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Mr Stoofer · Daedalian Member

I have a T-shirt with some writing on it which I don't understand. I think it's an Eastern European language but that is just a guess. I don't know what the writing means and I can't remember how I go the T-shirt (it just turned up in my drawer one day). Since I wear the T-shirt quite often (it is comfortable) I think I ought to find out what it says. I certainly didn't buy it. It says:

POMOC VSETKYM
SPISSKA NOVA VES

There are some accents on the letters which I can describe if necessary.

The words appear beneath a logo which consists of a crudely drawn black circle with a black X in it. The four quarters are coloured in (starting at the top, going clockwise): blue, yellow, green, orange. There is some sort of black loop/swoosh in the blue quarter.

Any ideas?

Courk · Daedalian Member

Based on my one semester of high school russian, I don't think it's russian. Felicitous

Are there any other designs on the shirt, or is it just text?

Doc Borodog · Guest

It's Czech. Spisska Nova Ves is a place. I'm not sure what Pomoc Vsetkym is, but I believe it may be some sort of civil organization. I have a request in to an Eastern European polyglot that I know to find out.

Dmi* · Guest

I'm Russian. It ain't Russian, but since Russian and East European languages are similar, I can venture a guess on some of the words.

POMOC = help
SPISSKA = list

and perhaps NOVA = new.

Dmi* · Guest

Mr Stoofer · Daedalian Member

Doc Borodog · Guest

OK. It's actually Slovak, and not Czech.

Pomoc Vsetkym means "Help All" or "Help Everyone." It could refer to a civil organization like I thought, or it could refer to a community service day, particularly if there is also a date.

Spisska Nova Ves is a medium sized city and roughly translates to "New Spisskaville" or "New Spisska City" or "New Spisska Town." You get the idea.

My friend the polyglot has actually been there. She was staying in a town nearby and had to bike to Spisska Nova Ves because they have the only olympic sized swimming pool in the area.

Samadhi · +1

I'm reminded of my visits to Japan and seeing kids wearing shirts that they clearly didn't understand. Like the girl wearing a shirt that said "I am a pizza"
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

Mr Stoofer · Daedalian Member

Samadhi · +1

But. That'd be okay in Japan.
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

Mr Stoofer · Daedalian Member

kevinatilusa · Daedalian Member

Signatory 102 of this petition is listed as coming from the "Civil Organization pomoc vsetkym, Spisska Nova Ves".

Mr Stoofer · Daedalian Member

Looking at the other signatories supports Dc Borodog's theory of a civil organisation.

Lucky Wizard · Daedalian Member

I was curious if this organization had an English-language website, but Google yields no English-language results for either "pomoc vsetkym" or the accented version, "pomoc všetkým".

(In case you're curious -- I figured out the accented version by noting that Pomoc Všetkým, in the link in kevinatilusa's post, was mentioned in connection with a guy named Milada Wembo. I then checked an atlas to find the accented version of the city's name, and did this Google search to find the accented version of the organization's name.)

Slow Jack · Guest

Wear the T-shirt, go here

http://www.spectacularslovakia.sk/ss2002/spisska_nova_ves_ascii.html

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