Sovražnost postaja politično orodje

Hatred is becoming a political tool

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner

Žalostnih ali grozljivih stvari, ki so se nam zgodile, se ne spominjamo radi.

We do not like to remember the sad or horrible things that happened to us.

A spomine je treba ohraniti, da ne pozabimo. Ljubljene osebe, ki je ni več. Ali tragičnih dogodkov, ki se ne smejo ponoviti.

But memories should be kept in mind so that we do not forget. A beloved person who is gone. Or tragic events that cannot be repeated.

Žalostne in grozljive stvari se namreč ne dogajajo samo enemu človeku, ampak tudi velikim skupinam ljudi.

Sad and horrible things do not only happen to one person, but also to large groups of people.

Med takimi je holokavst.

Among these is the Holocaust.

Z besedo holokavst označujemo množični poboj Judov in pripadnikov nekaterih drugih narodov, ras ali etničnih skupin med drugo svetovno vojno.

The word Holocaust denotes the mass murder of Jews and members of some other nations, races or ethnic groups during World War II.

Mnoge med njimi so ubili v koncentracijskem taborišču Auschwitz. Preživeli so tisti, ki so dočakali 27. januar 1945. Takrat so ruski vojaki vkorakali v taborišče in jih osvobodili.

Many of them were killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Those who survived until January 27, 1945 lived. At that time, Russian soldiers marched into the camp and freed them.

Prav zaradi grozot, ki so se zgodile med drugo svetovno vojno, so po njej sestavili Splošno deklaracijo o človekovih pravicah. V tej piše, da se vsi rodijo svobodni in imajo enake pravice.

It was precisely because of the horrors that took place during the Second World War that the General Declaration on Human Rights was drawn up. It says that all are born free and have the same rights.

Vsako leto 27. januarja po svetu pripravijo številne dogodke v spomin in opomin.

Every year, on 27 January around the world, numerous events are prepared to remember and mark the events.

V Evropski komisiji so pred tem dnem objavili rezultate raziskave o mnenju Evropejcev glede antisemitizma. Ta je pokazala na velik razkorak v doživljanju antisemitizma. 89 odstotkov Judov pravi, da se je antisemitizem v zadnjih petih letih močno povečal. Enako meni 36 odstotkov splošne javnosti.

Before this day, the European Commission published the results of a survey on the opinions of Europeans on anti-Semitism. This has shown a huge gap in the experience of anti-Semitism. Eighty-nine percent of Jews say that anti-Semitism has increased sharply over the past five years. At the same time, only 36% of the general public think this way.

Povprečno le štirje od desetih Evropejcev menijo, da je holokavstu v šolah namenjene dovolj pozornosti, 34 odstotkov vprašanih pa jih ne ve, da je zanikanje holokavsta kaznivo dejanje.

On average, only four out of ten Europeans believe that the Holocaust is given enough attention in schools, and 34% of respondents do not know that Holocaust denial is a crime.

Po besedah prvega podpredsednika Komisije Fransa Timmermansa sovražnost spet postaja politično orodje, judovske skupnosti pa prepogosto živijo v strahu pred diskriminacijo, zlorabo in celo nasiljem.

According to the First Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, hostility is again becoming a political tool, and the Jewish communities are too often living in fear of discrimination, abuse and even violence.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Britanski poslanci so zavrnili sporazum o brexitu

British MPs have rejected a Brexit agreement

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner

V Veliki Britaniji je bil včeraj pomemben dan.

In the UK, yesterday was an important day.

Poslanci so zvečer glasovali o tem, ali podpirajo sporazum med Veliko Britanijo in Evropsko unijo. Ta določa, na kakšen način naj Velika Britanija zapusti Evropsko unijo.

MPs voted in the evening whether they supported an agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. It sets out how the UK should leave the European Union.

Britanska premierka Theresa May se je o sporazumu dolgo dogovarjala s predstavniki Evropske unije v Bruslju.

British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed on a long-standing deal with representatives of the European Union in Brussels.

Toda poslanci so zavrnili ta dogovor. Premierka ima sedaj na voljo tri dneve, da pripravi tako imenovani plan B.

But the MPs rejected this agreement. The Premier now has three days now to prepare the so-called Plan B.

29. marca se namreč izteče rok za brexit. Lahko se celo zgodi, da Velika Britanija zapusti Evropsko unijo brez dogovora.

On March 29, the deadline for Brexit expires. It may even happen that Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement.

Brexit oziroma odločitev o izstopu Velike Britanije iz Evropske unije so britanski volivci izglasovali na posebnih volitvah, ki se jim reče referendum. Leta 2016 je dobra polovica odločila, naj njihova država po 43 letih zapusti Evropsko unijo.

British voters voted in favuor of Brexit or the decision for the UK to leave the European Union in a special elections called a referendum. In 2016, more than half decided that their country should leave the European Union after 43 years.

Mnogi so že kmalu obžalovali svojo odločitev. Želeli so, naj jim omogočijo ponovno glasovanje.

Many soon regretted their decision. They wanted to vote again.

Tudi njih so zastopali poslanci, ki so glasovali proti sporazumu o ločitvi med Veliko Britanijo in EU.

They were also represented by MPs who voted against the Withdrawal Agreement between Great Britain and the EU.

A proti sporazumu niso bili samo tisti, ki so se premislili, in tisti, ki že od samega začetka niso bili za razhod. Premierke niso podprli niti tisti, ki želijo, da Velika Britanija zapusti Evropsko unijo.

However, the deal was opposed not only by those who changed their minds, but also those who had been “Remainers” from the very beginning. The Premiere was not even supported by those who want Britain to leave the European Union.

Prepričani so namreč, da je sporazum v takšni obliki slab za Veliko Britanijo.

They are convinced that the agreement in this form is bad for Great Britain.

Otroci tedaj niso mogli voliti. Lahko pa so povedali, kaj si o brexitu mislijo.

Children could not vote. They could have said what they thoughr about Brexit.

»Morali bi ostati,« je v britanskem časopisu First News dejala tedaj devetletna Madeleine. »Da smo del Evropske unije, ni še nikomur škodovalo. Pomaga tudi preprečevati vojne, ker smo prijatelji z mnogimi državami.«

"We should stay," said nine-year-old Madeleine in the First News newspaper in Britain. "Being part of the European Union has not hurt anyone. It also helps to prevent wars because we are friends with many countries. "

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Skupini delfinov si delita Tržaški zaliv

Dolphins share the Gulf of Trieste

Written by Dr. Katja Žerjavič., translated by JL Flanner

Delfine najbolj ogrožajo ribolov, onesnaženo okolje in podnebne spremembe.

Dolphins are most endangered by fishing, the polluted environment and climate change.

Na srečo pa delfini sodijo med karizmatične živalske vrste. Proučujejo jih mnogi biologi in s tem jih tudi pomagajo ohraniti.

Fortunately dolphins are a charismatic species. They are studied by many biologists, who thus help them to survive.

Nekatere vrste so kljub temu že zelo ogrožene in njihovo število se hitro zmanjšuje.

However, some species are already very vulnerable, and their numbers are rapidly decreasing.

Med njimi zaenkrat še ni velikih pliskavk. To so tisti delfini, ki živijo tudi v našem morju.

There are the common bottlenose dolphins are not among these yet. These are the dolphins that live in our seas.

Tilen Genov iz društva Morigenos je že pred mnogimi leti s sodelavci začel raziskovati družabno življenje velikih pliskavk v Tržaskem zalivu.

Tilen Genov from the Morigenos Society began collaborating with colleagues many years ago to explore the social life of large porpoises in the Gulf of Trieste.

Med drugim so opazili, da se na istem območju zaliva nahajata dve skupini delfinov, vendar nikoli istočasno. Ena skupina se je vedno zbrala zjutraj, druga pa zvečer.

Among other things, it has been observed that there are two dolphin groups in the same area of the bay, but never at the same time. One group was always meeting there in the morning, the other in the evening.

Image: Tilen Genov, Morigeno

To jih je presenetilo, saj takšnega ločevanja glede na del dneva doslej še niso zasledili.

This surprised the researchers, as they had not yet seen such segregation according to the time of day.

»Če se delfini zberejo na nekem območju vsak dan ob istem času, jih lahko ogrozita ribolov in pomorski promet,« pojasnjuje raziskovalec morskih sesalcev.

"If dolphins gather in a certain area every day at the same time, they can be endangered by fishing and maritime traffic," explains the marine mammal researcher.

»Poznavanje časovnih vzorcev je za učinkovito varstvo živali izredno pomembno. Če vemo, kdaj bodo priplavali, lahko te dejavnosti prestavimo na takrat, ko je živali manj ali ko se ravno ne prehranjujejo oziroma ko počivajo.«

"Knowing time patterns is of vital importance for the effective protection of animals. If we know when they will swim, we can move certain activities to when fewer animals are there, or when they are not eating or resting. "

Ugotovili so še, da so delfini zelo izbirčni pri tem, s kom se družijo. V vsaki skupini so bili dolgoletni prijatelji, ki pa so se delfinom iz druge skupine izogibali.

They also found that dolphins are very picky about who they hang out with. Each group was made up of long-standing friends who avoided dolphins from the other group.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here, while all our posts on the Slovene language are here

Snežak na koncu Osončja

Snowman at the end of the Solar System

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner

Kaj imajo skupnega rdečkasti snežak na koncu Osončja in nova spoznanja o rojstvu planetov?

What does a reddish snowman at the end of the Solar System have to do with new insights on the birth of planets?

Na novega leta dan je vesoljsko plovilo Nova obzorja oziroma New Horizons na Zemljo poslalo prve posnetke najbolj oddaljenega nebesnega telesa v zgodovini raziskovanja vesolja. Poimenovali so ga Ultima Thule.

On New Year's Eve, the New Horizons spacecraft sent back to Earth the first images of the farthest celestial body yet encountered in the history of space exploration. It is called Ultima Thule.

Njegova oblika je posebna in nenavadna. Spominja namreč na rdečega snežaka.

Its shape is special and unusual. It resembles a red snowman.

Ultima Thule. Vir: NasaUltima Thule. Vir: Nasa

Znanstveniki v ameriški vesoljski agenciji Nasa pravijo, da česa takega še niso videli.

Scientists at the US Space Agency NASA say that they have not seen anything like this.

»Plovilo Nova obzorja je kot časovni stroj. Popeljalo nas je v čas, ko je nastalo Osončje. Opazujemo lahko rojstvo planetov, zamrznjeno v času,« je dejal znanstvenik Jeff Moore.

“The New Horizon spacecraft is like a time machine. It took us to the time when the Solar System was being formed. We can observe the birth of planets, frozen in time," said scientist Jeff Moore.

Oblika nebesnega telesa ni zanimiva le zaradi tega, ker je nenavadna, ampak tudi zato, ker bo znanstvenikom razkrila, kako so pred štirimi milijardami let in pol nastali planeti.

The shape of the celestial body is not only interesting because it is unusual, but also because it will reveal to scientists how the planets were created four and a half billion years ago.

»In to ne le tisti v našem Osončju, ampak tudi tisti, ki krožijo okoli drugih zvezd v galaksiji,« je dodal Nasin znanstvenik.

"And it's not just those in our Solar System, but also those that circulate around other stars in the galaxy," added the NASA scientist.

Ultima Thule je od Zemlje oddaljen več kot šest milijard kilometrov. Nahaja se v Kuiperjevem pasu, ki se razteza daleč za orbito Neptuna, najbolj oddaljenega planeta našega Osončja.

Ultima Thule is more than six billion kilometres from Earth. It is located in the Kuiper belt, which extends far beyond the orbit of Neptune, the farthest planet of our Solar System.

Astrofizik dr. Brian May, znan tudi kot član skupine Queen, je dvanajstletnemu potovanju plovila Nova obzorja posvetil tudi posebno skladbo.

The Astrophysicist Dr. Brian May, also known as a member of the group Queen group, wrote a special song to mark the twelve-year journey of New Horizon.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Ilka Štuhec spet na stopničkah

Ilka Štuhec returns to the podium

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner

Smučarski navdušenci so si lahko oddahnili.

Ski fans can relax.

Priljubljena alpska smučarka Ilka Štuhec se je po letu dni in pol znova povzpela na stopničke.

The beloved Alpine skier, Ilka Štuhec, is back on the podium after a year and a half.

Na smuku v Val Gardeni je prepričljivo zmagala.

She won a convincing victory at Val Gardena.

»Od srca se mi je odvalila velika skala,« je dejala smučarka po nastopu.

"A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders (literally: “a great rock has rolled out of my heart") ,” said the skier after her performance.

Dodala je, da si je zastavila visoke cilje. Zdelo se ji je, da so celo previsoki, saj jih ni mogla doseči. Ilka namreč dolgo ni smučala zaradi poškodbe kolena.

She added that she set high goals. It seemed that they were even too high, because they could not be reached. Ilka did not ski for a long time because of a knee injury.

Sedaj ji je zato lažje pri srcu. Ko je stala na zmagovalnem odru, je razmišljala: »Da je čudovito spet super smučati in stati na najvišji stopnički.«

Now it's easier for her. When she stood on the winning podium, she thought: "It's wonderful to ski again and stand on top of the slope."

Ilka Štuhec je v svetovnem pokalu sedaj zmagala osmic, petkrat je na najvišji stopnički stala prav v smuku.

Ilka Štuhec has now won her eighth World Cup, and five of these are for downhill skiing.

Po številu zmag v svetovnem pokalu je zdaj prehitela Matejo Svet in se izenačila z Bojanom Križajem. S petimi smukaškimi zmagami pa je tudi najboljša slovenska smukačica. Tina Maze je zlato medaljo v smuku osvojila le štirikrat.

In terms of the number of World Cup victories, she now has more than Mateja Svet and is equal to Bojan Kriza. With five ski wins, she is also the best Slovenian skier. Tina Maze won the gold medal only four times.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

December 18, 2018

While Paul McCartney is said to sometimes fly in for some fishing it’s not often that a triple-A superstar visits Slovenia for show, and even rarer that they sit down for an interview with the local media. It was thus a special day in 1996 when David Bowie was in the country, and a day that was made even more special for Marcel Štefančič, the veteran journalist who over the years has written about everything from politics to cinema, but at this time got to sit down with the Starman himself. It’s a surprisingly good interview, given how Bowie couldn’t have known it would have such a wide audience, or such a long life, but for our purposes the focus is on the subtitles and their educational potential. So relax, maybe grab a pen and paper, and learn a little Slovene with the Dame.

Unfortunately, only a small portion of the interview is available online.

Protestirajo otroci, protestirajo odrasli

Protesting children, protesting adults

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner

 Vsakdo ima pravico do izobraževanja in vsakdo ima pravico do počitka. Vsakdo ima pravico do dela in vsakdo ima pravico do takšne življenjske ravni, ki zagotavlja njemu in njegovi družini zdravje in blaginjo.

Everyone has the right to education and everyone has the right to time off. Everyone has the right to work and everyone has the right to such a standard of living that provides them and their family with health and well-being.

To med drugim piše v splošni deklaraciji človekovih pravic. Sprejeli so jo 10. decembra pred sedemdesetimi leti v Parizu.

This is said, among other things, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was adopted on December 10, 1970 in Paris.

Ob letošnjem svetovnem dnevu človekovih pravic v Združenih narodih (ZN) poudarjajo, da so človekove pravice univerzalne in večne; pripadajo vsem enako, ne glede na starost, spol ali barvo kože.

This year's World Human Rights Day in the United Nations (UN) marks that human rights are universal and eternal, and belong the same to everyone, regardless of age, sex or colour of their skin.

To na primer pomeni, da imajo tudi otroci pravico do zdravega življenjskega okolja.

For example, this means that children also have the right to a healthy living environment.

Odrasli na to pogosto pozabijo. Otroci jih zato vse glasneje opozarjajo, naj vendar poskrbijo za okolje in s tem za prihodnost otrok in planeta. Ker jim niso prisluhnili, so denimo že protestirali otroci na Švedskem in otroci v Avstraliji.

Adults often forget about this. Children are thus warning them, loudly, that they should take care of the environment and thus the future of both young people and the planet. For example, because adults ignore them children in Sweden and Australia have already protested.

In tudi zdaj ne kaže, da se bodo svetovni voditelj uspeli dogovoriti, kako bodo na primer izpeljali, kar so sklenili pred tremi leti v Parizu.

And now it does not seem like global leaders will succeed in agreeing on how to achieve what they set out three years ago in Paris.

V tem mestu pa sedaj že več tednov protestirajo odrasli v rumenih jopičih.

Now in the same city, for weeks now, people in yellow jackets have been protesting protest.

Na ulice so se odpravili, ker je francoska vlada želela zvišati cene goriva. Zbrani denar je želela nameniti ravno zaščiti okolja. A ljudje so se uprli, ker menijo, da si goriva po taki ceni ne morejo privoščiti.

They went to the streets because the French government wanted to raise fuel prices. The aim was to collect money to protect the environment. But people resisted because they felt that they could not afford fuel at this price.

Vlada se je nato odločila, da goriva ne bo podražila.

The government then decided not to raise the price of fuel.

Kljub temu so se protesti v Parizu nadaljevali. Protestniki zdaj zahtevajo nižje davke, višjo minimalno plačo in več ugodnosti za upokojene. Njihovi pohodi niso več mirni, saj pri tem sežigajo vozila in razbijajo izložbe. Tudi ta konec tedna je bilo nekaj ljudi celo ranjenih.

Nevertheless, the Paris protests continued. Demonstrators now demand lower taxes, a higher minimum wage and more benefits for retired people. Their marches are no longer peaceful, as they burn vehicles and break up store displays. This weekend there were even some people who were wounded.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Ukrepajmo zdaj!

Let's take action now!

Written by Dr. Katja Žerjavič, translated by JL Flanner

Ukrepajmo zdaj!

Let's take action now!

»Ukrepajte zdaj!« voditeljem držav sporoča sir David Attenborough.

"Take action now!" says Sir David Attenborough.

»Soočamo se s svetovno katastrofo, ki smo jo povzročili mi. Podnebne spremembe so naša največja grožnja,« je na sestanku o podnebnih spremembah še dejal sloviti raziskovalec narave.

"We are facing a global catastrophe that we have caused. Climate change is our biggest threat, "said the famous explorer of nature at a meeting on climate change.

»Če ne bomo ničesar storili, bo naša civilizacija propadla in večina živih bitij bo izumrla.«

"If we do nothing, our civilisation will collapse and most of the living beings will die out."

Svetovni voditelji so se zbrali na konferenci Združenih narodov o podnebnih spremembah v mestu Katovice na Poljskem. Dva tedna bodo razpravljali, kako izpolniti obljube, ki so jih dali pred tremi leti na podnebni konferenci v Parizu.

World leaders gathered at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Katowice, Poland. For two weeks they will discuss how to fulfil the promises they made three years ago at a climate conference in Paris.

Takrat so se obvezali, da se povprečna temperatura ozračja ne bo povišala za več kot dve stopinji Celzija v primerjavi s temperaturo pred 100 leti. Pa tudi, da bomo izpust toplogrednih plinov v naslednjih 20 letih zmanjšali za polovico.

At that time, they pledged not to increase the average temperature of the atmosphere by more than two degrees Celsius compared to the temperature 100 years ago. They also planned to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half over the next 20 years.

Politiki se zdaj o tem pogovarjajo z velikim cmokom v grlu.

Politicians are now talking about this with a big lump in their throat.

Zadnja štiri leta so namreč najbolj vroča leta, odkar uradno merimo temperaturo. Tudi količina toplogrednih plinov se spet povečuje.

The last four years have been the hottest years ever since we officially measure the temperature. The amount of greenhouse gases is also increasing again.

Mnogim opazovalcem njihovega srečanja se ne zdi prav, da so si za kraj sestanka izbrali prav Poljsko. Ta država proizvede večino svoje električne energije iz premoga, to pa pomeni, da njena električna energija ni čista. Obenem pa srečanje denarno podpirata dve veliki premogovni podjetji.

Many observers of their meeting do not seem right to choose Poland as the place of the meeting. This country produces most of its electricity from coal, which means that its electricity is not clean. At the same time, the two big coal companies are financially supported by the meeting.

Sir David danes v tej državi zastopa ljudi, ki že občutijo posledice podnebnih sprememb. Voditeljem v njihovem imenu sporoča: »Čas se izteka. Ljudje želijo, da vi, ki odločate, ukrepate zdaj. Svet je v vaših rokah.«

Sir David today in this country represents people who already feel the effects of climate change. He says to leaders on their behalf: "Time is running out. People want you to act now. The world is in your hands."

Ali mu bodo prisluhnili, bomo izvedeli 14. decembra, ob koncu konference.

Whether they will listen to him, we will find out on December 14, at the end of the conference.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Z lučkami v veseli December

With lights in Festive December

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner and G Translate

Čeprav so številni trgovski centri v prazničnih lučkah zažareli že sredi novembra, se veseli december v Ljubljani začenja zadnji dan predzadnjega meseca v letu.

Although in many shopping centres in the festive lights have been burning since mid-November, we are looking forward to December in Ljubljana starting on the last day of the last month of the year.

Ob 17.15 bo župan Ljubljane Zoran Janković slovesno prižgal novoletne lučke. Gorele bodo do 6. januarja, ko se zaključijo novoletni prazniki.

At 17:15 [30 November], Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković will solemnly turn on the New Year's lights. They will stay on until January 6, when New Year's holidays are over.

Na Kongresnem trgu pa je že zaživela tudi zmajska Ledena dežela.

In Congress Square a dragon’s Land of Ice has also been brought to life.

Related: Turning on the Christmas lights in Slovenia

Tudi drugi kraji se bodo za dober mesec dni odeli v svojo najlepšo praznično podobo.

Other places will for a good month put on their most beautiful festive appearances.

Veseli december je namreč čas radosti in druženja, pa tudi spokoja, upanja in miru. V mesecu, ko je dan najkrajši in noč najdaljša, svetlobo v temo prinašamo prav z množico okrasnih lučk.

Happy December is a time of joy and socialising, as well as rest, hope and peace. In the month when the day is shortest and the night is the longest, we bring light into the dark with a host of decorative lights.

Letos smo veliko pozornosti namenjali tudi plastičnim odpadkom. »Ti prodirajo v vse pore našega življenja. O tem priča tudi izbor Collinsovega slovarja za besedo leta. Ta je namreč postala beseda ‘single-use’, kar pomeni ‘za enkratno uporabo‘,« pojasnjujejo naravovarstveniki, ki so zato začeli s kampanjo Plastika naša vsakdanja.

This year we paid a lot of attention to plastic waste. "This gets into all parts of our lives. The Collins's Dictionary of the word for the summer is evidence of this. It was the term 'single-use', which means 'one-time use'," explain some conservationists, who started a campaign about plastics in everyday life.

Related: December at Ljubljana Castle is full of festive spirit

In tudi zato so se organizatorji decembrskih prireditev v Ljubljani potrudili in poskrbeli, da bo embalaža, ki jo bodo uporabljali na prazničnih stojnicah, iz razgradljivih materialov.

That is why the organizers of the December events in Ljubljana made every effort to ensure that the packaging that they will use on the festive stalls will be made of degradable materials.

Iz teh bo celo ognjemet. Tako so se odločili, da bi med uživanjem decembrskih radosti čim manj škodili okolju.

This approach also extended to the fireworks that will be used. [The organisers] thus decided to minimize harm to the environment while enjoying the joys of December.

 Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

Dobili smo nov kilogram

We have a new kilogram

Written by Dr. Katja Žerjavič, translated by JL Flanner

Pred več kot dvesto leti so meroslovci določili, koliko tehta en kilogram: točno en liter vode.

More than two hundred years ago, metrologists determined how much one kilogram weighs: exactly one litre of water.

Kmalu so ugotovili, da takšno merilo ni najbolj natančno. Izdelali so kilogramski valj iz platine, ki je bolj zanesljivo in priročno merilo. Poimenovali so ga mednarodni prototipni kilogram.

They soon found that such a criterion was not the most accurate. They made a one kilogram platinum cylinder, which is a more reliable and convenient measure. It was called the International Prototype of the Kilogram.

Ta valj je edini predmet na svetu, ki tehta točno en kilogram. Shranjen je pod tremi steklenimi zvonovi v trezorju Mednarodnega biroja za uteži in mere v Parizu.

This cylinder is the only object in the world that weighs exactly one kilogram. It is stored under three glass bells in the vault of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris.

Naredili so še 67 njegovih kopij, ki so spravljene v laboratorijih po vsem svetu. Občasno jih zmerijo in primerjajo z izvirnikom.

There were also 67 copies made, which are stored in laboratories around the world. Occasionally they are measured and compared with the original.

Odkrili so, da so se mase valja in kopij sčasoma spremenile. To je velik problem za inženirje in znanstvenike, ki morajo meriti izredno natančno.

It was found that the masses of the cylinder and the copies changed over time. This is a major problem for engineers and scientists, who need to measure extremely accurately.

Meroslovci so se zato odločili, da morajo kilogram ponovno določiti, vendar tokrat še bolj natančno.

Metrologists therefore decided to re-determine the kilogram, but this time even more precisely.

Minuli petek so zato na mednarodnem sestanku izglasovali, da od maja prihodnje leto kilogram ne bo več določen s predmetom, ampak z zapleteno fizikalno enačbo.

Last Friday, at an international meeting, they voted that from May next year the kilogram will no longer be determined by an object, but by a complex physical equation.

Kilogram bo seveda še vedno tehtal en kilogram.

A kilogram will, of course, still weigh one kilogram.

»Ponovna določitev je podobna prenovi kleti v hiši. Na koncu je hiša od zunaj videti enako, vendar je zaradi boljših temeljev manj verjetno, da se bo porušila,« je pojasnil Michael de Podesta, raziskovalec iz londonskega nacionalnega laboratorija za fiziko.

"Redefining is similar to renovating the cellar in a house. In the end, the house looks the same from the outside, but it is less likely to collapse due to better foundations, "explains Michael de Podesta, a researcher at the London National Laboratory of Physics.

Znanstveniki bodo v prihodnosti lahko natančno računali maso, pri tem pa jim ne bo treba uporabiti kovinskega valja.

In the future scientists will be able to more accurately calculate mass, but will not need to use a metal cylinder.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.