# Slovak: business



## monalisa!

Hi, here is another tricky word, that has many meanings.

One of these is _" patronage, custom_" = zákazníci :

we're losing business = _stracame zákazníkov,_
but is there the abstract form _: zákazníctvo?,_
 how can we render:
_"customers might take their *business* elsewhere_ "?, I can think only of: _* priazeň ,*_ any thoughts?I found "_it is a risky business" _translated : "_je to o hubu"
_is that correct?, doesn't it mean :_ it's a tough job?
_and by the way_ what is its literal meaning?



_


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## francisgranada

"Je to o hubu" (literally "it's about [one's] mouth/chops") means more or less that it is dangerous, one may lose everything (figuratively "padne na hubu", "dostane na hubu", i.e. zraní sa, zle dopadne ...). This is a colloquial expression, not a technical term and it's not related exclusively to a job or business. 

"Risky business" could be translated also "rizikové podnikanie", according to the context.
"We're losing business" could be translated as "strácame zákazky"


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## monalisa!

francisgranada said:


> "Je to o hubu" (literally "it's about [one's] mouth/chops") means more or less that it is* dangerous*, one may lose everything (figuratively "padne na hubu", "dostane na hubu", i.e. zraní sa, zle dopadne ...). This is a colloquial expression, not a technical term and it's not related exclusively to a job or business.
> 
> "Risky business" could be translated also _"rizikové podnikanie"_, according to the context.
> "We're losing business" could be translated as "strácame *zákazky*"


Thanks, is that an abstract word like my fictive _zakaznictvo_, or it means just "_objednavky"_? and can we use it in the second example?
"Risky business" could be translated also _"rizkantné podujatie"?,
so, je to o hubu_ means just_ " it is a dangerous situation"?_


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## francisgranada

monalisa! said:


> ... "Risky business" could be translated also _"ri*s*kantné podujatie" ? _


Yes, in a more generic sense. I.e. not only related to "podnikanie, obchod, biznis ...", but also e.g. climbing a mountain can be a _riskantné podujatie._


> _... so, je to o hubu_ means just_ " it is dangerous situation"?_


Not so explicitely or exactly, it may contain also the aspect of "rizikovosť", depending on the context.

(I'll continue later ...)


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## monalisa!

what about :_ it's a touch-and-go [business]? (business here is: affair)

(  ...  dobrù chu_ť)


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## francisgranada

monalisa! said:


> ... is that an abstract word like my fictive _zakaznictvo_, or it means just "_objednavky"_? and can we use it in the second example?


Strácam svoje zákazníctvo - I'm losing my clientship, patronage (less natural for me, I'd prefer _klientelu _in Slovak)
Strácam svojich zákazníkov - I'm losing my customers 
Strácam svoje zákazky - I'm losing my "business", i.e. the "jobs/works" given to me/ordered from me by my customers/clients
Strácam svoje objednávky - I'm losing my orders, but spontaneousely rather the "order sheets" (i.e. the "papers" and not the "job")



monalisa! said:


> what about :_ it's a touch-and-go [business]? (business here is: affair) _


Nothing comes to my mind. Colloquially perhaps "rýchlovka" ... but this may be associated with whatever action that doesn't last long.



> _  ...  dobrù chu_ť


Ďakujem


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## monalisa!

_"customers might take their *business* elsewhere "?, I can think only of: *priazeň ,* any thoughts?_


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## Pressburger

Hi, if you want to literally translate sentence "_customers might take their business elsewhere_" I would suggest that you stick with Slovak equivalent of English word "business" which is "*biznis*" instead of "priazeň". But if you translate whole sentence literally, it does not make much sense. So you may use something like this:

"_Zákazníci by mohli odísť inam_" that means "Customers might go elsewhere". 

And definitely don't use "_Je to o hubu_". It may be used among friends as a joke but it's not very polite way to say that something is risky or hard . If you want to say that it's a risky business than just say "_Je to riskantné_". Simple and elegant solution.


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## monalisa!

Pressburger said:


> I would suggest that you stick with Slovak equivalent of English word "business" which is "*biznis*" instead of "priazeň". But if you translate whole sentence literally, it does not make much sense. So you may use something like this:
> 
> "_Zákazníci by mohli odísť inam_" that means "Customers might go elsewhere".


Thanks a lot,  Pressburger, do you think "priazeň" is wrong?,  and isn't Biznis rather derogatory?


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## francisgranada

monalisa! said:


> Thanks a lot,  Pressburger, do you think "priazeň" is wrong?,  and isn't Biznis rather derogatory?


I am neigther _Pressburger _nor from Bratislava (=_Pressburg_) , but I think that "biznis" is not derogatory. As to "priazeň", it means something like "favour", so this term doesn't correspond to the English "business". 

If I am not mistaken, you are looking for an equivalent of the English _"customers might take their *business* elsewhere_" for purposes of a (phraseological) dictionary.  Without any other context, I'd say _ad hoc_ e.g. "zákazníci by mohli nájsť iných dodavateľov", "zákazníci by mohli uplatiť svoje požiadavky inde", "zákazníci by mohli uskutočniť svoje obchody inde", etc ...


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## monalisa!

francisgranada said:


> I'd say _ad hoc_ e.g. "zákazníci by mohli nájsť iných dodavateľov", "zákazníci by mohli uplatiť svoje požiadavky inde", "zákazníci by mohli uskutočniť svoje obchody inde", etc ...


"_Zákazníci by mohli odísť inam"
_
Thanks for the translations, what I'd like to know if you can find a way to use _priazeň, _may be  "we might lose their ..."?


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