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Legate of Amon Lanc · 09-13-2007, 12:45 PM

I can easily imagine that if Tolkien was partially inspired by Finnish, the names could very well fit. Personally, I find them quite euphonious. It's partially as half-discovering a different world, if you know what I mean? I will probably spend some time reading it and trying to say it aloud. Really nice

And considering the translation details, please go ahead. I'm interested and if anyone wouldn't, then he can simply skip it

All right. Here are some names in Czech. In general, the translation I think was very well done. The translator who did most of the work was a woman, Stanislava Pošustová, who had to work with some already lined-out names, because The Hobbit was translated first a long time before the other works, but even she considered it good enough translation, so she just continued in the line.
Here are the names:

The Fellowship:

Frodo Pytlík (literally meaning "little sack"), from Dno Pytle ("bottom of the sack") in Hobitín (Hobbiton), Kraj (Shire)

Samvěd (Samwise) Křepelka (meaning "quail". By the way, what the heck does "Gamgee" mean? I never thought about it, I probably subconsciously considered that it means the same. Now I can't seem to find the possible meaning of "Gamgee" anywhere.) Btw his father's name is Pecka, short for Peckoslav - the translator spent a long time in the appendix to LotR explaining origins of that one. "Pecka" is in Czech just the "stone" (of some fruit), or also a word for someone who just sits and does nothing. The name "Peckoslav" has the -slav suffix typical for ancient Czech (or Slavic) names, derived from the word "sláva" - meaning "glory". Similar names still can be found, for example my real name "Rostislav" is one of these having really ancient feeling to them.

Smělmír (Meriadoc) or Smíšek (Laugher) Brandorád (Brandy-liker)
Peregrin/Pipin Bral (Took, indeed as the past tense of "take")
Aragorn alias Chodec (more like Walker, also what you call the people who walk in opposite to those who drive the cars)
Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli (losers...)

Other friends&villains:
Barliman Butterbur - Ječmínek Máselník (! does not have short version of the name)
Bill Ferny - Vili Potměchuť
Goldberry - Zlatěnka
Gríma Wormtongue - Gríma Červivec
Old Man Willow - Dědek Vrbák
Rose Cotton - Růža Chaloupková
Shelob - Odula
Smaug - Šmak (meaning something like "appetite" or "taste". That comes from the translation of the Hobbit - the second translator generally tried more to catch Tolkien's meaning in the words, though I find that one quite nice.)
Treebeard - Stromovous
(The Ents deserve their own category
Leaflock - Listovlas
Quickbeam - Řeřábek
Skinbark - Korkož

Creatures:
hobbit - hobit
neeker-breeker - škrkavka (the sound they make is "škvrk-krk")
warg - vrrk (Czech has a nice habit of allowing "R" and "L" to form syllables. "Wolf" is "vlk", thus, "vrrk" is a nice playing with the word while staying very close to original English sound.)

Places:
Bree - Hůrka (is also a part of Prague and a metro station - not so long, before it was a village on the outskirts)
Brandywine - Brandyvína (víno = wine)
Buckland - Rádovsko (cf. Merry's name above)
Carrock - Skalbal
Cloudyhead - Mračivec
Dale - Dol
Dead Marshes - Mrtvé močály
Dimrill Dale - Rmutný dol
Dunland - Vrchovina
Ettenmoors - Obroviště ("Giantshire")
Gladden Fields - Kosatcová pole
Greenway - Zelená cesta
Helm's Deep - Helmův Žleb
Isengard - Železný pas
Lake-town - Jezerní město
The Lonely Mountain - Osamělá Hora
Midgewater Marshes - Komáří močály (Midge Marshes)
Mirkwood - Temný Hvozd ("Dark Wood")
Misty Mountains - Mlžné hory
The Old Forest - Starý hvozd
Redhorn - Rudoroh
Rivendell - Roklinka
Silvertine - Stříbrný Špičák
Weathertop - Větrov ("Windy")

Shadowfax - Stínovlas
Snowmane - Bělohřívák
Firefoot - Ohnivec

And
The Barrow-Downs - Mohylové vrchy
barrow-wight - mohylový duch

(If anyone has trouble with guessing how the heck some of the strange letters are pronounced, maybe this article at Wikipedia may be of help, I see it is available there in quite a lot of languages.)

P.S. I could also say that the translator considered the Rohirric names to be translated in Old Church Slavonic, the first literary Slavic language, which was spoken here around 9th century. She said that she thought it would make the sound of the Rohirric names similar to how the English people hear them (like names similar to ancient forms of words in their modern language). She even started to translate it like that, but then she decided that though it would make a good connection on the language base, it would lead us away on the cultural base, while the Rohirrim are even culturally close to the Anglo-saxon civilisation. Maybe a shame for the linguists, since we'd have no Éomer or Théoden (not speaking of Eorl the Young and even older people), but on the other hand good for us, the names could be indeed too "exotic" for the story.

09-13-2007, 12:45 PM	#3
Legate of Amon Lanc A Voice That Gainsayeth Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In that far land beyond the Sea Posts: 7,431	Wonderful! I can easily imagine that if Tolkien was partially inspired by Finnish, the names could very well fit. Personally, I find them quite euphonious. It's partially as half-discovering a different world, if you know what I mean? I will probably spend some time reading it and trying to say it aloud. Really nice And considering the translation details, please go ahead. I'm interested and if anyone wouldn't, then he can simply skip it All right. Here are some names in Czech. In general, the translation I think was very well done. The translator who did most of the work was a woman, Stanislava Pošustová, who had to work with some already lined-out names, because The Hobbit was translated first a long time before the other works, but even she considered it good enough translation, so she just continued in the line. Here are the names: The Fellowship: Frodo Pytlík (literally meaning "little sack"), from Dno Pytle ("bottom of the sack") in Hobitín (Hobbiton), Kraj (Shire) Samvěd (Samwise) Křepelka (meaning "quail". By the way, what the heck does "Gamgee" mean? I never thought about it, I probably subconsciously considered that it means the same. Now I can't seem to find the possible meaning of "Gamgee" anywhere.) Btw his father's name is Pecka, short for Peckoslav - the translator spent a long time in the appendix to LotR explaining origins of that one. "Pecka" is in Czech just the "stone" (of some fruit), or also a word for someone who just sits and does nothing. The name "Peckoslav" has the -slav suffix typical for ancient Czech (or Slavic) names, derived from the word "sláva" - meaning "glory". Similar names still can be found, for example my real name "Rostislav" is one of these having really ancient feeling to them. Smělmír (Meriadoc) or Smíšek (Laugher) Brandorád (Brandy-liker) Peregrin/Pipin Bral (Took, indeed as the past tense of "take") Aragorn alias Chodec (more like Walker, also what you call the people who walk in opposite to those who drive the cars) Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli (losers...) Other friends&villains: Barliman Butterbur - Ječmínek Máselník (! does not have short version of the name) Bill Ferny - Vili Potměchuť Goldberry - Zlatěnka Gríma Wormtongue - Gríma Červivec Old Man Willow - Dědek Vrbák Rose Cotton - Růža Chaloupková Shelob - Odula Smaug - Šmak (meaning something like "appetite" or "taste". That comes from the translation of the Hobbit - the second translator generally tried more to catch Tolkien's meaning in the words, though I find that one quite nice.) Treebeard - Stromovous (The Ents deserve their own category Leaflock - Listovlas Quickbeam - Řeřábek Skinbark - Korkož Creatures: hobbit - hobit neeker-breeker - škrkavka (the sound they make is "škvrk-krk") warg - vrrk (Czech has a nice habit of allowing "R" and "L" to form syllables. "Wolf" is "vlk", thus, "vrrk" is a nice playing with the word while staying very close to original English sound.) Places: Bree - Hůrka (is also a part of Prague and a metro station - not so long, before it was a village on the outskirts) Brandywine - Brandyvína (víno = wine) Buckland - Rádovsko (cf. Merry's name above) Carrock - Skalbal Cloudyhead - Mračivec Dale - Dol Dead Marshes - Mrtvé močály Dimrill Dale - Rmutný dol Dunland - Vrchovina Ettenmoors - Obroviště ("Giantshire") Gladden Fields - Kosatcová pole Greenway - Zelená cesta Helm's Deep - Helmův Žleb Isengard - Železný pas Lake-town - Jezerní město The Lonely Mountain - Osamělá Hora Midgewater Marshes - Komáří močály (Midge Marshes) Mirkwood - Temný Hvozd ("Dark Wood") Misty Mountains - Mlžné hory The Old Forest - Starý hvozd Redhorn - Rudoroh Rivendell - Roklinka Silvertine - Stříbrný Špičák Weathertop - Větrov ("Windy") Shadowfax - Stínovlas Snowmane - Bělohřívák Firefoot - Ohnivec And The Barrow-Downs - Mohylové vrchy barrow-wight - mohylový duch (If anyone has trouble with guessing how the heck some of the strange letters are pronounced, maybe this article at Wikipedia may be of help, I see it is available there in quite a lot of languages.) P.S. I could also say that the translator considered the Rohirric names to be translated in Old Church Slavonic, the first literary Slavic language, which was spoken here around 9th century. She said that she thought it would make the sound of the Rohirric names similar to how the English people hear them (like names similar to ancient forms of words in their modern language). She even started to translate it like that, but then she decided that though it would make a good connection on the language base, it would lead us away on the cultural base, while the Rohirrim are even culturally close to the Anglo-saxon civilisation. Maybe a shame for the linguists, since we'd have no Éomer or Théoden (not speaking of Eorl the Young and even older people), but on the other hand good for us, the names could be indeed too "exotic" for the story. __________________ "Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories Last edited by Legate of Amon Lanc; 09-13-2007 at 01:54 PM.