A conversation with Dr. James Partridge, a translator and the Second Faculty’s English teacher
Where do you come from?
I grew up in the south of England, but I’ve lived all over the UK so I don’t really consider myself to be from the south as such. However, my family and I lived in Oxford for fifteen years before we came to the Czech Republic, so I guess we feel as much at home there as we do anywhere.
Which discipline and where did you study?
After I left school I studied Biology and Biochemistry at London University, but I left the UK to move to the US before I completed that degree. A few years later I returned to the UK and went to Birmingham University to study for a BA in Russian language and literature, and that’s also where I started studying Czech. From there I went on to Oxford University to do a Master’s degree in Czech and Slovak literature, and then a doctorate in Czech literature, writing my thesis on the poetry of Vladimír Holan.
Apart from Czech literature, I spent ten years in Oxford working in IT, specialising in Apple computers and technology. My particular interest was in using technology for educational purposes. I set up and managed an Apple Training Centre for Education, worked on IT infrastructure projects with various departments in the University, taught courses in Apple software and was closely involved with the University’s iTunesU project.
What brought you to studying Czech and Vladimír Holan?
I’ve been interested in Czech literature since I was a teenager, but didn’t think about studying it seriously until I met my (Czech) wife in England. She persuaded me that it was a mistake to study Russian and that Czech would be much more interesting. She also told me that Holan was the most difficult Czech poet and practically no non-Czechs could read him, so that was a challenge I couldn’t refuse.
What brought you to the Czech Republic and Second Faculty of Medicine?
We’ve actually been coming to the Czech Republic regularly since the early 1990s, both for my research and for family reasons. But five years ago my wife got a job in Prague and moved here, and I followed a couple of years later. I came to the 2nd Medical Faculty because after I moved to Prague it proved difficult for me to find work (there’s not much demand for specialists in Czech poetry, even here, and I didn’t want to return to working in IT). However, I do have a lot of experience translating and the Language Dept. here needed a translator. After six months I was asked if I’d like to teach as well, and as I enjoy teaching and did quite a lot of it at Oxford I was happy to agree.
What do you teach and what other roles do you have at the faculty?
I teach English medical terminology and I also teach English for Academic Purposes to postgraduates and faculty members who need practical knowledge of this particular style of language. When I’m not teaching I spend most of my time proofreading and translating medical papers and other documents.
What is interesting for you on Czech academia and how did it surprise you?
As I said, I’ve been involved directly and indirectly with academic life here for many years now so it wasn’t a completely new environment for me. And anyway, I don’t think that the academic environment here is all that different from that in the UK, apart from the differences in funding and resources. As far as I’m concerned though, the most important thing is that I have good colleagues and students, and that’s definitely the case in the 2. LF Language Department.
And life in the Czech Republic in general?
I’ve been coming to the ČR regularly for twenty years. Nothing much surprises me here any more.
