Czech translations for our neighbouring country
oneword’s language experts would be happy to advise you and prepare a free quote for you after examining your documents. We have a global network of professional native-speaker translators at our disposal to provide German to Czech and Czech to German translations certified to ISO 17100. And all to your advantage: Every document is technically and grammatically correct and the style and tone are accurately processed and translated by experts and experienced translators.
oneword – Czech language service provider: certified, cost effective and on time
Bespoke solutions for companies
Professional translations into Czech – small language, big impact
Although the West Slavic language Czech, with 13 million speakers, is one of the world’s smaller languages, translations into Czech are standard for many global companies. This demand is based on its economic importance within the European Union. The Czech Republic’s economy is booming, resulting in the Czech Republic having the lowest unemployment rate among all EU countries in 2018, at under 3%.
The industrial nations Germany and the Czech Republic as trading partners
The Czech Republic is Germany’s second most important trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe after Poland. In Czech foreign trade, Germany is by far the most important partner, as it accounts for around one third of trade turnover. The most important import and export goods between the Czech Republic and Germany include machinery and motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts. For this reason, translations from Czech into German are very common.
The National Revival of the Czech language
What is particularly impressive about Czech is that it has saved itself from extinction by its own efforts. During the Habsburg monarchy in middle of the 17th century, the Czech language was taking more and more of a back seat, even though it was spoken by a majority in the Bohemian lands. The situation became increasingly acute and Czech developed into the despised language of the lower classes, while German became the cultural and educational language of the upper classes.
The National Revival (národní obrození) covers the period from the end of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century. The population assembled against the impending extinction of the Czech language and culture. Two parallel societies developed from this: the supporters of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the supporters of the Czech national movement. This was particularly evident in the national metropolis of Prague with the buildings of the National Theatre (Národní divadlo) and the German Theatre, which is the Prague State Opera (Státní opera Praha) today. This was followed by a difficult period of conflict, which finally ended with the break-up of the Danube Monarchy and the proclamation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, which lasted until 1992. The Czech Republic has been an independent state since 1993.
“For almost two years, we’ve been placing a large number of translation projects with oneword. As well as the dependability of their communication and the on-time delivery, what impresses us most is the quality. The fact that the translations are produced with SEO requirements in mind is a particular plus and was an important criterion in choosing them as a service provider.”
Special linguistic features of Czech
Czech is considered a difficult language because the grammar is rich in inflections and exceptions. Not only nouns, adjectives and pronouns, but also names and number words are declined in seven cases. Furthermore, nouns of each of the genders – masculine, feminine, and neuter – split into not just one ending form, but four. For example, masculine nouns are declined according to the patterns pán (masculine, animate, hard sound), muž (masculine, animate, soft sound), hrad (masculine, inanimate, hard sound) and stroj (masculine, inanimate, soft sound). This results in an immense number of endings, which is challenging, especially for learners of the language.
To form a complete sentence in Czech, unlike in German, the subject does not need to be marked with an additional personal pronoun. This means that, in Czech, a sentence can consist of one word, such as žiju (I live). A personal pronoun is only used if the subject needs to be emphasised. Therefore, when translating from German into Czech, it must be kept in mind that the language is generally shorter than German.
Alongside the extensive grammar, pronunciation in Czech is also treacherous. In particular, the Czech unique feature – ř – is a particular challenge. However, this does not only apply to people from abroad, but also to the Czech people themselves. It is not uncommon for Czech children to be sent to a speech therapist so that they can master the correct pronunciation. Furthermore, the frequent juxtaposition of different consonant groups is also considered a stumbling block in pronunciation, since the consonants r, l and m are syllabic. This means that the Czech language even manages to formulate a sentence without any vowels at all: Strč prst skrz krk (Put a finger through the throat). The constant stress on the first syllable is also very characteristic of Czech. Czech people often mistakenly transfer this to other languages.
What is also interesting about Czech is the distinction between different levels of language. The spisovná čeština (Standard Czech) is a system of linguistic devices used throughout the nation, primarily in written form and in official speeches. Spoken Czech (hovorová čeština) is based on the spisovná čeština. It describes the use of spisovná čeština in spoken language. However, it sounds unnatural to a native speaker, because Common Czech (obecná čeština) is always used in everyday life. This is an interdialect that is not used in writing. An interdialect describes the last stage of development of traditional territorial dialects, which gradually lose their sole and conspicuous characteristics. According to the rules of the spisovná čeština, for example, beautiful dog is krásný pes, but in everyday speech the expression krásnej pes is used.
When it comes to Czech translations, it is important to be aware of false friends, because often there is a completely different meaning behind words that sound the same: Stuhl is chair in German but stůl means table in Czech. Strom means electricity in German, but strom is tree in Czech. Kuss and klug mean kiss and clever in German, but kus and kluk in Czech mean piece and boy.
oneword, your language service provider for Czech, provides high-quality translations for German to Czech and Czech to German, as experienced native-speaker translators take into account the unique linguistic features of each language and specific features of the country.
You may also be interested in
8 good reasons to choose oneword.
Learn more about what we do and what sets us apart from traditional translation agencies.
We explain 8 good reasons and more to choose oneword for a successful partnership.