Vladimír Hoffman Jun 22, 2013:

2 Stuart The last thing I wanted to do was a disservice, especially with respect to Hannah. However, with all due respect (and I mean it) finding a meaning in Austrian law system is only the first part of the task. What I am curious is if "trade" in English-speaking word has same content in the Autrian law system and if sole proprietorship or sole trading wouldn't work better. As I said, term sole trader is fully acceptabler for me, I have only some doubts about, IMO, too general terms trade and trader.
As regards the linked EU Style Guide, I have Slovak version, but the English one is very interesting too:
Sb. (as abbreviation of Sbírka zákonů in titles of legislation) - omit in English (do not use ‘Coll.’)
všeobecně závazný právní předpis - act of general application

I must think about it.

2 Rad - Well, I have no problem with "licence", but with "trade". Sole trading and sole trader are commonly used. Here is the procedure:
http://www.startups.co.uk/registering-as-a-sole-trader_2.htm...

Vladimír Hoffman Jun 22, 2013:

Well, I wanted to provoke discussion and it seems that it worked:-)

Rad Graban (X) Jun 21, 2013:

@Vladimir No disrespect, but 'sole proprietor's licence ....' sounds a little bit... not right. I'm not a native speaker, but living in the UK for some time, it just doesn't sound English; not even international or EU English.

Rad Graban (X) Jun 21, 2013:

UK There is no equivalent in the UK as far as I know. There is no 'piece of paper' you need to keep safe as a proof that you are self-employed/sole trader. So any translation/explanation which includes 'certificate', 'licence', 'confirmation', etc. can work. My two cents.

Stuart Hoskins Jun 21, 2013:

Trading Act I'm not too keen on it myself, Hannah, but what the European Commission wants, the European Commission gets.
http://ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines/documents...

Hannah Geiger (X) Jun 21, 2013:

but that would be a total nonsence, Vladimír, the Trading Act, are you sure it is not The Trade Licensing Act, at least that is how I know it Trading Act sounds to me like "trade between Mexico and US agreement"

Stuart Hoskins Jun 21, 2013:

To Vladimir Come, come now, Vladimir, I think you do us (and especially people like Hannah, who selflessly trawls her resources and knowledge to help others) a disservice. All the suggestions here have a solid basis in historical Austrian law (and what better source could there be for translations from Czech law?). We haven’t invented them and they're certainly not mechanical, you know. Indeed, I wouldn’t put my nose up at “cadastral” for the same (Austrian) reason. As for “ZL” in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, a simple Google check shows that sole traders (also the accepted term in translation across Europe) may, in certain circumstances, need a “licence or permit/permission”.

Vladimír Hoffman Jun 21, 2013:

2 Hannah No jo, ale co s tym. To co ŽL znamená v češtine, respektíve v slovenčine, už vieme, ale aký je najbližší britský (alebo americký) ekvivalent.

Vladimír Hoffman Jun 21, 2013:

2 Stuart Well, sole trader is a synonym of sole proprietor and it could be used instead. However, a trader is not a sole trader, the former term has much broader meaning. A regards consistency I admit the question is sensitive, but does it mean we shouldn't try to improve our translations just because many translators (me being no exception) have been using too broad or mechanically translated terms? There is, for example, a quite frequent term cadastral office (katastralny urad) and I found mechanical translations (reprodukcni cena - reproduction price) even in good disctionnaires (Millenium, to be exact).

Hannah Geiger (X) Jun 21, 2013:

Živnostenské oprávnění se dříve prokazovalo živnostenským listem či koncesní listinou, a to tak, že ke každé živnosti musel být zvlášť vydán živnostenský list nebo koncese. Po novele z roku 2008 byly tyto listiny zrušeny a na příště se podnikatel prokazuje buď výpisem ze živnostenského rejstříku (jeden výpis může sloužit i pro více živností), anebo stejnopisem ohlášení s prokázaným doručením živnostenskému úřadu, a to i prostřednictvím kontaktního místa veřejné správy (terminál Czechpoint) nebo pravomocným rozhodnutím o udělení koncese. Stejnopis ohlášení, se využívá tehdy, jestliže podnikateli ještě nebyl vydán výpis z živnostenského rejstříku. Toto osvědčení živnostník může (a někdy i musí) předkládat oprávněným kontrolním orgánům (např. Policii ČR, Celní správě apod.).
www.oalib.cz/katedry/eko/index.php?docs&file=62‎

Stuart Hoskins Jun 21, 2013:

sole trader In the UK, zivnostnik is sole trader. The EU demands that Zivnostensky zakon be translated as Trading Act. "Zivnostensky list" (no longer issued) was translated by the MIT as ""trade licence". So zivnostenske opravneni would logically be something like "trade authorization". Consistency is the name of the game.

Vladimír Hoffman Jun 21, 2013:

Kolegovia, vidim, ze v suvislosti so zivnostou vsetci pouzivate vyraz "trade". Nie je to zle, ale pripada mi to trochu mnohoznacne. Ja v poslednej dobe velmi intenzivne zvazujem pouzivanie terminu "sole proprietorship" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_proprietorship, ktory IMO obsahovo takmer uplne zodpoveda nasmu pojmu zivnost. Co si o tom myslite?