and is an important building block in all living things. It is excreted in the body with urea or urine.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
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.
NAJ Slovenska Beseda Leta 2019 Je Podnebje
The Slovenian Word of the Year is “Climate”
Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Katera beseda je v minulem letu najbolj opisala spremembe v našem življenju?
Which word has made the most changes in our lives over the past year?
Jezik je namreč živ in se nenehno spreminja, tako kot svet okoli nas.
Language is alive and constantly changing, just like the world around us.
Slovaropisci zato vsako leto tuhtajo, katero besedo bi imenovali za besedo leta.
Every year, dictionary writers think of which word to name word of the year.
Leta 2015 so za besedo leta celo izbrali nebesedo – ? smejkota, ki toči solze smeha.
In 2015, they even chose as word of the year something that was not a word – ? a laughing face that cries tears of laughter.
Besedo leta v angleščini izbirajo ustvarjalci treh velikih slovarjev. Pri Collinsu so izbrali besedno zvezo podnebni protest, pri Oxfordu pa podnebna kriza.
The word of the year in English is chosen by the creators of three large dictionaries. At Collins, they chose the phrase “climate protest” and at Oxford “climate crisis”.
V Merriam-Websterju so izbrali v angleščini spolno nevtralni zaimek they, ki nadomešča zaimka on in ona. Ameriški jezikoslovci so ga izbrali tudi za besedo desetletja.
At Merriam-Webster, they chose the gender-neutral pronoun “they” in English, which replaces the pronouns “he” and “she”. It has also been chosen by American linguists as the word of the decade.
Od leta 2016 izbiramo tudi slovensko besedo leta. Finalistke izbora ZRC SAZU za besedo leta 2019 so postale besede:
Since 2016, we have also selected the Slovenian Word of the Year. The finalists of the 2019 ZRC SAZU selection for the word were:
brezogljični – carbon-free
milenijec – millennial
nebralec – non-reader
novinec – newcomer
podnebje – climate
prisilka – coercion
skiro – scooter
šarcizem – sarcasim
trgovinska vojna – trade war
volk – wolf
Beseda, ki je najbolj zajela duha leta 2019, je podnebje. Zanjo je glasovalo 563 sodelujočih.
The word that most captured the spirit of 2019 is climate. A total of 563 people voted for it.
Beseda podnebje je tudi Delova beseda leta..
The word “climate” is also Delo's Word of the Year.
Najbolj izvirna nova beseda je likotisk – tisk lika oziroma oblike, kar naj bi postal slovenski izraz za 3D tiskanje.
The most original new word is likotisk - the printing of a character or shape, which is to become the Slovenian term for 3D printing.
Najbolj iskana beseda v slovarju Fran je tehnikalije.
The most searched word in the Fran dictionary is technical.
Letos smo pod okriljem Zveze gluhih in naglušnih Slovenije izbirali tudi kretnjo leta. To je ustava.
This year, with the support auspices of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Slovenia, we also chose the gesture of the year. It's “constitution”.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
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.
Avstralija gori
Australia is burning
Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Požari, ki od septembra divjajo po Avstraliji, postajajo vse hujši.
The fires that have been spreading across Australia since September are growing.
V njih je do sedaj umrlo več kot dvajset ljudi in okoli pol milijarde živali.
Today, more than twenty people have died and around half a billion animals.
Med njimi so tudi koale in kenguruji, ki živijo samo na tej celini.
Among these are also kangaroos, which only live on this continent.
Mnogi po svetu spremljajo dogajanje v Avstraliji. Sprašujejo se, ali bo ta zaradi uničujočih požarov postala bolj glasna v boju proti podnebnim spremembam.
Many around the world are following events in Australia. They think maybe the devastating fires will it become more active in fighting climate change.
Za zdaj ne kaže tako, saj predsednik vlade Scott Morrison in nekateri lokalni mediji ne želijo prikazati vseh posledic divjanja ognja.
So far, it doesn’t seem so, as the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and some of the local media don’t want to show all the consequences of the raging fire.
»Vlada je šele zdaj uradno zaprosila za mednarodno pomoč. Ogromno se govori o načrtnem požiganju gozdov, da bi ti lahko postali zazidljive površine. Umirajo živali, ki so že tako ogrožene. Avstralci so požarov vajeni, ampak tako obsežnih še niso doživeli. Zanje je povsem običajno, da imajo en avto parkiran pred hišo in drugega na plaži, kjer bi lahko, če bi bilo treba, preživeli nekaj dni,« pripoveduje Slovenka Anja Kovačič, ki že eno leto živi na tej celini.
“The government has now formally invited international assistance. There is a lot of talk about the planned burning of forests so that it can become areas for building. Animals already at risk are dying. Australians are used to fires, but have not yet experienced so vast ones. It is completely common for them to have one car parked in front of their house and another one on the beach, where they could spend a few days if necessary, ”said Slovenian Anja Kovačič, who has been living on this continent for a year.
Temperature se bodo naslednja dva meseca samo še dvigale, kar verjetno pomeni še večjo katastrofo.
The temperature will only continue to rise over the next two months, which means more disasters.
»Trenutno so v Avstraliji poletne počitnice. Mnogi zato niso bili v službi, ampak doma in so lahko reševali svoje domove ali bežali pred zublji. Sicer bi bilo najverjetneje ogroženih še več življenj.«
“Currently it’s the summer holidays in Australia. Many people were therefore not at work, but at home and and so were able to save their property or run away from the flames. Otherwise even more lives would be endangered.”
V Avstraliji, ki je najbolj suha poseljena celina na svetu, so požari običajni.
In Australia, which is the driest continent in the world, fires are common.
»Toda okoljevarstveniki so napovedovali, da bodo vse pogostejši in da bodo njihove posledice hujše kot v preteklosti,« dodaja pisateljica Carolyne Lee iz Melbourna.
"But environmentalists have predicted that they will increasingly have worse consequences than in the past," added Melbourne-based writer Carolyne Lee.
»Večina ljudi upa, da bo ta katastrofa vlado prisilila v ukrepanje proti podnebnim spremembam. Dosedaj je namrež zgorelo območje, dvakrat večje od Slovenije.«
“Most people are hoping that this disaster will force the government to take action on climate change. To date, an area twice the size of Slovenia has been burned.”
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
Two years after launching the Slonline course is getting a second level, SLO 2, giving you a chance to expand your basic Slovene for courtesy of the (Centre for Slovenian as a Second and Foreign Language). (Center za slovenščino kot drugi in tuji jezik). Registration is required but everything is free, with support for the course available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Croatian, and Russian.
Eleven vocabulary areas are covered, as shown above, with options to learn the words – along with how to pronounce them – plus a memory game to test your knowledge. Putting things together into more useful chunks, especially important with regard to learning the declensions, aka skloni, you can learn phrases and dialogues covering the same vocabulary items. There’s also a “final test” for each of the eleven sections, with listening a component, plus crosswords (and example for food and drink here) and vocab lists to show what you should know (here). Then there’s a real final test, covering the whole thing, which is 770 words, 550 phrases, and 110 dialogues – enough to give you a grip on the basic vocabulary and sentence forms in most contexts.
This part of the food and drink vocab list gives you some idea of the level.
Related: Learning Slovene as a Foreigner - An Interview with Two Slovenian Teachers
If you can already read children’s books then you’ll find the language rather basic, but thus all the more important for the beginner learner of Slovene as a second or foreign language, as a lack of content at the appropriate level is one of the biggest problems. You can check out SLO 1 and SLO 2 here, while if you want something a little more advanced to play with that still holds your hand then why not check out our growing collection of dual texts, in Slovene and English.
There are also memes
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.
Written by Romana Dobnikar Seruga, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Brexit, misija nemogoče?
Brexit, mission impossible?
Z brexitom bomo hitro opravili, je pred volitvami obljubljal Boris Johnson, premier in vodja britanskih torijcev.
Brexit will be done quickly, Boris Johnson promised before the election, the Prime Minister and leader of the British Tories.
Vodja laburistov in opozicije v parlamentu Jeremy Corbyn pa je napovedoval, da bo njegova vlada dosegla nov sporazum o brexitu, ki ga bodo nato državljani potrdili ali zavrnili na referendumu.
Labour and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, however, has announced that his government will reach a new Brexit agreement, which citizens will then either confirm or reject in a referendum.
V Veliki Britaniji danes volijo nove poslance in novo vlado. Zmagovalca čaka težka naloga, saj je vprašanje brexita oziroma izstopa Velike Britanije iz Evropske unije (EU) med državljane vneslo velik razdor. Eni so prepričani, da bi bilo življenje boljše brez EU, drugi menijo ravno nasprotno.
In Britain today, new MPs and a new government are being elected. The winner will have a difficult task as the issue of Brexit, or the UK's exit from the European Union (EU), has caused great disagreement among citizens. Some believe that life would be better without the EU, others think the opposite.
Negotov je položaj državljanov EU, ki živijo v Veliki Britaniji, in položaj Britancev, ki živijo v drugih državah EU. Nerešeno pa je tudi vprašanje meje z Irsko – ta bo po brexitu edina kopenska meja med Veliko Britanijo in EU.
The situation of EU citizens living in the UK and the situation of Britons living in other EU countries is uncertain. The issue of the border with Ireland is also unresolved - it will be the only land border between the UK and the EU after Brexit.
Uresničitev brexita se je v zadnjih treh letih izkazala za misijo nemogoče. Politiki so razdeljeni: eni se zavzemajo za čim hitrejši izstop iz EU, drugi bi radi nov referendum, tretji pa bi nanj najraje pozabili.
The realisation of Brexit has proven impossible for the past three years. Politicians are divided: one group is in favour of leaving the EU as soon as possible, the other would like a new referendum and the third would rather forget it.
V parlamentu niso hoteli potrditi še nobenega predloga sporazuma »o ločitvi«, zato je bil rok za brexit že trikrat prestavljen.
They did not want to approve any proposal for a "divorce agreement" in Parliament, so the Brexit deadline had already been postponed three times.
Zaradi tega je konservativna premierka Theresa May julija letos odstopila. Nasledil jo je Boris Johnson, ki prav tako ni dobil zadostne podpore v parlamentu.
As a result, Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May resigned in July this year. She was succeeded by Boris Johnson, who also did not receive sufficient support in Parliament.
Predlagal je nove volitve, saj je računal na to, da bo v novem parlamentu več konservativnih poslancev.
He called a new election, as he hoped there would be more Conservative MPs in the new Parliament.
Kako bodo odločili volivci, se bo pokazalo danes.
How voters will decide will be revealed today.
Zadnja novica
Latest news
Na volitvah v Veliki Britaniji so prepričljivo zmagali konservativci Borisa Johnsona.
In the UK election, the Conservative Boris Johnson won.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
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.
Otroci berejo bolje, vendar manj radi
Children read better, but they like it less
Written by Vita, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Že običajni šolski testi so pomembni, nacionalni in mednarodni preizkusi znanja pa so celo tako zelo pomembni, da o njih pišemo tudi mediji.
Even normal school tests are important, but national and international tests of knowledge are so important that the media write about them.
Po treh letih tako spet vemo, kako pismeni so slovenski petnajstletniki v primerjavi s tistimi iz drugih držav.
After three years, we know again how literate Slovenian 15-year-olds are in comparison to those from other countries.
Rezultati raziskave Pisa 2018, ki primerja znanje in spretnosti petnajstletnih učencev in učenk v državah članicah Organizacije za ekonomsko sodelovanje in razvoj (OECD) in državah partnericah, so pokazali, da so na vseh področjih testiranja uspešnejši od mednarodnega povprečja.
The results of the Pisa 2018 survey, which compares the skills of 15-year-old pupils in OECD member states and partner countries, show that they are more successful than the international average in all tested areas.
Raziskava, v kateri je sodelovalo kar 79 držav, je preverjala bralno, naravoslovno in matematično pismenost. Tokrat je bil poseben poudarek na bralni pismenosti.
The survey, which involved 79 countries, examined literacy, science, and mathematics. This time, there was a particular emphasis on reading literacy.
A pismenost se kljub temu vsako leto manjša. Nacionalna koordinatorka raziskave PISA Klaudija Šterman Ivančič meni, da so bili testi tokrat drugačni, kar bi lahko razložilo slabše rezultate.
However, literacy is decreasing every year. National PISA Coordinator Claudia Sterman Ivancic believes that the tests were different this time, which could explain the poorer results.
Pri bralni in naravoslovni pismenosti so se dekleta odrezala opazno bolje kot fantje, pri matematični pismenosti pa so oboji dosegli enake rezultate.
In literacy and science literacy, girls performed significantly better than boys, and in mathematical literacy both achieved the same results.
Zaskrbljujoči pa so rezultati na področju motivacije in počutja.
The results with regard to motivation and well-being are of concern.
Učenke, predvsem pa učenci, vedno bolj neradi berejo. Branje se vse bolj zdi izguba časa in berejo samo, ko morajo.
Students, and especially male students, are increasingly reluctant to read. Reading increasingly seems a waste of time, and they only read when they have to.
Šolarji z učitelji slovenščine niso zadovoljni. V primerjavi z učenci iz drugih držav so zelo slabo ocenili njihovo podporo in obveščanje o napredku. Za njihovo navdušenje nad poučevanjem slovenščine pa so jim dali celo najslabšo oceno.
Schoolchildren are not happy with Slovenian teachers. Compared to students from other countries, their support and communication with regard to progress was very poorly evaluated. They were given the worst grade for their enthusiasm for teaching Slovenian.
Inteligenca je za mnoge nekaj, česar ne morejo spremeniti oziroma na njej graditi. Slovenski učenci pa so tudi med tistimi v OECD, ki najmanj pogosto zaznavajo pozitivna čustva, kot sta ponos in radost. Tretjina jih je poročala, da se pogosto ali vedno počutijo žalostne, dobra polovica pa, da so pogosto ali vedno zaskrbljeni.
For many, intelligence is something they cannot change or build on. Slovenian students are also among those in the OECD who are least likely to feel positive emotions, such as pride and joy. A third reported that they often or always felt sad, and a good half said they were often or always worried.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
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.
Že Odštevamo do Prižiga Lučk
We’re Already Counting Down to the Lights
Written by Sabina Lavrič, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Preden zima razveseli s prvim snegom in še preden nastopi adventni čas, nas v decembrsko vzdušje popelje tradicionalni prižig lučk.
Before the winter hits with the first snow and before the arrival of Advent, we get into a December mood with the traditional atmosphere of the lights.
Danes pozno popoldan, na zadnji petek pred adventom, bo Ljubljana zažarela med bučnim odštevanjem zbrane množice.
Late this afternoon, on the last Friday before Advent, Ljubljana will light up along with sounds of the crowd gathered there.
Pred prižigom luči bo zbrane kot vsako leto nagovoril župan Zoran Janković. Delovati bodo začele tudi stojnice ob Ljubljanici in koncertna prizorišča z umetniškim programom za male in velike.
Mayor Zoran Janković will address the crowd before the lights come on. Also starting are stalls along the Ljubljanica River and concert venues with an art program for children and adults.
Na Kongresnem trgu bo zrasel Čarobni gozd, v katerem bodo najmlajši obiskovalci vsak dan ustvarjali pod zvezdnatim nebom. Zveni zares pravljično, mar ne?
There will be a Magic Forest in Congress Square, in which the youngest visitors will be creative every day under the starry sky. Sounds really fabulous, doesn't it?
Tudi zato je v prazničnem času Ljubljana polna obiskovalcev: tako domačinov kot tudi turistov iz različnih delov sveta.
That is why during the festive season Ljubljana is full of visitors: both locals and tourists from different parts of the world.
Naše glavno mesto ni edino, ki bo zažarelo v praznični okrasitvi. Pridružili se mu bodo še številni drugi kraji in naravni parki.
Our capital is not the only place that will glow with festive decoration. It will be joined by many other places and nature parks.
Rekordno število lučk bo zasvetilo v kraju številnih rož in cvetlic, v Mozirskem gaju, od koder so sporočili, da se jih bo prižgalo kar 1,5 milijona.
A record number of lights will brighten up in the place of many flowers in Mozirje Grove, with reports saying that as many as 1.5 million will be lit.
Nekaj tisoč se jih bo prižgalo tudi v parku Arboretum Volčji potok.
Several thousand will also be lit at the Volcji Potok Arboretum Park.
Že novembra bodo praznične lučke prižgali tudi v Celju, Mariboru in Kopru.
In November, holiday lights will also be lit in Celje, Maribor and Koper.
Ljubljansko okrasitev si je zamislil slovenski slikar Zmago Modic, ki jo je idejno načrtoval kar 20 let.
The Ljubljana decorations were designed by the Slovenian painter Zmago Modic, who has been working on them for 20 years.
V Kopru bodo lahko obiskovalci ob prižigu lučk drsali na največjem zunanjem drsališču v državi, ki bo merilo 850 kvadratnih metrov.
In Koper, visitors will be able to skate with the lights at the largest outdoor skating rink in the country, measuring 850 square meters,.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
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.
Energija iz Umetnega Lista
Energy from an artificial leaf
Written by Urša Adamič,, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Znanstveniki so razvili tehnologijo, ki posnema proces fotosinteze v zelenih listih rastlin.
Scientists have developed a technology that mimics the process of photosynthesis in the green leaves of plants.
Na ta način bi lahko v prihodnosti iz zraka izločali toplogredni plin ogljikov dioksid in ga pretvarjali v gorivo, ob tem pa bi celo nastajal kisik, ki ga dihamo.
In this way, in the future, emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide could be converted into fuel, and even the oxygen we breathe could be produced.
To je zelo pomembno, saj je ravno včeraj 11 tisoč znanstvenikov z vsega sveta, tudi iz Slovenije, znova opozorilo, da moramo sprejeti temeljite ukrepe za ohranitev našega planeta, sicer nam grozi podnebna katastrofa.
This is very important, because yesterday 11,000 scientists from all over the world, including from Slovenia, again warned that we must take thorough measures to preserve our planet, otherwise we are in danger of climate catastrophe.
Zmanjšanje izpusta toplogrednih plinov, kot sta ogljikov dioksid in metan, je eden od ključnih korakov, ki jih moramo narediti, če želimo ohraniti planet.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, is one of the key steps we need to take to keep the planet safe.
Gorivo lahko pridobivamo na podoben način, kot rastline proizvajajo sladkorje, ki so njihov vir energije.
We can produce fuel in the same way that plants produce sugars, which are their source of energy
Vodja raziskovalne skupine Yimin Wu je za angleški časopis Independent povedala: »S tehnologijo smo dosegli približno 10-odstotno uspešnost pretvorbe sončne energije v gorivo. To je že precej boljši izkoristek od tistega, ki je prisoten v naravni fotosintezi in znaša približno en odstotek.«
The head of the Yimin Wu research group told the English-language newspaper The Independent: "Technology has achieved about 10% success in converting solar energy into fuel. This is already a much better yield than that present in natural photosynthesis, at about one percent."
In kako vse skupaj deluje? Iz vode in ogljikovega dioksida pod vplivom svetlobe nastajajo kisik in energetsko pomembne molekule. Pri rastlinah je to sladkor, pri novi tehnologiji pa metanol.
And how does it all work? Under the influence of light, water and carbon dioxide produce oxygen and energy molecules. For plants, this is sugar and for the new technology it is methanol.
V prihodnosti bo tehnologija, ki so jo razvili, lahko pomembno prispevala k omejevanju segrevanja ozračja zaradi toplogrednih plinov.
In the future, the technology they developed will be able to make a significant contribution to limiting the warming of the atmosphere due to greenhouse gases.
Poleg tega bi lahko predstavljala tudi pomemben nov vir energije. Metanol denimo danes že uporabljajo kot gorivo v nekaterih dirkalnih avtomobilih.
In addition, it could also represent an important new energy source. For example, methanol is already used as a fuel in some race cars today.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
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.
Benetke pod vodo, in to že drugo leto zapored!
Venice underwater for the second year in a row!
Written by Romana Šeruga, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Benetke, ena največjih turističnih znamenitosti na svetu, so znova v središču svetovne pozornosti. Tokrat ne zaradi rekordnega števila obiskovalcev, temveč zaradi rekordnih poplav. Tri četrtine mesta je pod vodo.
Venice, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, is once again in the spotlight. This time not because of the record number of visitors, but because of record flooding. Three quarters of the city is underwater.
Na slovitem Trgu svetega Marka je bilo vode do kolen, cerkev svetega Marka pa je poplavilo šestič v njeni 1200-letni zgodovini. Od tega so jo štiri poplave opustošile v zadnjih 20 letih! Kako je to mogoče?
At the famous St. Mark's Square the water was knee-deep, and St. Mark's Church flooded for the sixth time in its 1,200-year history. Of these, four floods have ravaged her in the last 20 years! How is this possible?
Hude poplave so neposredna posledica podnebnih sprememb, je prepričan beneški župan Luigi Brugnaro. Poplavna voda, ki je segala kar 1,87 metra visoko, bo v mestu pustila trajen pečat, je še zapisal na Twitterju.
Severe flooding is a direct consequence of climate change, said Venetian Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. The flood water, which reached 1.87 meters high, will leave a lasting mark in the city, he wrote on Twitter.
Situazione drammatica pic.twitter.com/gS63ZK2j3Q
— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) November 12, 2019
Za visoko vodo v Benetkah je kriva kombinacija visoke plime in neurja, ki ga je prinesel jugo, pojasnjujejo meteorologi. Včerajšnja je bila druga najvišja zabeležena v zgodovini mesta. Benetke so bile poplavljene tudi lani.
The high water in Venice is blamed on a combination of the high tide and storms from the south, meteorologists explain. Yesterday was the second highest recorded in city history. Venice was also flooded last year.
Čeprav s podnebnimi spremembami ne moremo povezati samo enega dogodka, so vse pogostejše poplave razlog za zaskrbljenost. Benetke so še posebej na udaru, saj se pogrezajo, morska gladina svetovnih morij pa se dviga.
Although no one event can be linked to climate change, increasing floods are a cause for concern. Venice is particularly in shock as it sinks while the world’s sea level rises.
Morje je v torek zvečer poplavilo tudi Koper, Izolo in Piran. Neuradno naj bi šlo za drugo največjo plimo v zadnjih 50 letih.
The sea also flooded Koper, Izola and Piran on Tuesday night. Unofficially, this is supposed to be the second highest tide in the last 50 years.
Huda neurja so divjala tudi v hrvaški Istri in Dalmaciji. V Dubrovniku so izmerili rekordni val, visok 10,87 metra.
Severe storms also raged in Croatian Istria and Dalmatia. A record wave 10.87 meters high was measured in Dubrovnik.
V Avstraliji pa od minulega petka divja 150 požarov.
In Australia, however, 150 fires have been burning since last Friday.
Požari v avstralskih prostranstvih, rečejo jim bush fires, so v tem letnem času običajna nevšečnost. A zaradi bolj vročega in sušnega podnebja so vse pogostejši in močnejši.
Fires in the Australian outback, called bush fires, are a common nuisance at this time of year. But because of the hotter and drier climate, they are becoming more and more frequent and stronger.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
Learning the language is one of the biggest challenges and most rewarding achievements of living in another country. That’s especially true of a minority language like Slovene, with little global presence, a very limited supply of media, and even less motivation to learn if you live in a place, like Ljubljana, where you can get by in English. So we sent some questions to Bojana Petkovič, of the language school Jezikovno Mesto, with branches in Ljubljana and Maribor, to find out more about her work and how she teaches people to speak Slovene.
How long have you been teaching Slovene, and when did you open your school?
I started to teach Slovene six years ago. I started to give lessons to Spanish and Czech speaking students, as I studied those two languages at University. Then I had opportunity to teach students who came to EVS exchange, and had two groups in two years that I really enjoyed teaching my native language. I am very touched when I hear my students talking in Slovene.
I’ve taught languages for 12 years. I started when I was student. I had great opportunity to teach in six private language schools (at the same time) and also in four public schools (primary school and high school). So I gained a lot of experience how to teach and I also observed how are courses organised in different schools. Then I decided to open my language school in 2016.
I want to offer good experience with learning languages, a lot of opportunities for communication and to get rid of their fears talking in a foreign language. I am very happy the school is growing so fast and so many people trust us and continue learning in new semesters. Some students have been with us for three years, always improving their language skills.
People say that Slovenian is one of the hardest languages to learn. What are your thoughts?
I partly agree. Every language has its difficulties. As a polyglot (I’ve learned seven languages) I can compare them. For example, in English what’s difficult is spelling (speaking and writing are not the same), in Slavic languages we have declination (skloni), in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French it’s difficult to choose the right past tense or conjunctive mode.
So while it’s is true that in Slovene are a lot of combination of endings but it is not impossible to learn. It takes time to improve by speaking.
Can you tell us about the typical experiences of foreigners who come to you to learn Slovenian as total beginners, what are the main problems they face?
It takes time to improve by speaking the language, by using it in everyday situations. Maybe it is also difficult to get the stress (which is not always on the same syllable). Students can quickly learn words from everyday vocabulary – what they need (beer, one more please, coffee, bus, …). So we start with topics they are familiar with. Words we use in a context. In our school we prepare materials for playing games and activities and so students are learning in fun way.
When people stop learning on a course it’s very important that they find people to talk with them in Slovene. It doesn’t matter if they don’t use the right endings, it’s about communication in the language. So besides regular courses we also provide courses for conversation, so they can practice and lose their fear of speaking in Slovene.
So many foreigners seem to have a mental block about learning Slovenian, especially if they can live and work here without learning the language. How do you 'unblock' that mentality?
We all face with this situation differently. It depends a lot on individual situation, but the learning process is very important. We start with the basics, with simple words, and then we put words together in a sentence. Later we make simple dialogs.
It’s also important that there’s positive feedback from teacher, so that students gain confidence. Teachers also appreciate instant feedback from students, so they can adapt the lesson to them, as maybe they just need a different explanation or more exercises to understand something.
We use a lot of visual material, such as pictures, movies, PowerPoint, colours, cards. I think the most important thing is that our students feel comfortable in their group. So we laugh, we joke and such positive vibes are very important.
Finally, students need to feel a need to learn a foreign language, otherwise they don’t have motivation. And some of this can be done by the teacher, who creates different, useful and interesting tasks for the class and homework.
What do you find difficult about speaking English?
I think the spelling and writing are pretty difficult, as well as the pronunciation. English has a lot of synonyms and use a lot of phrasal verbs (look for, look forward, look out, look up …). And different accents -- British English, American English – and a lot of non-native speakers with their own versions.
Learning Slovene is a serious business. Why should people sign up for a course, and what’s on offer with your language school?
First of all, they need a desire to learn, they need to feel that they need this language. To go to good language course is a shortcut to learning a new language. It’s awesome that students can learn language from their experiences – and we also very much support learning outside the classroom, looking at signs, listening to people, reading articles in Slovene, listening to the radio – but it is easier if someone prepares material for you and guides you through the learning process.
In my language school, Jezikovno Mesto, we organise group and individual courses. We have courses for beginners, intermediate levels, we prepare for certificates A2/B1 and B2/C1, and also very popular is the conversation course (Pogovarjajmo se po slovensko). We are teaching in small groups (4 to 8 students) so the teacher can dedicate time to every student. As I mentioned before, we use communicative methods, and we prepare activities, so students can learn by playing games and trying to do different tasks in pairs or smaller groups. The material we prepare is based on everyday situations and it is for all three types of students: Visual ones (they need to see), Kinesthetic (they need to move or to touch material, “words” on cards) and Auditive (they need to hear).
What’s your advice for people learning Slovenian and thinking about giving up?
They can find out what they already know and can use this as a basis to encourage themselves that it’s not impossible to learn. Stop comparing themself to other students, everybody has their own path). Find new reasons to continue with learning. Maybe find some new person to talk to, watch TV in Slovene, watch your favourite movie and read the subtitles in Slovene. It’s important to have good attitude towards the Slovene language. And of course go to group course, so the group will support you and teacher will lead you to the next level. In short, try and have fun with Slovene.
What are some Slovenian cultural products that foreigners who learn the language should be aware of?
I like the book of Noah Charney – Slovenologija (they should read it first in English and then in Slovene). It’s about his experiences becoming a Slovenian husband. Now there’s also a also very popular book called Belo se pere na 90 (Bronja Žakelj). For youngsters there are the books of Desa Muck. But in fact there are many good books, it just depends on the age of the reader and the level of their Slovene.
I also think we have a lot of good music in Slovene, and we listen to Slovenian songs on the courses, such as those by Nina Pušlar, Tabu, Alya, Siddharta, Vlado Kreslin, Big Foot Mama, Kingston, Dan D, and so on.
You can learn more about Bojana Petkovič and Jezikovno Mesto - in both Ljubljana and Maribor - here, while all our stories on the Slovenian language are here