Category Archives: translations / prijevodi

Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić’s House of Fairy Tales

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Ivana_brlic_mazuranicIvana Brlić-Mažuranić is probably Croatia’s most famous children’s story writer. Her works have been compared to those of J.R.R Tolkien and Hans Christian Andersen. She was born in Ogulin in 1874 into a very well to do Croatian family. Her inspiration for writing fairy tales was the countryside around Ogulin and in particular the mountain of Klek. She was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize for Literature and her most famous work is a collection of stories published as ‘Croatian Tales of Long Ago’ based on ancient Slavic mythology. One of her most popular stories is ‘The Brave Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice’ which along with the tales collection has been translated into many languages and enjoyed by children all around the world.

ivana logoIn honour of Ivana’s contribution to literature the town of Ogulin has been regularly holding a Festival of Fairy Tales and in late 2013 the Ogulin Tourist Board opened an interactive, multimedia visitor’s centre ‘Ivana’s House of Fairy Tales‘ to celebrate the life and work of Croatia’s greatest children’s writer.
I was very honoured to have been involved in the project as an English language proofreader for all parts of the centre, the interactive games and exhibitions featured inside as well as all the promotional material, brochures, books and DVD accompanying the project. It was a pleasure working with the translator Nada Kujundžić and the project management team at Muze d.o.o.
Ogulin promotional material

The visitor’s centre offers an array of exhibitions, workshops, state-of-the-art interactive games, touch-screen, multimedia installations all in order to stimulate children’s imaginations about fairy tales, myths, legends and tales as well as a memorial to Ivana’s life and her works.

** NEWS **

The Croatian Museum Association (HRMUD) awarded the visitor’s centre in Ogulin as the Best Permanent Museum Exhibition in Croatia of 2014 in Opatija on 10th October.

*****

The town of Ogulin has also created a Fairy Tale Route which winds through the town and its environs. The video below sums up superbly the whole atmosphere of the project. All-in-all it has turned the town into the Homeland of Fairy Tales, well worth a visit!

In October 2024 my all-new translation of all eight fairy tales was published by Znanje in Zagreb. More info here

Ivana’s work is so popular that she even features in school yard graffiti – this is at the Podmurvice primary school in Rijeka 🙂
OŠ PodmurviceIvana's tale of Hlapić (ENG Laptich) the schoolmaker's apprentice features is popular amongst children and features in many children playgrounds. Here in Turnić near Rijeka.

Ivana’s tale of Hlapić (ENG Laptich) the schoolmaker’s apprentice features is popular amongst children and features in many children playgrounds. Here in Turnić near Rijeka.

halpic4hlapic2

 

If you would like to visit Ogulin and Ivana’s House of Fairy Tales, the Fairy Tale Route or Plitivce Lakes you can contact Sabina Gvozdić at ogulintales.com.
She is a very experienced storyteller and tourist guide who knows all about the region as well as the imposing mountain of Klek.

Green & Blue magazine translation

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‘Zeleno i plavo‘ (‘green and blue’) is a regularly published magazine issued in Croatian by Primorje-Gorski Kotar County that highlights the attractions, traditions and local life of the county which has become internationally known as Croatia’s ‘green-blue’ county. This title derives from the fact that it covers an area of a myriad of landscapes and scenery from the crystal clear blueness of the northern Adriatic Sea to the deep greens of the highland forests of the inland Gorski Kotar region.
Every couple of years an international version is published in English which gathers together the choicest bits from the previous Croatian language editions – under the title of ‘Green & Blue’.

green and blue 2014

‘Green & Blue’ 2014 English edition

I was honoured to have been able to translate the Croatian text into English for the County where I live – Rijeka being the main city.pgzlogo ‘Green & Blue’ number 3 is 80 pages full of informative, interesting, entertaining articles about the life of the people of the County, their work, skills, hobbies as well as the industries, tourism, sports and more – not forgetting of course the beautiful countryside which Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is famous for.

green and blue 2014 magazineThe outstanding photography, enlightening text and detailed information about the County make this an essential insight into the life and work of the people and their interaction with nature, and it provides a valuable glimpse for tourists, visitors and potential business partners coming to the region.

Editor: Ermina Duraj
Editor in chief: Dragan Ogurlić
English translation: Martin Mayhew
Graphic design: Ivica Oreb
Marketing and production: Makol Marketing, Rijeka
Printed by: Kerchoffest, Zagreb

 

Centenary of Rijeka’s Stadium

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2013 saw the 100th anniversary of Rijeka’s sports stadium and to celebrate this the publishing house Adamić, in conjunction with Grad Rijeka’s council, published a commemorative book ‘100 Godina Stadiona Kantrida’.

100 godina stadiona kantrida

“100 Years of the Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka”

“In the hundred year period on the battlefield of Rijeka’s sporting temple, sporting as well as political interests have been intertwined. Through the transformations of the former quarry the social and cultural development of the city of Rijeka can be traced.”

The book is illustrated with many photographs and diagrams detailing the history of the site, the uses it has served over the decades right up today’s home of the Rijeka’s football team and the recent plans for its transformation into one of the regions newest and most exciting stadiums.

The authors are: Marinko Lazzarich, Ivo Paškvan, Ferruccio Burburan and Zlatko Moranjak

I am proud to have translated the summary into English.

You can order the book from the publisher Adamić here: http://www.adamic.hr/KA/knjiga.jsp?bi=567

Rijeka’s football team supporters – Armada, are big fans of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ (‘Mućke’)

Common English translation mistakes

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As I work as a Croatian to English translator and proofreader I spend great amounts of time reading a multitude of texts for all and sundry. From simple tourist brochure descriptions of resorts and campsites to intensive scientific and academic papers about language, the arts and history.
what-howSince starting in this business in 2004 I have seen and read some terribly and some excellently translated English texts but there are many errors, misspellings and grammar mistakes which translators from Croatian to English make which will instantly pinpoint them as not being made by a native English speaker, or that the text hasn’t even been checked by a native English speaker.
why-whenReading a well-translated text is a breath of fresh air but when I come across something which is considered to be “good enough” or written by a client’s relative who once lived in America then my enthusiasm drops and I ask myself “why do people bother?”. Sometimes it’s blatantly obvious that the translator hasn’t even bothered to use a simple spellchecking programme!!
Of course, there are differences between American and British spellings of certain words – an issue that some translators seem to be unaware of. I always use British English and if I am given a mixture of texts in different forms of English to proofread I will always confirm with the client which they prefer.
These kinds of issues can be avoided by editors, project managers or clients by supplying the translator (and subsequently the proofreader) with a style-sheet, or set of guidelines, which covers all the formatting, grammar, styling and language required to make all the texts, articles, submissions from writers and contributors et al. cohesive and unified. Since working in Croatia I have never been given a style-sheet.
Why don’t businesses, tourist associations, public institutions, industry etc. make it known who does their translations? Every publisher which I have worked with has…

A note to any editors, publishers and writers please, please, please do not allow your graphic designers to manually add English text to the layout of your publications – they are not translators and are not qualified to write – so many books, brochures etc. I have translated for have been ruined by stupid spelling mistakes, most of the time in heading and captions which ultimately look bad for me because my name appears in the “impressum” imprint and credits.

So, I decided to start a list of the most common mistakes – this will be an ever-increasing list as more examples pop up…

error – correction
“loose” – lose.
„navodnice“ – “quotation marks”
“payed” – “paid”.
“informations” – “information” (there is no plural in English)
“then/than” – “onda/nego”
year format: 2014. – 2014
number format: 1.212.459,25 – 1,212,459.25
“divers” – “diverse”.
“We arrive at 2pm and meet Your friend…” – “your” or “you” are never used with “Y”, unless to start a sentence. English does not have the formal “vi” or “Vi” as Croatian does.
“sadržaji” – in tourism is not “contents” it’s “facilities” or “activities” or “features”
“advices” – “advice” (there is no plural in English)
“manifestacija” – “event” – never use “manifestation” in text about tourism.
“ponuda” – Yes it means “offer” but try to use a word more imaginative: “choice”, “selection”, “attraction”….
“bogat” – another word overused in tourist texts.
“gastronomija” – use “cuisine”, “culinary” or just “food”.
“uživati u” – not “enjoy in” just “enjoy”
“izdanje” – only if referring to a book or something published/issued – not an event!
“this” = singular – “these” = plural
“that” = singular – “those” = plural
“analysis” = singular – “analyses” = plural
“accommodations” = never plural, a mass noun – always used as”accommodation”
Sveti Jakov(b) – is not St Jacob – he is St James.
“relacija” – when concerning travel it is “route” or “line” not “relation”.
“We took a walk in the nature” – no, no, no just “nature”!
“tridesetih godina prošloga stoljeća” – “1930s” – not “the 30s of the past century”
Wien – Vienna
Beograd – Belgrade
slatka voda – is not “sweet water” it’s “fresh water”
“after job” – “after work”

MORE TO COME……

Simple tips:
1) always use an English language keyboard setting
2) always use a spellchecker
3) always ask a native English speaker to check your text if you’re not sure 🙂

Mmmm, this beer has a bite!

Mmmm, this beer has a bite!

Legendfest – writing and performances

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legendfest 2011 bannerLegendfest is a three-day festival of myths, legends, folklore and live performances held every year in the small hilltop village of Pićan, in Istria, Croatia. During the festival the village becomes the backdrop for storytellers, children’s workshops, live theatrical shows, local food, arts and crafts and concerts, which draw on the rich traditions and history of Istria. Visitors have the chance to go back in time and experience anything from medieval poetry to ancient myths in the picturesque setting.

Each year the festival has a different theme. I have written and performed at Legendfest since 2011. The theme for 2011 was pirates – and so myself as author, Cyborgix 4E75 as composer and musician, Miki as orchestral composer and Jasmina Jazzy as performer, wardrobe and make-up manager, put together the audio/visual piece “Captain Morgan’s Hidden Treasure”. I played the ghost of the Caribbean pirate Captain Morgan (yes, him from the brand of rum) who, as legend says, visited the province of Istria, settled and established the real-life village of Mrgani (meaning the “place of the Morgans”). The myth recalls how he had buried his last stash of gold and treasure nearby. Our 15 minute performance was his story and how he had returned from the spirit world to Istria to uncover the location of his buried treasure after 300 years.

captain morgan martin mayhew

Performing as the ghost of Captain Morgan

Cybergix 4E75

Cyborgix 4E75 – composer, arranger and musician on keyboards

Jasmina Jazzy played the seductive spectre

Jasmina Jazzy played the seductive spectre

In our performance we were joined by Alen Tibljaš – one of Croatia’s most respected drummers, who added some extra drama to the composition. The show was held in the tiny chapel of Sv. Mihovil on the outskirts of the village of Pićan situated at the top of the surrounding cliffs – the perfect location for our dark tale of ghostly pirates and treasure.

Alen Tibljaš pićan

Alen Tibljaš added atmospheric percussion

At the end of the performance, which closed the festival on the last evening, many of the festival’s other performers came and joined us for pirate revelry and choruses of “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest. Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest….” The audience thoroughly enjoyed it!

You can listen to the studio recording of “Captain Morgan’s Hidden Treasure” here:

 

Legendfest 2012 posterThe theme for Legendfest 2012 was witches, wizards and goblins and so we delved into Istria’s rich heritage of myths, legends and folklore and wrote, composed and produced a new concept and performance – “Legend From Istria”. Based upon tales of Istrian gods I played Stribor, son of Svarog – The God of Wind and I narrated the terrible story of good versus evil to take back the land of Istria which had been conquered by the Underworld demons of Bjesomar and Morana played by Cyborgix 4E75 and Jasmina Jazzy.

legendfest 2012 show

Pićan’s tiny chapel of Sv. Mihovil was the perfect setting for our dramatic show

Svarog summoned up the help of Slavic gods Perun – the God of Thunder and Gerovita – The Master of War to defeat the two devils in a final cataclysmic battle scene which would see peace return to the beautiful land of Istria.
… you can listen to the epic story below 🙂

legendfest 2012

Our excellent costumes, make up, lasers and dry ice enhanced the performance

Once again we closed the festival programme after midnight on the last day, leaving the audience enthralled.

All rights reserved © Martin Mayhew and Cyborgix 4E75.

 

 

 

Treasures of the Adriatic Sea – book translation

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This superbly written, illustrated and detailed book describes almost 60 of the most interesting wrecks of boats, ships, submarines, aircraft and all other manner of vessels which lie under the whole length of the Croatian part of the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

Treasures of the Adriatic Sea

Translated from Croatian into English – a must for all divers.

My translation of the original Croatian text into English took almost three months to complete – in total almost 350 pages!

The original book in Croatian – ‘Blago Jadrana’ written by Danijel Frka and Jasen Mešić was published by the Adamić publishing house in 2012 and was an immediate hit and so it was translated into German, Italian and now into English.

shipwreck Lina

Superbly illustrated by the author Danijel Frka

treasures of the adriatic sea

Vessels from all periods – ancient to modern day

Each wreck is extensively described, illustrated, photographed in situ, with their stories researched in detail – including one especially interesting story of one ship’s captain who stayed with his vessel until the very end only to be found still grasping the wheel on the bridge long after his ship sank.

battleship details

Battleships and submarines from both world wars have been researched in detail.

Some of the famous ships described include the Re D’Italia, the Szent Istvan and the Giuseppe Garibaldi. Along with the well-known wrecks there are also aircraft such as American B-24 Liberator bombers in the sea near the island of Vis and ancient Roman merchant boats with cargoes of amphorae and sarcophagi and Napoleonic brigs with cannons.

aircraft wrecks in the adriatic

Also detailed and researched are aircraft, submarines and ancient merchant boats.

Each site has been dived by the authors; giving precise details of the locations, the diving conditions, the currents, flora and fauna, what to look for and what to be aware of. Also important are the rules and regulations of diving and all the safety aspects required. They have also investigated the backgrounds of the vessels, the human stories, the destinies and incidents and even battle descriptions from first hand and archive sources.

shipwrecks of adriatic sea

Superb underwater photography accompanies every site.

I was very happy to be involved in the translation of this book because it opened up a new window on the place where I live and I was even more interested to read about one particular British motor torpedo boat (named MTB 655) from the Second Word War which was in fact built in my childhood town of Littlehampton in England and which sank in March 1945 near the island of Cres!

MTB 655

The British motor torpedo boat MTB 655, built in January 1943 by William Osbourne Ltd shipyard in Littlehampton. Sunk after hitting a German mine near the island of Cres 21st March 1945.

More info about MTB 655 here.

You can order the book directly from the publisher here: https://shop.naklada-val.hr/product_info.php?cPath=97&products_id=561

Full details:
“TREASURES OF THE ADRIATIC SEA –
A diver’s guide to the wrecks of the Croatian Adriatic”
by Danijel Frka and Jasen Mesić
Published by Adamić, 2013
ISBN 978-953-219-479-1
Hardback, 390 pages, size 21.5cm x 28.5cm

"Martin Mayhew, prevoditelj i dizajner iz Rijeke, a originalno momak iz Brightona u Velikoj Britaniji, sjajno je preveo Blago Jadrana na engleski. Sve čestitke!" - Dragan Ogurlić, editor at Adamić.

“Martin Mayhew, prevoditelj i dizajner iz Rijeke, a originalno momak iz Brightona u Velikoj Britaniji, sjajno je preveo Blago Jadrana na engleski. Sve čestitke!” – Dragan Ogurlić, editor at Adamić.

The Croatian Apoxyomenos… ancient Greek statue found in the sea near the island of Lošinj.

 

Rijeka In Your Pocket guide summer 2013

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rijeka in your pocket 2013The new updated 2013 edition of this popular city guide is available as a pdf download from their website:

http://www.inyourpocket.com/croatia/rijeka

Everything you’ll need to know about visiting Croatia’s third largest city – what to see, what to do, where to stay, where to eat, fashion, music, history and culture, transport, beaches and of course shopping.
I contributed to new and updated reviews of sights and places to visit.

IKON – Journal of Iconographic Studies – proofreading

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IKON journal number 6 2013I recently proofread volume 6 of IKON – the annual journal of iconographic studies (ISSN 1846-8551) published by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka in May 2013. This is a high quality, beautifully illustrated, 330 page, publication examining the religious iconography of paintings, murals and ecclesiastical art history.

It was my pleasure to work with the editor, Marina Vicelja-Matijašić in the proofreading of the English translations in this issue which is entitled ‘Visions’.

http://cis.ffri.hr/hr/ikon-2/ikon-62013/

‘I moj nono je navigal – Brseč i Brsešćina’ – catalogue design

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The latest edition in this series. Catalogue and exhibition design about the mariners and sailors who sailed around the world from Brseč in the early 20th century.

This project was produced for Katedra Čakavskog Sabora Općine Mošćenička Draga.

katalog – I moj nono je navigal – Brseč

Linkovi:
Novi list
Liburnija.net
Istra.net
Facebook

Tražim zaposlenje u području medija/tiska/izdavaštva:
e-mail

 

London Calling Comedy LIVE in RIJEKA 23.04.2012

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Brod MARINA – 23.4.2012

LONDON CALLING COMEDY is back in town!
Kontakt osoba – Sonir Srdoč 091 5109 621
Rezervacije karata/ticket reservations:
Zagreb: ssonir@gmail.com

Britain’s rising young talent, a true English gentleman and Paddy’s return!

MC: Geoff Whiting (England)

HEADLINE ACT: Paddy Lennox (Ireland)

OPENING ACT: Alfie Brown (England)

MID ACT: Jeff Leach (England)

Organizatori/Organisers
Udruga Urbani Ured
Sonir Srdoč

Kontakt osoba – Sonir Srdoč 091 5109 621

Ulaznice u pretprodaji od ČETVRTKA, 12.4.2012:
Dallas Music Shop i Brod marina
Na dan predstave 60kn u predprodaji 40kn.

GEOFF WHITING – England

“wonderfully confident, highly entertaining…” Scene Magazine Bristol

Celebrating 15 years on the stand-up circuit, Geoff has a wealth of experience in working at all the notable comedy clubs in London, UK and in Europe from audiences of 12 to over 1,000 people. His entertainingly funny, strong, versatile act launched his career not only on stage as a stand-up comedian but equally on the TV screen with regular appearances for the BBC and radio.

Interestingly, he is one of only a handful of comics worldwide to have performed stand up comedy in a pod on the London Eye (for BBC: The One Show). Over the years, Geoff has worked alongside some of Britain’s most famous household named comics such as Michael McIntyre, Harry Hill, Dara O’Briain, Omid Djalili, Lee Mack and Lee Hurst.

ALFIE BROWN – England

“Immensely self-assured and stylish” – The Guardian

Alfie Brown is a comedian and presenter from South-West London and in 2006, at the tender age of 17, Alfie launched onto the comedy stage and has since established himself as one the most exciting people currently rising in the field. Described as stylish and unique as well as ‘One of the best young comedians around’ (Time Out), Alfie has a bullet-proof arrogance combined with thoughtful, passionate perspective on a range of topics that somehow sets him apart from the others.

Already at such a young age in his developing, exciting career path, he has managed to feature on primetime TV (BBC2) and has performed his stand-up at the 550 seater Lyric Theatre in London’s west end. Alfie is a devotedly passionate Liverpool FC fan.

PADDY LENNOX – Ireland

“Simply a scream.” The Telegraph

In February, Paddy burst on stage with London Calling and became an instant hit with Croatian audiences, so we’ve asked him to return for his 2nd London Calling Tour! Paddy is an engaging and instantly likeable comic, with a warm and natural approach, combining topical material, observational routines with impressive improvisation and banter to give you some great entertainment.

Recently, Paddy’s been working the corporate scene including shows for the BBC, ITV and Radio. As an accomplished comic actor, he has already created a pretty impressive list of theatre, film and TV performances. Paddy tries to play the piano to help him unwind.

JEFF LEACH – England

“Summer’s favourite festival comedian!!” – Esquire Magazine

Jeff Leach quite simply is hilarious, entertaining and the girls love him! Geoff started his journey as a DJ and quickly made his way onto TV as a presenter before appearing as host of UK’s Big Brother in 2009 as well as other BBC, ITV and Channel 4 shows. He started doing stand-up comedy in February 2010 and is set to be a household name that just seems to be getting stronger within the comedy circuit across the UK.

He performs his own revealing brand of stand up comedy whilst writing and performing sketch and character pieces. In the past year he has become a London New Comedian Awards Finalist and Leicester Square New Comedian semi-finalist and performed sold out shows at the Edinburgh Festival. He’s one to watch out for and we are delighted to have him with us on tour in Croatia.

http://www.londoncallingclub.com/