The land of the Czechoslovak language... A look at translation between Czech and Slovak against the cultural and political backdrop of the Czechoslovak First Republic
Abstract
Translation between Czech and Slovak reflects Czech-Slovak relations: it mirrors in a very interesting way the developments deep within the Czecho-Slovak area. The fact that there was a near ban on translation between Czech and Slovak in the First Czechoslovak Republic is not well known today, although it was of essence to many intellectuals of that period, satisfying their Slavic longing for unification.
However, to say that the efforts in this regard towards bringing the two nations and languages closer together during the First Czechoslovak Republic were solely the consequence of the official policy of Czechoslovakism, a term with negative connotations, would be an extreme oversimplification. The national, cultural and literary developments of that time were complex and multifaceted - and translations between Czech and Slovak were in fact produced despite the ban, giving us a glimpse of some of the developments in society.
The study discusses translation throughout the First Czechoslovak Republic, noting the attitudes of the state (as enshrined in its constitution), authors and writers as well as active citizens.