While translating texts connected with USSK's 5th Anniversary I've realized that there must be a difference in sense between the Slovak and English words "výročie" and
"anniversary", because in Slovak it is apparently alright to say "piate výročie pôsobenia firmy", whereas in English it's "fifth anniversary of the START of operations".
Anniversary comes from the Latin for "turn of the year", so it relates back to a point in time, whereas "výročie" seems to indicate a period of time (how many
completed years). Maybe this is connected with the different ways of telling the time in English and Slovak, which are also based on points and periods in time respectively. In English you say "at
quarter past ten", and in Slovak "o štvrť na jedenásť".
In soccer and ice-hockey the English commentators typically say there's a goal after 55 minutes (point in time), whereas the Slovak ones say it's in the 56th minute
(period of time). Does this mean that Slovak people are always looking forward while English speakers tend to look back?
Empty