Skoda = 'shame'

[Herman Toothrot]

Chatting to a Czech woman at work today she mentioned that Skoda in Czech means 'shame'. It's a direct translation, I thought it a bit dubious but googling seems to confirm it. All those Skoda jokes back in the 80's and I never heard any that were based on this. Why would anyone set up a company called 'shame'? Or is it a case that the Czech's also thought the old cars so bad that Skoda became shame?

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Perhaps they had such conviction in their assembly that they really thought the cars were great, and so they were being a bit 'ironic'?

No, me neither

And wierdly, I actually own one too...

[ShadownINja]

Maybe it was started by a Mr Skoda.

[Mojooo]

ShadownINja said:

Maybe it was started by a Mr Skoda.

For a man who would later go on to own his own car company named after himself, its a bit of a shame that was the name he ended up with.

[davepoth]

Google says the translation of shame is "Ostuda". But if you type "Damage Shame Pity" in together it comes out as Skoda Skoda Skoda. Pity on it's own is soucit, but in a sentance in Google (Pity the fool) it says it is Skoda. So either the Czech language is very strange or someone has gamed the google translation thing.

[Willy Nilly]

ShadownINja said:

Maybe it was started by a Mr Skoda.

From memory it was Mr Laurent and Mr Klement (the poss spec cars have their names) and they made bicycles.

Sometimes things get lost in translation, so the name meaning "shame" may not be all it seems.

[bimsb6]

davepoth said:

Google says the translation of shame is "Ostuda". But if you type "Damage Shame Pity" in together it comes out as Skoda Skoda Skoda. Pity on it's own is soucit, but in a sentance in Google (Pity the fool) it says it is Skoda. So either the Czech language is very strange or someone has gamed the google translation thing.

And the english language has no words with multiple meanings ?

[Tripe Bypass]

My OH is english but fluent in Czech and she says it means pity. It is not an easy language to get your head round, however.

[lescombes]

It's a "shame" for the Brand knockers that they make good cars....lol

[r11co]

Hmmm.

Ford - "shallow place in a river"

[madala]

....yup it means pity/shame in CZ.....

[Chiswickboy]

Mojooo said:

ShadownINja said:

Maybe it was started by a Mr Skoda.

For a man who would later go on to own his own car company named after himself, its a bit of a shame that was the name he ended up with.

Yes, according to Wiki, it looks that the company was named after Emil Skoda who bought a company in 1869 and named it Skoda Works and manufactured armaments, ships, locomotives and machine tools. This company went on to take over the car manufacturer started by Laurin & Klement.

The Skoda Works (now called Skoda Investments AG) originated in what was then Austria-Hungary so with this mix and also Czech and Slovac influence on the language I'm surprised that the company has survived the plitical turmoil of that region over the last 100 years.

[aw51 121565]

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

Perhaps they had such conviction in their assembly that they really thought the cars were great, and so they were being a bit 'ironic'?

No, me neither

And wierdly, I actually own one too...

And perhaps you have unintentional insight... Lots of the workers at the factory were convicts. Off the top of my head; 3,000 in the late 1980s and about 500 remained after the (1989?) "uprising".

My figures might be awry, but the production lines depended on convicts to make up the staffing numbers and run effectively for quite saome time.

[ShadownINja]

Chiswickboy said:

Mojooo said:

ShadownINja said:

Maybe it was started by a Mr Skoda.

For a man who would later go on to own his own car company named after himself, its a bit of a shame that was the name he ended up with.

Yes, according to Wiki, it looks that the company was named after Emil Skoda who bought a company in 1869 and named it Skoda Works and manufactured armaments, ships, locomotives and machine tools. This company went on to take over the car manufacturer started by Laurin & Klement.

The Skoda Works (now called Skoda Investments AG) originated in what was then Austria-Hungary so with this mix and also Czech and Slovac influence on the language I'm surprised that the company has survived the plitical turmoil of that region over the last 100 years.

What a guess. I was too lazy to google.