CZ -> EN, from note on photo --> velky?

Discussion in 'Vocabulary & Translation Help' started by smack, Aug 21, 2007.

  1. smack

    smack Member

    A family photo taken in Kolín, Bohemia has the following text penciled on the back (as best as I can tell - I can't read it clearly).

    "Kařenka je věči nežli já a Frantisěk (or Frantiček or ??) je velky (or velkj or velkg or ??) jako Tatínek."

    My best guess at translation (and it is a very poor guess at best) is:
    "Charles, (there) are/is issues/matters/things than I and Frantisek are/is ______ like/by way of Daddy." - which really makes no sense at all.

    I wish I could post the scan of the photo b/c I don't think that my transcription is 100% accurate.

    Thanks for any help you can give!

    :D
     
  2. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    Kačenka je větší než já a František je velký jako tatínek.

    Kačenka is taller then me and František has same height as daddy.


    Kačenka - Kathy, František - Frank
     
  3. smack

    smack Member

    SUPER! Thanks for the help! :)

    I looked very carefully at the writing on photo and in the first part, the words I see are "věči nežli" - could this be a different way to spell, větší než?

    Is věči and větší same meaning?

    The first name I think is Karenka (but with mark over "r", ř), which I thought was for Charles (my ggfather - photo is of his family). His brother was Frank and his sister was Frances, his parents were Wenceslaus and Barbara.

    Here is a link to the photo JPG if that is of help: http://tinyurl.com/2gdro4
     
  4. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    It's -

    Mařenka je věčí nežli já a František je velký jako Tatínek.

    So it's basically same as before, only first name is Mařenka (Marie) - Maria/Merry.

    Today "větší" is right form - not "věčí", but maybe then it was correct.
     
  5. smack

    smack Member

    Again, super - big thanks to you for your help! :) :)
     
  6. Eleshar

    Eleshar Well-Known Member

    No, it is probably written by a child who did not know the correct orthography... on the other image, you can see imprinted word "zvětšování", that is written correctly with "tš". Moreover the word "tatínek" is written with big T even though it is not at the beginning of the sentence which seems very childlike to me because it seems to be the child's name for his daddy (you do not call your parents by name but rather "mummy, daddy"). And the handwrite is deffinitely childlike.

    And I think it is really "Kačenka" (not "Mařenka"), the K seems to be a little ornamented and the C can be written like that by a child.
     
  7. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    Well, you should have see mine :)
     
  8. smack

    smack Member

    Considering poor handwriting and the sentence context, it was probably written by the young boy in center of the photo (Frank). Is it possible that Frantisek could refer to the girl in the photo (on the right)? Frances was the anglicized version of her name, but I have no idea what her real, Czech name was. I don't know how Czech feminine and masculine name rules are.
     
  9. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    In my opinion it could be a handwriting of a simple older lady 8)
     
  10. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    It is "Mařenka je věči nežli já a František je velky jako Tatínek"
    correctly:
    "Mařenka (girl or a woman) je větší nežli já a František (boy or a man) je velký jako tatínek".

    It is definitely not "Kačenka". The big M on the beginning is an older style handwriting.
    I have not seen the photo, but the inscription may be written by somebody, who is not in the picture. The handwriting is not childlike.

    If the "boy in the center" is Frank, the name František refers to him (it couldn't be a girl) . The girl would probably be the "Mařenka".
    I have not seen the picture, only the handwriting. 8)
     
  11. smack

    smack Member

    I posted the picture of the family in the photo.

    It's a mystery to me...who wrote the note and who is the Marenka. I suppose that could be someone's nickname. The names for the people in the photo are in the caption.

    From what we understand (and this could be wrong), the photo was sent to the missing member of the family, Karel (Charles) who had emmigrated from Bohemia. The rest of the family stayed in Bohemia for the rest of their lives as far as we know.
     
  12. Eleshar

    Eleshar Well-Known Member

    I admit it could be Mařenka, but it surely was written by a child. In those times, perfect handwrite was very common. My grandfather was a simple craftsman, and his handwrite was extremely good. My great-grandmother had only five classes of school and her handwrite was still very orderly. On every letter from past my grandmother showed me, the handwrite, whosesoever it was, was perfect in the manner I can never dream of. In those days it was normal.
    And - the mistakes in orthography (Č instead of TŠ even though o the other side it is imprintred the other way; majuscule T in Tatínek) do seem very childlike as well.
     
  13. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    Maybe text on other side has nothing to do with photo itself and it was added years later.
     
  14. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    I am convinced it was written by an older person, I know similar handwriting (including grammatical mistakes) from several persons from that times. I have seen perfect handwriting from that time, too :)

    Another theory:
    The photo was sent several years after being taken and the inscription describes the later situation:
    "Frank is (nowadays) as high as father and Mary (probably not existing at the time of taking the photo, sister of Frank) is today as tall" as the person writing the comment. :)
    It might be sent by some relative of the Hrdlička family, who had not have the latest photo to send.
     

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