Looking for expert Czech translation services? Since 2003, Green Crescent has been delivering professional translation services between English and Czech to clients worldwide. We specialize in various industries, including legal, technical, marketing, and business sectors. Our team ensures precise, high-quality translations tailored to your specific requirements. Get a fast, free Czech translation quote today!
Our Comprehensive Czech Translation Services
Green Crescent’s skilled team of Czech translators includes subject matter experts for industry-specific needs. We provide translations tailored to various dialects and regional variations of Czech, ensuring linguistic accuracy and cultural relevance.
- Standard Czech (official and formal usage)
- Common Czech (informal, spoken variety)
- Regional Czech dialects (spoken in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia)
We specialize in both English to Czech and Czech to English translations, offering the following services:
Simple Translation
Our simple translations in the English/Czech language pair are designed for basic communication needs. These translations are completed by a single Czech translator without the involvement of an editor or proofreader, and therefore should not be considered final or suitable for most professional or formal use cases. While typically of high quality, simple translations are essentially "rough drafts" that do not go through additional editing, proofreading, or other quality control processes. These translations are ideal for personal letters, informal communications, initial drafts that will later be revised, or for situations where you need to quickly understand the general meaning or "gist" of a Czech text.
Standard Translation (TEP)
Our Standard Czech Translation service is designed to provide high-quality translations for everyday use, including business correspondence, websites, reports, presentations, and similar content. This service includes translation, editing, and proofreading (TEP) to ensure the highest level of accuracy and clarity in your Czech communications.
Organization Critical Translation (TEP+)
Our Organization Critical Czech Translation service is designed for situations where perfection is essential. This option is recommended for texts intended for large-scale printing, technical documents, legal contracts and patents, medical documents, or any case where an error could be critical or costly. Each translated line is reviewed by a minimum of three linguists, with multiple rounds of proofreading. Subject matter experts (SMEs) may be involved as needed throughout the Czech translation, editing, and proofreading (TEP) process.
Bilingual Editing
Bilingual Editing for Czech Translation is the process of editing a translated text by comparing both the source and target texts in the English/Czech language pair. The editor, fluent in the source language and a native speaker of Czech, ensures that the translation is accurate, consistent, and faithful to the source text while also maintaining clarity and fluency in Czech. This step occurs after the initial translation in our TEP (Translation, Editing, Proofreading) Organization Critical and Standard Translation services. We also offer this service as a standalone option for translations completed by individuals or organizations not affiliated with Green Crescent.
Proofreading
With each additional round of editing and proofreading, the error rate of a document approaches the perfection horizon. Our proofreading service for English to Czech and Czech to English translations involves reviewing a single-language text to identify and correct surface-level errors, such as spelling mistakes, grammar issues, punctuation errors, and formatting inconsistencies. This step is the final phase in our TEP (Translation, Editing, Proofreading) Organization Critical and Standard translation services. We also offer proofreading as a standalone service for translations completed by individuals or organizations not affiliated with Green Crescent.
Legal Translation
Green Crescent's elite team of linguists, each with subject matter expertise in specialized legal fields, is ready to assist you with the translation of a wide range of judicial, administrative, and private legal documents between Czech and English. Nearly all countries recognize that submitting documents for translation does not compromise attorney-client privilege. Furthermore, we can implement enhanced security measures to ensure strict confidentiality upon request.
Technical Translation
Technical translations involve any text that features specialized vocabulary or language registers, necessitating additional research and terminology verification. Common technical subject matter includes legal, medical, scientific, engineering, and IT topics, but any text that utilizes industry-specific terminology or neologisms may be considered technical in nature. These translations cannot be executed by generalists alone; they require the expertise of linguists with in-depth knowledge of the relevant technical field in both Czech and English.
Medical Translation
Green Crescent has established protocols to ensure compliance with HIPAA and HITECH regulations, which you can learn more about here. Our Czech medical translations are treated as "organization critical," unless otherwise specified, and we are committed to implementing the necessary digital security measures and legal safeguards for every project subject to HIPAA and HITECH requirements. Our team of skilled linguists, specialized in medical terminology, ensures that your translations are both accurate and secure.
Localization
Our translation services are tailored for specific target markets that require non-standard varieties or dialects of the Czech language. Green Crescent is equipped to accommodate requests for localized Czech translation, ensuring that your content resonates with the intended audience. Our experienced linguists are well-versed in the nuances of regional Czech dialects, allowing us to provide translations that are not only accurate but also culturally relevant and engaging. By focusing on the unique linguistic characteristics of Czech, we help you effectively connect with your audience and enhance the impact of your message.
Website, App, and Software Localization for Czech
At Green Crescent, we leverage our extensive experience in software development to provide specialized Czech localization services. We excel in adapting your website, app, or software’s content, design, and functionality for Czech-speaking audiences. Whether you need a fully multilingual solution or specific adaptations for Czech, our services encompass translating text, adjusting images, and modifying layouts. We also adapt and program code for both mobile and desktop applications, ensuring that your app functions seamlessly across Czech-speaking regions while adhering to platform-specific guidelines. Let us help you create an engaging and culturally relevant experience for your Czech-speaking users.
Back-translation
Back-translation is often a crucial component of the quality control process, particularly when translating highly technical documents or for critical translations in the Czech/English language pair where an error could have significant consequences. This process involves an independent linguist translating a previously translated text back into its original source language—either Czech or English—without reference to the original document. The resulting text is then compared to the original translation to verify its intelligibility, accuracy, and suitability for its intended use. Back-translation is also relevant in situations such as the translation of legal documents, medical texts, and marketing materials, where precise wording is essential. It can be particularly beneficial when adapting content for different cultural contexts, ensuring that the intended message is preserved and resonates appropriately with the target audience in both Czech and English.
Peer Review
Green Crescent offers professional focus group services that include a comprehensive "read-through" conducted by one or more linguists who were not involved in the original translation process. This approach allows for an unbiased assessment of the translation's quality, style, and overall fitness for its intended purpose. The focus group can evaluate various aspects of the text, including linguistic accuracy, cultural relevance, and the effectiveness of the messaging in reaching the target audience. Feedback is provided on how well the translation conveys the original intent and nuances of the source material, ensuring that it resonates with readers in both Czech and English contexts.
SME Review
Subject Matter Expert (SME) review is a specialized form of peer review conducted by non-linguist professionals with deep expertise in specific fields. This process is particularly important for Czech to English or English to Czech translations of highly technical texts, ensuring that the content is both linguistically accurate and technically precise. In fields such as legal, medical, scientific, and engineering, SMEs help verify the correct use of industry-specific terminology, adherence to regulatory or technical standards, and the contextual relevance of the translated material. By incorporating SME review into the translation process, we ensure that your final product is not only fluent and culturally appropriate but also technically sound and ready for professional use in both Czech- and English-speaking markets.
Transcreation
Our Czech Transcreation Service goes beyond simple translation by creatively adapting your content to resonate with Czech-speaking audiences. At Green Crescent, we ensure that your brand’s messages, campaigns, and communications maintain their original intent, emotional impact, and tone, while aligning with the cultural and linguistic nuances of the target market. Whether it’s marketing, branding, or advertising, we reimagine your content to feel authentic and compelling in Czech, helping your brand connect meaningfully and effectively with Czech-speaking audiences.
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full)
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full) refers to the comprehensive post-editing of a machine-translated text between Czech and English, ensuring the final product meets the highest standards of linguistic quality. In this process, once the machine generates the translation, a skilled human editor thoroughly reviews the entire content, ensuring that it is not only accurate in meaning but also flows naturally and fluently in the target language. This detailed editing process includes correcting grammar, syntax, and terminology, adapting the text for the intended audience, and ensuring it adheres to any stylistic preferences or regulatory requirements. MTPE-Full is suitable for business-critical texts where precision and quality are paramount.
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light)
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light) is a more streamlined version of post-editing, designed for situations where speed and cost-efficiency are prioritized over linguistic perfection. In this process, the human editor focuses primarily on fixing major errors and ensuring that the overall meaning of the machine-translated text is clear and understandable in the target language (Czech or English). While MTPE-Light may not deliver a translation that is fully Czeched or ready for publication, it provides an efficient and cost-effective solution for internal documents, reports, and communications where basic comprehension is sufficient.
Additional Language Services and Options for Czech
Certified Translation
Green Crescent provides certified translations of a wide range of legal documents, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, diplomas, school transcripts, passports, and much more, in both Czech and English. Our certified translations are recognized for their accuracy and compliance with legal standards, making them suitable for official use. You can receive hard copies of our standard certificate of translation mailed directly to your home or business.
Rush Service
If you require expedited service, Green Crescent can usually accommodate such requests. However, please note that rushing translations often comes with trade-offs, which may affect both price and consistency. Please consult with a project manager for more details.
Discounts
Volume discounts are available for large projects, long-term clients, and for non-profits, charities, NGOs, and government organizations.
Minimum Fee
There is a minimum project fee of $75.00 USD per language, which can be reduced or waived for regular clients.
Additional Language Services
In addition to translation, Green Crescent offers a range of other Czech language services, including interpretation, transcription, website design and development, and desktop publishing.
About the Czech Language
Czech is the official language of the Czech Republic and is spoken by over 10 million people worldwide. As a member of the West Slavic language group, it shares linguistic roots with Slovak, Polish, and other Slavic languages. Czech boasts a rich literary and cultural history, with renowned authors like Karel Čapek and Milan Kundera contributing significantly to world literature.
Czech: Cultural Significance and Linguistic Features
Czech holds a unique place in Central European history and culture. The language has evolved over centuries, maintaining a close connection to its historical roots while adapting to modern contexts. Its literary tradition, including works like "R.U.R." by Karel Čapek (which introduced the word "robot"), underscores the language's cultural and technological impact.
One of the most distinctive features of Czech is its grammatical complexity, particularly in the areas of noun cases and verb conjugations. For example, Czech uses seven grammatical cases that change the form of nouns depending on their role in the sentence—a concept unfamiliar to English speakers. Translating this accurately requires deep linguistic knowledge to preserve meaning and grammatical integrity.
The Writing System: A Phonetic and Grammatical Challenge
Czech Script: Czech uses the Latin alphabet with additional diacritics to represent sounds unique to the language, such as "č," "ř," and "ž." These characters play a critical role in pronunciation and meaning, so attention to detail is essential in translation. Incorrect diacritic use can lead to confusion or misinterpretation.
Loanwords and Influence: Czech has absorbed a variety of loanwords from German, Latin, and more recently, English. However, unlike many languages, Czech tends to preserve its native vocabulary and grammar, making it less susceptible to external influence. This makes Czech translations more focused on preserving cultural context and linguistic authenticity, rather than relying on borrowed terms.
Regional Dialects and Variations
Although standard Czech is widely used in media and formal communication, regional dialects such as Moravian Czech still play an important role in everyday conversation, especially outside of Prague. These dialects can differ significantly in vocabulary and pronunciation, so understanding the audience's linguistic background is key when localizing content for different Czech-speaking regions.
Key Linguistic Differences Between Czech and English for Translation
Sentence Structure: Czech follows a relatively flexible word order due to its case system, allowing for emphasis and nuance that differs from English's Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. For instance, "I read a book" in English may translate to "Čtu knihu" in Czech, where the word order can vary depending on emphasis without changing the basic meaning.
Grammatical Gender and Cases: Unlike English, Czech nouns are gendered (masculine, feminine, and neuter) and the language uses a complex system of cases to indicate grammatical relationships between words. For example, the word "book" (kniha) changes to "knihu" when it's the object of a sentence. These changes must be carefully considered in translation to maintain clarity and accuracy.
Verb Aspects: Czech verbs use both perfective and imperfective aspects to indicate whether an action is completed or ongoing. This can be challenging for English speakers, as English lacks a direct equivalent. For example, "psát" (to write, imperfective) means "to be writing" or "to write habitually," while "napsat" (to write, perfective) means "to have written" or "to complete writing."
Politeness Levels: Similar to other Slavic languages, Czech distinguishes between formal and informal speech. "Ty" is used for informal settings, while "Vy" is used in formal or respectful interactions. This impacts both verb conjugation and overall tone, making it critical for business or legal translations.
Idiomatic Expressions: Czech is rich in idiomatic expressions that don't always translate directly into English. For example, "Hází flintu do žita" literally means "throws a rifle into the rye," but it is understood as "giving up." These cultural nuances must be adapted carefully for the target audience to preserve the intended meaning.
Green Crescent ensures that our Czech translation services are linguistically precise and culturally relevant. Whether translating technical documents, marketing content, or legal contracts, our expert translators consider these linguistic nuances to deliver high-quality, accurate translations that resonate with Czech-speaking audiences.
An Insight into Czech Wit and Expression
This passage is from The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek, first published in 1921. The novel is a significant work in 20th-century Czech literature, known for its satirical critique of war and bureaucracy.
- Czech: "To chce klid, žádná vojna se nevyhrává rychlostí."
- English Translation: "Take it easy, no war is won by speed."