Bojana Gledić
Contemporary English G2
Vežbe prevođenja – Translation exercises (9)
1. Translate the following passage into Serbian:
As Adam approached the British Museum, lethargy and despair oppressed him. By now, a pile
of Lawrence books would be on his desk, but he felt no quickening of his pulse at the prospect. In
Great Russell Street he lingered outside the windows of bookshops, stationers and small publishers.
The stationers particularly fascinated him. He coveted the files, punches, staplers, erasers, coloured
inks and gadgets whose functions remained a teasing mystery, thinking that if only he could afford to
equip himself with all this apparatus his thesis would write itself: he would be automated.
Feeling a faint pang of hunger – the Scotch egg in the Tavern seemed very distant – Adam
entered a small shop near the corner of Museum Street, and purchased a bar of chocolate. A headline in
the evening paper about the Vatican Council caught his eye, and he bought a copy. He crossed the road
and passed through the gates of the Museum, which sat massively before him, its wings like arms
extended to sweep him into the yawning, gap-toothed maw of the portico. As he mounted the steps,
Adam decided not to be swallowed immediately. He sat down on one of the benches in the colonnade
and munched his chocolate glancing at the newspaper.
…
A chill breeze blew round Adam's neck. He raised the hood of his duffel coat and muffled his
hands in the sleeves. The hood came down over his head like a monk's cowl. He gazed between the
massive Ionic pillars at the vacant courtyard, and saw it thronged with cheering crowds under a blue
Italian sky ...
(David Lodge, The British Museum is Falling Down, abridged)
2. Translate the following passage into English:
Bilo je to predveče, posle završenih predavanja, kada je u klubu obično najviše posetilaca. Neki
su razgovarali, neki čitali novine, neki pisali pisma, slušali radio (još uvek čudo, nedavno uvedeno) –
kada je u grupi u kojoj sam sedeo počela ta priča. Činilo mi se da smo na temu došli tako što je neko,
možda Barbara, upitao Džona šta to tako pomno čita u časopisu. Džon je čitao izveštaj ili komentar
neke komisije o školskoj omladini. Nisam bio kadar da tačno pratim kako je razgovor tekao i šta je ko u
njemu rekao. Međutim, način na koji su govorili naterao bi me da iznesem svoje mišljenje, da nisam
bio nedovoljno vičan engleskom.
(Based on: Slobodan Selenić, Očevi i oci)
3. Which adjectives collocate with smell? Make a list. Then, find the meanings of the following
words: NOUNS: smell, scent, aroma, odo(u)r, fragrance, stench; ADJECTIVES: f(o)etid, foul, smelly,
fragrant, malodorous, putrid.
4. Look up the words for the following artisans: gvožđar, šeširdžija, krznar, obućar, časovničar,
krojač, zlatar, cvećar, grnčar (lončar), kovač, poslastičar, tašner, bravar.
5. Translate the following words into English: feljton, uštap, kljuse, kaćiper, heriti, beslovesan,
dušeguban, đerdan, zažditi (se), krasotica.
Bojana Gledić
Contemporary English G2
Vežbe prevođenja – Translation exercises (10)
1. Translate the following text into Serbian:
I grabbed two sugars, a plastic spoon and a napkin from a stock I kept in my desk. Next, I pulled a
small china plate from the cupboard for the Danish. I set the plate on her desk and placed the latte and
the napkin with all the necessary accessories next to it. I suspected that she didn’t feel like talking to
me, she was rifling through the new issue of Vanity Fair. I paused for a moment to see if she’d ask me
for some files, but she ignored me.
I’d been awake now for three full hours, and felt I could finally sit down for the very first time.
Just as I was logging on to Hotmail, anticipating some fun e-mails, she walked out. I could feel Emily
watching me and knew her look would be one of sympathy and anger: she felt bad that I had to repeat
this every morning.
(Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada, adapted)
2. Translate the following passages into English:
Sanjao sam kako na kuhinjskim vratima stoji mali crnokosi klinac. Bio je bled kao krpa i gledao me s
neopisivom mržnjom. Ja sam se samo smeškao i čekao da se pomeri, kako bih mogao da odem u
kuhinju po jogurt. Onda je naišla moja majka i pitala me zašto stojim tu, a ja sam joj rekao da, zbog
lobanje koju je donela s posla, naš stan opsedaju duhovi. Mali je otvorio usta kao da će nešto da kaže.
(Adapted from: Kandže, Marko Vidojković)
Našao sam jedan bar u kojem su bili samo muškarci, okupljeni oko šanka, i zagledani u televizor.
Nisam ušao unutra. Onda sam pronašao bar u kojem nije bilo nikoga. Ušao sam unutra. Mlada devojka
za šankom me je pitala da li dobro znam italijanski, na lošem engleskom. Zvala se Alda i bila je jako
lepa, sa svetlosmeđom dugačkom kovrdžavom kosom i zeleno-plavim očima, lice joj je imalo fine crte,
bilo je nežno i svetlo, koža glatka i malo tamnija od kose.
(Adapted from: Komo, Srđan Valjarević)
3. Pronađite najpribližnije engleske izraze: bela kafa (osim white coffee), beli svet, beli luk, bela
tehnika, bela vrana, beli medved, belo meso, u po bela dana, gledati belo.
Pronađite najpribližnije srpske izraze: white lie, white-collar worker, white-knuckle (ride, journey),
white noise, white slavery, white spirit (liquid), white wedding, white Christmas, white trash
(offensive!).
4. Find the differences in meanings of the following nouns: travel, journey, trip, outing, excursion,
voyage, expedition, trek.
Then, check the meanings of the following words: itinerary, travelogue, travel book, travel guide,
travel agent, travel sickness, maiden voyage/flight, cabin crew.
Finally, find the translations for the following: karta u jednom pravcu, povratna karta, turistička
agencija, turistički vodič, stjuardesa.
5. Translate the following words into English: paušalan, udžerica, šikara, džigljast, malodušan.
