20 replies to this topic

[Elias Sports Bureau]

There's a nice (well it looks nice from what I can't read) here:
http://www.lidovky.c...phtml?id=191186

I'd love to know what it says if anyone has any idea.
There are a couple of others as well, if anyone's any good at it.

[Nieuwy25]

Hi, ESB.

Not like last summer's article, I'd guess. Looks like they cover a wide range of subjects, from Kobe Bryant, to "Hugo Boss", to NYC, to "nejhorsi".

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Hi there, ML!!!

Yeah, I see some Sykora in there too.
Some of the Czech sites have English translations, I just wish this one had as well.

That picture is killer!!!

[DevilMinder]

I looked all over and nobody translates czech! I thought there was some like Google who did.

[Pepperkorn]

My czech friend moved back to Alberta -- I'll send an email! BRB!

[Pepperkorn]

he's cute i guess -- his toes aren't so bad for a hockey player! I just can't get too roused by him though... I can't beleive more girlies swoon over Patty than Scotty... will wonders ever cease? Anyhow -- sending link to Cathy!

[sammyk]

http://translation.langenberg.com/

Try here. Either third one down, or third one up. The third up is for translating webpages and it didn't do a good job. Maybe the other one will if done line by line?

[Elias Sports Bureau]

he's cute i guess -- his toes aren't so bad for a hockey player! I just can't get too roused by him though... I can't beleive more girlies swoon over Patty than Scotty... will wonders ever cease? Anyhow -- sending link to Cathy!

I think there's plenty of Scotty swooning to go around!!

I think in Patty's case there's an element there built in for silly public swooning. And ... uh... in most cases... the Scotty element is more of a stand-back and controlled swoon?

I wouldn't begin to compare any player to any player, but you just react to some in some ways. So toes may curl for one player, but then you're beating up the guys you work with over another one.

[Elias Sports Bureau]

http://translation.langenberg.com/

Try here. Either third one down, or third one up. The third up is for translating webpages and it didn't do a good job. Maybe the other one will if done line by line?

Thanks, sammy.

If PK's friend Cathy can't come through for us, maybe I'll sit down and try that line by line out.

[Pepperkorn]

ok I'm going to wax mommy here for a sec .. chubby chubby chubby cheeks! chubby chubby chubby cheeks! Don't you just want to smootch your nephews tsubby tseeks!?

(this post just doesn't go with my avatar... )

[Elias Sports Bureau]

ok I'm going to wax mommy here for a sec .. chubby chubby chubby cheeks! chubby chubby chubby cheeks! Don't you just want to smootch your nephews tsubby tseeks!?

(this post just doesn't go with my avatar... )

Yes, I do!! Actually they're so cool to the touch. I just love that kid!

I get quality cheek time tomorrow!

I like the juxtaposition of the post with that avatar.

[Voland]

Hi, all. I posted once or twice on the old boards, but now I mainly lurk. Quite a boring summer we've been having, eh? Anyway, I've studied Czech and am working on translating this puppy. It'll take me a while, so if PK can get her friend to do it, I won't bother. Oh, and it's going to be very, very imperfect. Sorry! I've added question marks and comments in parentheses where I'm not sureaboutthe translation. Here's the first part:

Elias: I’m really a pretty timid boy.
He talks about himself, the hockey player who loves fashion, (can’t understand this)…

Prague, August 5, 2003
Young, successful, and rich. But also a little timid and much too forthright. That’s how the hockey player Patrik Elias is. This year, for the second time in his career, he won the exalted Stanley Cup, which he brought to Moravia over the weekend. But before that, he had a conversation with LN. In it, he talked about his love of New York, partiality to fashion, his salary in the millions and Czech envy and about his girlfriend, with whom he is rumored to sometimes need to fight/argue. In order to do so (talk about it, I assume), he had to be second to none in being much too content… (??)

LN: This season ended with your praises being sung, even beyond Znojma and Trebic. On the other hand, for you this was also the hardest season in the NHL…
PE: I agree. Especially at the beginning. I learned many important things this season. I grew as a hockey player and as a person.

LN: Can you explain that further?
PE: The first thing that affected me was the departure of Petr Sykora for Anaheim. I didn’t realize that it would affect my game so much. At first I always wanted to play the same hockey that Petr and I had produced. But we just didn’t have another Sykora on the team. And by the time I realized that, it was Christmas. By that time I changed the style of my game, which benefitted me. (?) As a person, this season I learned to to better respect people and their views, even if they weren’t the same as mine. Sometimes it’s better to be flexible. To make an intelligent compromise.

LN: Do you now have thoughts about your problems with the coach? (?)
PE: Yes.

LN: And in this case (?) you didn’t make a compromise?
PE: I couldn’t make one with him. I was fortunate to have coaches, with whom (can’t translate it exactly; something like “we saw eye to eye.”) But now all of a sudden came a person with whom I had a ton of unmatched opinions.

LN: Like what, for instance?
PE: First of all, I had a different idea about my role with the team. Before the season the management of the Devils implied that they wanted to place more responsibility/leadership on my shoulders. But at the start of the season I was only on the second or third power play formation (?). And in this weakened formation, I didn’t achieve anything. It was hard to bear. I didn’t know what to do. It was a crisis.

LN: How did you rise above it?
PE: (Something) my girlfriend. She’s a very tough, but fair person with balanced views. She told me all that time, that no matter what, I should stop whining and therefore do soemthing. (?) That woke me up. (Can’t translate this phrase ), because she is pretty direct. If I had listened to her about everything, my relationship with the coach would have already been beyond reclaim.(laughs)

[Voland]

Part Deux:

LN: Two years ago you scored 96 points in the NHL. Only Jagr and Sakic were better and you dreamt of (not sure exactly, something like “having the torch passed to you”). (Not sure) The next two years you didn’t have that kind of success. Was that anticlimactic/disappointing for you?
PE: It wasn’t, because I know about everything I went through during those seasons. In order to achieve finishing near 100 points, you must not only be superbly fit, but also have the right teamates, luck, and health.

LN: So in light of that, did it motivate you or did you give up that dream? (???)
PE: In no way. It still holds. A person must have great aspirations. And I also know that I am useful for having scored those 100 points. (?) I know I have it in me.

LN: How important for you are points for your goals and assists? More or less than the team’s championship?
PE: That varies, depending on the situation.

LN: OK – suppose in a critical game you beat Dallas 8-0, but you don’t score any points. Would you be content with that?
PE: That’s the worst kind of game. The other team sends out their fourth-line goons to hit you and you can’t do anything. It’s scary. (laughs)

LN: For a long time you were underpaid in the NHL, but his season you played under a high-paying contract. Did this hinder you a little?
PE: I did feel more pressure, but only from myself. The club’s management never gave me any trouble. They dealt with me just fine, but I aggonized myself. I wanted to play the best, score lots of goals, but from the start it didn’t go that way. I was (?) and our manager noticed it. It was fabulous that he came to me and we talked about it.

LN: What did he tell you?
PE: Not to fret. (?) That I’ve earned my money 100%. That no matter what, I was working hard and playing my game. That encouraged me.

[Voland]

Part Three (sorry about the question I couldn't figure out):

LN: Has the large amount of money you’re making changed your life?
PE: A little bit. A person acquires a considerable security. All of a sudden you see that with hockey you can be secure for the rest of your life. And not just you, but also your family.

LN: Has it changed you personally? Your nature?
PE: I don’t think about it. I had a perfectly good time even when I had less money. I’m not a cheapskate (?). I like to buy nice things and go on nice vacations. The only difference, really, is that now when I enjoy myself, I have money left over for bad times.

LN: Jaromir Jagr complained that his money was like a veritable magnet for people. And that later it was hard to relax for the person who arrives with a good idea but doesn’t…
(I don’t understand this question or answer. I think he’s talking about how a lot of people in the Czech Republic envy him and his good fortune.)
PE: (Some other stuff) …People in the Czech Republic today don’t have a lot of good, so they look for every opportunity to better their position.. ???

LN: Do you think that people in the Czech Republic aren’t good? (not sure if I’m translating this right)
PE: Yes, they don’t have a lot of prestige. If you ask me, from year to year the number of discontented ones increases. But for me, it’s hard to relate (??) to that. I live in a different domain, a different world, a different land

LN: Do you receive letters with solicitations from people you don’t know?
PE: A few. And I like to help, if it goes for instance to a charity affiliated with children. But I have to be sure that no one (something – absconds?) with the money.

LN: When we talk about charity – two years ago you arranged an exhibition game for your friend, paralyzed hockey player Tomas Zelenek. Are you in contact with him?
PE: I am, but not as close as I’d like (?). And that’s my fault. Although, last time we saw each other for a couple of days (or a couple of days ago; not sure). I visited him in an institution for people with handicaps. They took good care of him there, and last time Tomas had learned how to drive a special modified car. At least some things are easier for him now.

LN: So he’s made progress?
PE: Some, yes. But only from the doctor did I find out that most likely he won’t have any radical improvements. But in spite of everything, Tomas has already achieved much and looks on with a positive attitude.

[Voland]

Part Four: Patty Talks Pancakes

LN: Talk about the transition between the Czech Republic and America. How big is the change for you when you go from New York to Trebic?
PE: The first fourteen days are a really big shock. (laughs) And I don’t think like a stuffy person – it’s just a huge shift. It’s that way any time a person returns to their old digs, but at the end of the summer, I’m sorry I have to leave.

LN: Last time you said that you could live in America indefinitely. Is New York already closer to you than the Czech Republic?
PE: Perhaps you’re right. I have more and more friends there, we go to golf and to dinner, we get to know the neighbors. We’re beginning to belong there.

LN: In your opinion, what’s the biggest difference between Americans and Czechs?
PE: Maybe envy. Here people are awfully envious and later prove to be nefarious. If someone has money and a nice car here, he’s called a (something) or a crook. In the US people treat you differently. To have money means that you must be good at something. And that you had to work hard, so that you earned it. But maybe it’s also the fact that here, they write about us. Everywhere, they talk about how hockey players make a lot of money, but no one says that I pay 48% of it in taxes.

LN: Even so, you probably don’t live too badly…
PE: Of course. I don’t want to complain, not in the least. I’m paid like a king. That’s one of the main reasons why Czech hockey players play in the NHL. Each of them wants to be (financially) secure for the rest of his life.

LN: Were you at first literally spellbound by New York, where you live?
PE: Spellbound? Yes, let’s say that one can live very well there. It’s the city where they’ll never (something – freeze?) you.

LN: How does a (something – typical?) day in New York look?
PE: I’m an awful sluggard, which I’m upbraided for. (?) I also often sit in front of the stupid television. But when I’ve already conquered that and have an active day, then I start with a good breakfast. I walk for a bit from my place to the Pancake House, where they make good pancakes. Out of wheat dough, with chocolate, with banana, with cream. They’re outstanding. To begin the day with such a breakfast isn’t a mistake.

LN: And then what?
PE: Perhaps I’ll go browse through clothing stores. That entertains me… (?) As for evening in New York, one can have a great evening in Manhattan… (starts laughing). Here I always only talk about the food. But one can also go to the movies. New Yorkers often walk to the movies. Every week there are at least three big premieres, so that’s a part of the local culture. (?)

LN: You talked about fashion. Has that become your hobby?
PE: No doubt. I follow trends, buy fashion magazines. Perhaps even women’s (magazines). I think the clothes I end up buying are elegant. My girlfriend appreciates them, for the most part.

LN: The soccer player Pavel Nedved said that to arrive (something) to a player’s cabin(?) in clothing which wasn’t made by a famous designer is a faux-pas. A player, as soon as he does this, will be laughed at by the rest. (?) Does this apply to the NHL as well?
PE: That depends on the club. For the teams from New York or Los Angeles it’s different than for teams from smaller cities. Maybe our club has a cooperation with the clothing firm Hugo Boss, where 60% of the players shop. The rest of the boys (or beyond that, the boys) go to the store Canali. Those are also excellent suits.

LN: And if someone came to the Devils’ cabin in a suit made by our Jitex Pisek, would someone laugh?
PE: That I don’t know. But no one’s tried it yet. (laughs)

LN: How many suits do you buy in the course of a season?
PE: Around ten or fifteen. This season there were less.

Almost done!

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Thank you so much for that!
It's MUCH appreciated.

[Lady Stanley]

Thanks for all your work in translating Czech!

It's interesting to read an interview from a Czech perspective. They seemed to be alot more interested in status and money. Definitely a different kind of interview than we read here in the states!

[Voland]

In the previous section, it should be “t-shirt made by our Jitex Pisek” instead of “suit.”

Last part:

LN: And how do hockey players deal with fans? (??) The NBA was jolted by the scandal with Kobe Bryant, who was accused of rape. NBA players even have bodyguards, who protect them from fans…
PE: (laughs) So far, I don’t have a bodyguard. But you can’t really compare the NBA and the NHL. Basketball players are bigger stars in America, often better paid. Beyond that, they also have slightly wilder natures. (?) But it’s a fact that our players’ association is always having meetings, in which they advise us against troubles like this. (?)

LN: But you have reached the media’s forefront not just because of your hockey craft. Not a year ago the magazine Quo ran a “fashion story” called “Flight” (?) in which you posed with a (something) model on board an airplane…
PE: I did that at the time out of curiosity. And some of those pictures came out… yeah, fairly drastic. (blushes) Maybe they were even very bold. I did it only as a gag, and by the end it was a grind. We photographed the whole day and staying in the same pose for half an hour is difficult.

LN: Did you enjoy being a model, since you like fashion so much?
PE: It’s not for me. If I ever flirted with the idea, now I don’t. It’s enough to look in the mirror. (?) A person must have good judgment. And moreover, I’m really a shy guy. I wouldn’t want to show myself in the mall. (?) As those photos attest (laughs). (?)

LN: So you wouldn’t accept a role in a movie?
PE: I would be too bashful. I’d rather stay in sports, in that which I understand.

LN: Are you unhappy being in the public eye?
PE: As long as it’s purely about hockey, it doesn’t matter to me. But I’m not happy to be quoted on everything. (?)

LN: During the summer you mainly play soccer. Is it close to your heart?
PE: Well, of course. From the age of seven to sixteen I played it competitively. American soccer, the guys always say, doesn’t compare. (?) (laughs) That’s one of the things that I miss in America. Soccer and old friends.

LN: Your summer vacation is pretty short this year. What did you catch up on, other than soccer?
PE: I make the rounds (seeing friends?) and I also was in Vidni twice for concerts. One was U2, and then for Robbie Williams. That was the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life. I adore that singer, that’s my thing. I almost always listen to his latest CD. Even in the (? – gym?).

LN: You seem like a successful, content, and rich young man. Above all, that’s thanks to hockey. But is there something, that you let get away? (That is, do you have any regrets?)
PE: I don’t know… (thinks for a long time) Probably nothing fundamental. But on the other hand, it meant that mainly from the age of fourteen through seventeen I had to give up various little pleasures. (Something about the career of a hockey player) The greater your sacrifice, the greater the return. For instance, I was a talented guy, but not necessarily that good… (??)

LN: So you weren’t a young prodigy like Jaromir Jagr?
PE: By no means. But with (something) and hard work I’ve caught up. Now I talk with one old friend from Trebic, who reminds me of things that I’ve forgotten. Like how once a whole group of us went to the pool in the summer and I (something) and went running up and down the stairs for an hour, so I would have very strong legs. It’s little things like that which often make a difference.

LN: What’s the most important thing in the world for you? Hockey?
PE: Not that. Health, (something – homeland? not sure), my girlfriend. She is the most important thing in my life. I like her, she’s honest and she’s open with me. And I need that – someone who loves you even without the fact that you’re a famous hockey player. And when it’s necessary, she knows how to yell at me pretty well. (laughs)

LN: Do you need to be yelled at sometimes?
PE: Of course I need it. Just like everyone. Every person can satisfy himself quickly. They just forget themselves and don’t get anywhere. And later, they don’t really know where the boundaries of their possibilities lie. And I want to find out.

- Lukas Tomasek

Fin!

[Elias Sports Bureau]

Thanks again for doing it, V!!!

Like Lady Stanley said, the interview style is really different.

I ran across a couple of interviews (not as long I'm happy to say), if you get bored.
But I was really excited to see what the big one had to say. Very very interesting.
His poor girlfriend though. Ten years ain't enough? No wonder she's yelling at him!

[Pepperkorn]

Nice new avatar ESB! Still no word from Cathy ... She might be vacationing or her Mom might be slacking off on translating -- I'll probably have something by Christmas

if I do get something I'll be sure to share just for the fun of comparrison!