Expert: Sam - 8/22/2006

Question
Hi Sam,

Thanks for your reply. I'm afraid it's rather a long article at around 900 words! Probably too much to do just as on person; I had hoped there might be a site with a few language learners or similar.
I have put the text of the article on at
www.cardsbyvixen.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/posters/slovak.htm
Perhaps if you are able even to give me a very brief summary of the content I would be grateful!
Many thanks
Michael

Answer
Hi Michael,

I am sorry - I did not know about this follow up of yours. I remember you asking me about the translation some time ago, but I must have overlooked the notification email or something back then. I just logged in to my account (which I do very rarely) and found your follow-up question pending...

I could try to translate the text. It is not that long. It just seems to me that more than translating it word for word would not be as valuable as providing the wider context. I think I will do that...

The story (not the article, though) starts with two young Slovak actors back in, perhaps, the late 1950s. They were young and humorous and somehow they won the attention of the whole of Czechoslovakia. They formed a good team: Milan Lasica was the grave one, always appearing serious, while Julius Satinsky was short, stumpy and kind of coarse. With their programmes they moved on the thin line between the allowed and the forbidden (in the then state-controlled media) and they retained their popularity even in old age, after the fall of the regime back in 1989.

If you want, you can look up J Satinsky at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Satinsky
or
http://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BAlius_Satinsk%C3%BD
the story is about him. Though if you have made contact with his daughter (so I gather), you must know all about him...

Democracy brought new opportunities and the duo were never knit together so tightly again. They still performed together, but they did other things (writing, talk-shows) on their own. Julius had a talk show in one of the Slovak radios where he popularised the word "cucoriedka" (a blueberry) for a young, perhaps "unripe" but already attractive woman of around 18. In his early sixties, a father of two grown-ups, he would publically share his enjoyment offered by a "cucoriedka" to a passer-by. He was a classy man in his own right. He was a Bratislava patriot, having spent all of his life in one neighbourhood in the city centre. He loved to entertain. Allegedly you could see him walking through the city centre in his denim overalls, one hand deep in his pocket and swinging a bucket full of groceries in the other (this might be an urban legend, better ask his daughter :-). People loved him. He died prematurely four years ago.

Now, some time after his death, the tabloids sniffed out that he had an extramarital daughter, Julia. No-one in his family had known. The way his widow took it was amazing - she actively wanted to get to know Julia and she accepted her as her own daughter. You probably know more, I just know what I heard :-)

The title of the article you sent is "Satinsky's secret." The subtitle: "It is an old tradition that a young lady is introduced into society by her father. At this year's Bratislava Ball this task was performed by a woman. Viera Satinska [Julius's wife], with the gracious heavenly supervision of her husband, brought two daughters to the ball. Her own one, Lucia (18), and the foster one, Julia (19)."

I continue with short excerpts:

"Both of the blueberries, who are awaiting the graduation [A-level equivalent] in May, took part in the Ball for the first time. And together with their brother Janko [Johnny]. A year ago, they had not even known about each other."

The article goes on to sum up how Mrs. Satinska had welcomed Julia in the family.

"The news surprised us," says [Mrs Satinska] looking back. "That very day when I found out that there was a Julia, I went to look for her. Of course I was curious. I wanted to get to know the daughter of my husband."

[she found her the very same day]

"She dragged me out of my (girl-) friend's house. We introduced in the parking place," Julia is laughing when recalling the first memory. "Yes, I knew that Mr. Satinsky was my biological father before the news became public. But it was too late then to meet him personally..."

An invitation for lunch followed. As Lucia was studying in England at that time, there were three of them, with Janko, at the lunch...

... Lucia joins in: "I was the last one to meet Julie. One day my mother phoned and said, 'You have a sister.'"

She was first shocked by the idea, but then she came to like it.

We emailed a lot. We first heard each other the Sunday she came to ours for lunch. I phoned home. You can imagine what a comic dialogue it must have been! More or less about the weather. Well, what should you talk about with a new sibling? You are seventeen and suddenly you are standing before the fact that you have a sister older by one year. Today we find our process of getting to know each other, and our first meeting at the Vienna airport, funny.

...

Plans about the future come about slowly. It only depends on the girls whether they go for a vacation together. Maturita [the A-levels] is no trifle and soon they are taking entrance exams for universities. Julia has not decided yet [about what to study]. She says that she is attracted to something different every week... But Lucia is clear on what she wants to do. She would like to study [sorry, no clue - something to do with literature and "supernumeraries," but I have only heard of supernumeraries in drama and movies...] in Prague. If that does not work out, she will try a combination of English and Slovak Language.
---

Well, that's it, more or less. I am not sure if it's of any use for you this late. I am terribly sorry for replying half a year later - but I hope there will be something new for you in the article.

Best regards,
Sam