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Freelance translator and/or interpreter, Verified site user This translator is helping to localize ProZ.com into Croatian
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English to Croatian - Rates: 0.08 - 0.13 EUR per word / 35 - 50 EUR per hour Croatian to English - Rates: 0.08 - 0.13 EUR per word / 35 - 50 EUR per hour
Croatian to English: Hitler's Germania General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: History
Source text - Croatian Hitlerova Germania
Kako bi nadmašio slavu glamuroznog Pariza i povijesnu vrijednost vječnoga Rima, Hitler je naručio suludi projekt novoga grada budućnosti pod nazivom Germania. Idelani grad koji je trebao impresionirati führera osmislio je arhitekt od povjerenja, Albert Speer. Originalna maketa Germanije, koja je tijekom rata izgubljena, i sama je bila impresivnih dimenzija – bila je dugačka 30 metara, a kako bi se gledatelji što bolje uživjeli u taj važni projekt, izrađene su vrlo realne figurice vojnika koji marširaju predimenzioniranim avenijama. U maketi grada bila je i neka vrsta replike pariškog Slavoluka pobjede, koji je bio čak 50 puta veći od originala! Maketa mu je bila toliko velika da je čovjek prosječne visine mogao stajati ispod njega potpuno uspravljen. Da je doista bila riječ o suludu projektu, svjedoči i navodna izjava Mussolinijeva arhitekta nakon proučavanja makete: „Sad doista vidim da su svi potpuno izgubili pamet!“
Nesumnjivo, titulom namijenjenom najstrašnijem i najnerazumnijem urbanističkom projektu u povijesti možemo nagraditi Germaniju, ne samo zbog stravičnog slavoluka, nego i zbog ostalih elemenata. Tako se kupola tzv. Velikog paviljona, centralne nacističke zgrade, građena po uzoru na kupolu rimske bazilike Sv. Petra, trebala uzdizati 300 metara i bilo je predviđeno da u nju stane oko 180.000 osoba. Američki vojnici koji su nakon osvajanja Berlina vidjeli maketu tvrdili su da su se u kupoli čak mogli, uz pomoć specijalne aparature, stvoriti umjetni oblaci. Da nije na vrijeme spriječen, Hitler bi svoju suludu ideju realizirao bez razmišljanja. Prije same gradnje bilo je predviđeno rušenje tisuće berlinskih zgrada, a na projektu je trebalo raditi oko 25.000 zatvorenika i logoraša.
Translation - English Hitler's Germania
In order to outshine the glory of glamurous Paris and historical value of eternal Rome, Hitler ordered an absurd project of a new city of the future called Germania to be planned. The ideal city that was supposed to impress the Fuhrer was designed by the architect of confidence, Albert Speer. The dimensions of the original scale model of Germania, which was lost during the war, were equally impressive - it was thirty meters long, and for the viewers to be able to enter into the spirit of this important project, very realistic figurines of soldiers marching the oversized avenues were crafted. The scale model of the town included a kind of a replica of Parisian Arc de Triomphe, which was even fifty times higher than the original! The scale model was so monumental that a man of average height could stand underneath it fully erect. That it really was a ludicrous project, witnesses an alleged statement of Mussolini's architect given after he studied the scale model, "I am really convinced now that they have all taken leave of their senses!"
Undoubtedly, the title for the most horrendous and the most preposterous urban project in the history goes to Germania, not only because of the dreadful arch, but for other elements as well. So was the dome of the so-called Great Pavilion, the Nazi headquarters, modeled after the dome of the basilica of St. Peter in Rome, supposed to rise three hundred meters in height and was designed to accomodate approximately one hundred eighty thousand people. American soldiers who had seen the model after the conquest of Berlin claimed that artificial cloudes could even be created, with the help of a special apparatus, in the dome. If he were not prevented in time, Hitler would have realized his absurd idea without a moment of hesitation. Before the construction started, thousands of buildings in Berlin were scheduled for demolition, and about twenty five thousand prisoners and concentration camp inmates were supposed to work on the sight.
Croatian to English: Servus system General field: Tech/Engineering
Source text - Croatian Servus je elektronički sustav koji omogućuje da korisnik doslovno razgovara sa svojim domom i na taj način njime upravlja. Servus je prvi i trenutno jedini sustav inteligentne kuće koji omogućava govorno upravljanje na hrvatskom jeziku. Servus omogućuje svom korisniku sljedeće funkcionalnosti:
• upravljanje domom pomoću govora
• paljenje i gašenje svjetala
• otključavanje vrata (uz video nadzor)
• glasovno upravljanje grijanjem, klima uređajima te raznim električnim trošilima
• govorno upravljanje telefonijom i multimedijom
• telefoniranje “bez ruku”
• govorno upravljanje TV-om, DVD-om, radiom, glazbenom linijom
• sigurnost
• SOS poziv
• senzore istjecanja plina, vode, dima
• integracija s alarmnim sustavom
• govorni informacijski servisi i organizacija života
• vremenska prognoza, sport, pristigla e-pošta
• buđenje, podsjetnik za uzeti lijek, posjetiti doktora (važno za stare i dementne osobe)...
Način i mjesto primjene
Servus sustav sastoji se iz jedne centralne jedinice koja komunicira s korisnikom i na temelju njegovih zahtjeva šalje naredbe odgovarajućim izvršnim uređajima koji su ugrađeni na raznim mjestima u domu korisnika. Komunikacija s izvršnim uređajima vrši se putem postojećih elektroinstalacija tako da nije potrebno provlačenje dodatnih kablova.
Translation - English Servus is an electronic system that allows the user to literally talk to it and thus control his/her home. Servus is the first and currently the only intelligent home system that makes home control in Croatian language possible. Servus provides the user with following features:
• voice controlled home
• turning the lights on or off
• unlocking the doors (with video surveillance)
• voice controlled heating, air conditioning and various energy-using devices
• voice controlled telephone and multimedia
• handsfree telephoning
• voice controlled TV, DVD, radio, stereo system
• security
• emergency calls
• gas leak, water or smoke detectors
• integration with the alarm system
• voice controlled IT services and everyday life management
• weather forecast, sports news, received e-mail notification
• alarm clock, reminders to take medication, or for doctor's appointment (especially important for elderly and demented people) ...
Place and method of application
Servus system consists of a central unit that communicates with the user and on the basis of his/her requests sends commands to the appropriate actuators installed in various places in user's home. Communication with the actuators is carried out through existing wiring so it is not necessary to lay extra cables.
English to Croatian: Perils of Plastics General field: Science Detailed field: Environment & Ecology
Source text - English Perils of plastics: Risks to human health and the environment
Plastics surround us. A vital manufacturing ingredient for nearly every existing industry, these materials appear in a high percentage of the products we use every day. Although modern life would be hard to imagine without this versatile chemistry, products composed of plastics also have a dark side, due in part to the very characteristics that make them so desirable—their durability and longevity.
Now Rolf Halden, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University and assistant director of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute has undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and to the ecosystems we depend on. His findings, which appear in the latest issue of the Annual Review of Public Health, are sobering.
Today, plastics accumulate in garbage dumps and landfills and are sullying the world's oceans in ever-greater quantity. And plastics and their additives aren't just around us, they are inside virtually every one of us— present in our blood and urine in measureable amounts, ingested with the food we eat, the water we drink and from other sources.
Halden's study reiterates the fact that the effects to the environment from plastic waste are acute. Measurements from the most contaminated regions of the world's oceans show that the mass of plastics exceeds that of plankton sixfold. Patches of oceanic garbage—some as large as the state of Texas—hold a high volume of non-biodegradable plastics. Aquatic birds and fish are increasingly victims because biodegradation processes are inadequate to eliminate this durable refuse.
The magnitude of society's burden of plastic waste is only beginning to be fully appreciated. In the U.S., the average person produces a half-pound of plastic waste every day. Around the world, some 300 million tons of the material are produced each year—a figure poised to expand, as new forms of plastics are devised to serve a voracious global appetite. As Halden points out, this annual production alone would fill a series of train cars encircling the globe. "We're doomed to live with yesterday's plastic pollution and we are exacerbating the situation with each day of unchanged behavior," he said.
Adverse effects to human health remain a topic of fierce controversy, though a growing consensus is emerging that plastics and their additives are not always the benign companions we once assumed them to be. Halden says he accepted the invitation to write about plastics and human health "because the topic showcases the bigger problem of how to create a sustainable future for modern civilization."
Two broad classes of plastic-related chemicals are of critical concern for human health—bisphenol-A or BPA, and additives used in the synthesis of plastics, which are known as phthalates. Halden explains that plastics are polymers—long chains of molecules usually made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and/or silicon, which are chemically linked together or polymerized. Different polymer chains can be used to create forms of plastics with unique and useful properties.
BPA is a basic building block of polycarbonate plastics, such as those used for bottled water, food packaging and other items. While it has been considered benign in the form of a heavily cross-linked polymer, its bonds can break down over time, when plastics are repeatedly washed, exposed to heat or other stresses, liberating the building blocks of the chemical, which are toxic. BPA has been recognized since the 1940s as an endocrine disrupting chemical that interferes with normal hormonal function.
Adding to the health risks associated with BPA is the fact that other ingredients—such as plasticizers—are commonly added to plastics. Many of these potentially toxic components also can leach out over time. Among the most common is a chemical known as di-ethylhexyl phthalate or DEHP. In some products, notably medical devices including IV bags or tubing, additives like DEHP can make up 40 or 50 percent of the product. "If you're in a hospital, hooked up to an IV drip," Halden explains, "the chemical that oozes out goes directly into your bloodstream, with no opportunity for detoxification in the gut. This can lead to unhealthy exposure levels, particularly in susceptible populations such as newborns.
What are the overall effects of the plastics we unwittingly ingest? The literature Halden surveyed is ambiguous on this point, despite more than half a century of study. Part of the difficulty lies in the absence of good controls for studying health outcomes, as plastic exposure is a global phenomenon, and finding unexposed subjects for comparison is nearly impossible. It is known however that health effects vary depending on who is exposed—and when. Infants and pregnant or nursing mothers are at heightened risk for toxic exposure or passage of BPA and additives like DEHP.
This January, the FDA announced an important reversal of its 2008 claims regarding the safety of bisphenol-A, expressing new concern about "potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children," and pledging to collaborate with other federal health agencies to reevaluate the chemical's safety.
Studying the effects of low-dose exposure is tricky, usually requiring a very large number of study subjects. Instead, epidemiologists tracking the problem frequently base their conclusions on data gathered from individuals known to have unusually high levels of a chemical—often the result of high-level occupational exposure. Halden insists that further study on low-dose exposure is essential to settle the matter of health risks, noting some evidence in the literature suggests that high-dose studies may be inadequate to properly understand toxic effects from continuous low-level exposures.
Halden explains that while plastics have legitimate uses of benefit to society, their brazen misuse has led to a radically unsustainable condition. "Today, there's a complete mismatch between the useful lifespan of the products we consume and their persistence in the environment." Prominent examples of offending products are the ubiquitous throwaway water bottles, Teflon-coated dental floss and cotton swabs made with plastic PVC sticks. All are typically used for a matter of seconds or minutes, yet are essentially non-biodegradable and will persist in the environment, sometimes for millennia.
Despite the scourge of discarded plastics and the health risks these substances pose, Halden is optimistic that society can begin to make wiser choices and develop more sustainable products, formed from biodegradable, non-toxic chemical building blocks.
New forms of polymer, some made from renewable materials that are digestible by microorganisms, are being explored.
Ultimately, converting to petroleum-free construction materials for use in smart and sustainable plastics will become a necessity, driven not only by health and environmental concerns but by the world's steadily declining oil supply. As Halden emphasizes, the manufacture of plastics currently accounts for about 8 percent of the world's petroleum use, a sizeable chunk, which ultimately contributes to another global concern—the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
"We are at a critical juncture," Halden warns, "and cannot continue under the modus that has been established. If we're smart, we'll look for replacement materials, so that we don't have this mismatch—good for a minute and contaminating for 10,000 years."
Translation - Croatian Opasnosti plastične mase: Rizici za ljudsko zdravlje i okoliš
Plastika nas okružuju. Nezamjenjiv je sastojak za proizvodnju u gotovo svakoj postojećoj industriji, i pojavljuje se u velikom postotku proizvoda koje svakodnevno koristimo. Iako bi bilo teško zamisliti moderan život bez ove univerzalne kemije, plastični proizvodi imaju i svoju tamnu stranu, djelomično zahvaljujući karakteristikama koje ih čine toliko poželjnima - izdržljivost i dugovječnost.
Rolf Halden, izvanredni profesor u školi za održivi inženjering u Arizona State University i pomoćnik ravnatelja odjela za biotehnologiju okoliša u Zavodu za biodizajn, proučio je postojeću znanstvenu literaturu na temu opasnosti plastičnih masa za ljudsko zdravlje i ekosustave o kojima ovisimo. Njegova su otkrića, objavljena u najnovijem broju Annual Review of Public Health, otrježnjavajuća.
Danas se plastična masa akumulira na odlagalištima otpada i u sve većoj mjeri uzrokuje onečišćenja svjetskih oceana i mora. Plastika i njezine primjese ne nalaze se samo oko nas, već i unutar gotovo svakog od nas - u mjerljivim omjerima nalaze se našoj krvi i urinu, unosimo ih hranom koju jedemo, vodom koju pijemo i iz drugih izvora.
Haldenovo istraživanje ističe da su posljedice plastičnog otpada za okoliš akutne. Mjerenja iz najzagađenijihh dijelova svjetskih oceana pokazuju da količine plastične mase šesterostruko premašuje količinu planktona. Površine smeća u oceanima - neke veličine Texasa – sadrže velike količine biološki nerazgradive plastike. Vodene ptice i ribe sve češće postaju žrtve jer prirodni procesi biorazgradnje ne mogu ukloniti ovaj dugotrajni otpad.
Tek sada počinjemo u potpunosti shvaćati kolike je količine plastičnog otpada stvorilo naše društvo. U SAD-u, prosječna osoba stvori pola kilograma plastičnog otpada dnevno. U svijetu se godišnje proizvede oko 300 milijuna tona plastike – brojka koja će se neizbježno povećati otkrivanjem novih oblika plastičnih masa kako bi se zadovoljili pohlepni globalni apetiti. Halden ističe kako bi već sadašnja godišnja proizvodnja plastike mogla naputniti vagone vlaka koji bi u neprekidnom lancu okružio cijelu kuglu zemaljsku. „Osuđeni smo živjeti s jučerašnjim zagađenjem i situaciju još više pogoršavamo svakodnevnim ponavljanjem istih pogrešaka“ kaže Halden.
Štetni učinci na ljudsko zdravlje i dalje spada među iznimno kontrverzne teme, iako se nazire konsenzus da plastika i njezine primjese nisu uvijek bezazleni pratioci kakvima smo ih smatrali. Halden kaže da je pristao pisati o plastici i ljudskom zdravlju „jer ta tema zorno prikazuje sve veći problem kako stvoriti održivu budućnost za modernu civilizaciju.“
Dvije široke kategorije kemikalija povezanih s plastikom od kritične su važnosti za ljudsko zdravlje – bisfenol-A ili BPA, i primjese koje se koriste pri sintezi plastike, a poznate su pod nazivom phtalati. Halden objašnjava kako je plastika polimer – dugi nizovi molekula najčešće sačinjeni od ugljika, vodika, kisika i/ili silicija međusobno povezanih ili polimeriziranih. Različiti polimerni nizovi mogu se koristiti za tvorbu raznih oblika plastike s jedinstvenim i korisnim svojstvima.
BPA je osnovni građevni materijal polikarbonskih plastika, koje se koriste u izradi boca za vodu, pakiranja za hranu i slično. Iako je smatran bezopasnim u obliku čvrsto umreženih polimera, njegove veze tijekom vremena, a usred opetovanog pranja plastike, izlaganja toplini ili drugim naprezanjima, mogu puknuti i pritom osloboditi građevne blokove kemikalije koji su toksični. BPA se od 1940ih prepoznaje kao kemikalija koja razorno utječe na endokrini sustav i ometa normalne funkcije hormona.
Uz zdravstvene rizike povezane s BPA tu je i činjenica da se plastici obično dodaju i druge primjese, kao što su plastifikatori. Tijekom vremena mnogi su od tih potencijalno otrovnih primjesa topivi u vodi. Među najčešćim je kemijkalija di-etilheksil phtalat ili DEHP. U nekim proizvodima, posebice medicinskim uređajima uključujući intravenske vrećice ili cijevi, aditivi kao što je DEHP mogu sačinjavati 40 ili 50 posto proizvoda. "Ako vam je u bolnici uvedena infuzija," Halden objašnjava, "kemikaliju koja curi van ulazi direktno u vaš krvotok, bez prilike za detoksikaciju u crijevima. To može dovesti do izloženosti nezdravim razinama kemikalija, posebno kod osjetljive populacije, kao što je novorođenčad. "
Koji su sveukupni učinci plastike koju smo nesvjesno progutali? Unatoč istraživanjima provedenim u posljednjih pola stoljeća, literatura koju je Halden pregledao još je uvijek nejasna. Dio problema leži u nedostatku kvalitetne kontrole nad proučavanjem zdravstvenih ishoda, jer je izloženost plastici globalni fenomen, i pronalaženje ispitanika za usporedbu koji nisu izloženi utjecaju plastike gotovo je nemoguće. Poznato je, međutim, da se posljedice razlikuju ovisno o tome tko je izložen i kada. Dojenčad, trudnice i dojilje pod povećanim su rizikom od izloženosti BPA i aditivima kao što je DEHP.
Ove godine u siječnju američka Agencija za hranu i lijekove (Food and Drug Adminisration, FDA) objavila je izmjene svojih tvrdnji iz 2008. godine o sigurnosti bisfenola-A, izražavajući zabrinutost o "mogućim učincima BPA na mozak, ponašanja i prostatu fetusa, dojenčadi i djece," obećavši da će surađivati s drugim saveznim zdravstvenim agencijama na ponovnoj procjeni sigurnosti navedene kemikalije.
Proučavanje učinaka izloženosti niskim dozama je nezgodno i obično predviđa vrlo veliki broj ispitanika. Umjesto toga, epidemiolozi koji prate problem zaključke često temelje na podacima prikupljenim promatranjem osoba za koje se zna da imaju izrazito visoke razine kemikalije – često kao rezulat visokog stupnja izloženosti na poslu. Halden inzistira da su daljna istraživanja izloženosti niskim dozama bitna za rješavanje zdravstvenih rizika, te iznosi dokaze iz literature koji sugeriraju da bi istraživanja izloženosti visokim dozama moglo biti neadekvatno za temeljito razumijevanje toksičnih učinaka neprestane izloženosti niskim dozama.
Halden objašnjava kako je ispravna uporaba plastike korisna za društvo, međutim drska zlouporaba dovela je do radikalno neodrživog stanju. "Danas postoji potpuna neusklađenost između korisnog životnog vijeka proizvoda i njihova zadržavanja u okolišu." Istaknuti primjeri proizvoda su sveprisutne boce za vodu, zubni konac obložen teflonom i plastični dršci štapića za uši. Svi se ovi proizvodi obično koriste tek nekoliko sekundi ili minuta, međutim nisu biorazgradivi i u okolišu će postojati ponekad i tisućljećima.
Unatoč pošasti odbačene plastike i zdravstvenih rizika koje ove tvari predstavljaju, Halden je optimističan u uvjerenje da društvo može početi donositi pametnije odluke i izraditi održive proizvode od biorazgradivih netoksičnih kemijskih građevnih tvari.
Istražuju se novi oblici polimera od kojih su neki napravljeni od obnovljivih materijala koje mikroorganizmi mogu probaviti.
Napokon, okretanje građevnim tvarima koje ne sadrže naftu za uporabu proizvodnji pametnih i održivih plastičnih masa postati će nužda potaknuta ne samo zdravstvenim i ekološkim pokazateljima već i opadanjem svjetskih zaliha nafte. Kao što Halden ističe, proizvodnja plastičnih masa trenutno zauzima oko 8 posto cjelokupnog iskorištavanja nafte u globalnim razmjerima, što je veliki postotak koji u konačnici pridonosi još jednom globalnom problemu - akumulaciji ugljičnog dioksida u atmosferi.
"Nalazimo se u kritičnom trenutku," upozorava Halden, "i ne može nastaviti na isti način. Ako smo pametni, potražiti ćemo zamjenske materijale tako da nemamo ovu neusklađenost - dobro sada, a uzrokuje zagađenje slijedećih 10.000 godina. "
Firstly, I have to say I am a linguist and language enthusiast! To be able to participate in the linguistic world as a translator is all I want. I have come to this conclusion as a student and have started translating as a volunteer just for the fun of it.
Since I graduated History and English Language and Literature, in Rijeka I have become passionate about translating History as well as Fiction and Non fiction. I have translated chapters for friends and strive to make my way into literary translators club.
In the past years, though, I have gathered important experience in other fields. I have translated hotel brochures for Booking.com, technical projects (IT, software and hardware manuals, operational manuals, websites) for Ando Translation, as well as general materials for E-glas d.o.o., Science and Technology Park of the University of Rijeka Ltd and Prestige S d.o.o.
I also love teaching, and I work as a part-time assistant professor at the Faculty of Maritime Studies.
I am not afraid, but am enthusiastic about threading new ground, working for new clients to the benefit of everyone!
As I said, written word thrills me, and being a part of this creative and intercultural mechanism I deem translation to be is all in life I need. If you are looking for an enthusiastic, young but professional and dedicated translator, I am the one to call! I will make sure to satisfy all parties involved, from client to end-users!
Katarina Frgacic 
Expertise 