prozvonění

18:21 Mar 1, 2012 

You are quite right - I meant the term is a great one, not necessarily the practice :) However I do use it (both the term and the practice) when I am in the Czech Republic but only if the recipient of such a call is consenting ... But I don't think I have ever done it when in the UK, both because I don't know what the practice is called (although I have learned a lot today) and also because the people that I am likely to call are unaware of the option. I am sure that another reason why it is not widespread in the UK is that there is a vast amount of advertising/spam calls nowadays and anything to add to that would just be considered rude ...

17:56 Mar 1, 2012 

It is not a great idea at all, but very annoying and bothering practice, when you are the one who is given missed calls on regular basis. I known it from my own experience.

16:37 Mar 1, 2012 

15:49 Mar 1, 2012 

Ivan: Kundera wrote a whole chapter about it ('litost', not 'prozvonit') in 'Unbearable Lightness of Being'. Otherwise as Jenny says, if I hadn't known about the concept from my time living in the Czech Republic, I wouldn't even have thought of doing it. I just did a bit of 'market research' with a friend, but all the terms mentioned were unknown - he thought it was a great idea, though, whatever it was called ... I think in those environments where lots of people use mobile phones or who use mobile phones extensively, words for this procedure have evolved separately, but there is no universally-recognised term as far as I can see. I think prozvonit is great - I use it all the time in Czech, but never in English. There are single words in English such as 'misfuel' (fill the tank with unleaded by accident when you should have filled with diesel, or vice versa) which cannot be expressed in one word in Czech, and many other examples.

14:40 Mar 1, 2012 

Never heard or used anything else but this phrase. At least in Ireland it is very common.

14:10 Mar 1, 2012 

I would say that "give me a missed call" sounds to me best. But! I am not an English spaeker.

14:08 Mar 1, 2012 

to prank, to beep OR to make a missed phone (as Jennifer Gordon wrote). Drop call, dropped call or call drop has also meraning "call disconnection due to technical reasons", so it is too broad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missed_call

14:06 Mar 1, 2012 

I wonder, why should be "lítost" such an untranslatable word. I admit it has a broad meaning of mind status of "being sorry" due to anything from very minor causes to very deep and personal feelings.

14:04 Mar 1, 2012 

In discussion with Gerry, I realised that I use 'give me a missed call' having got to know the concept while living in Prague. My friend, however, who uses 'one-bell me', has learnt that in Manchester. He uses a prepaid phone and is very much used to the concept.

13:42 Mar 1, 2012 

Here's a task for everybody - translate 's litosti jsem ho prozvonil' in as few words as possible, whilst retaining the full meaning ... :)

13:33 Mar 1, 2012 

If you look through the reader comments at the bottom of the link that you posted it suggests a few terms that are used locally around the English-speaking world, such as 'prank' (Australia', 'Scotch' (South Africa), 'drop-call' (Northern Ireland and other places), but I have never heard of any of them http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=drop call - first I've heard of it.

13:33 Mar 1, 2012 

The same verb is used also in technology after laying a multiple conductor cable, you have to check the individual conductors starting-finishing points connection (even if numbered). You have to "prozvońit" the line. It's sort of slang.

13:30 Mar 1, 2012 

I fully agree Gerry, now, can we not blaze a trail? Like when I was translating some wildflower indigenous to the Sumava, I was told that I could, based on the Latin and the Czech, make up names for them based on logical translation of either into English, and present them the the AV CR for approval to become official...can we not come up with a word/words to cover such a common thing (everywhere else but in our countries ;) ...if the whole world has it but us, we're lagging behind badly

13:10 Mar 1, 2012 

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/20-awesomely-untranslatable... - 'litost' is also in the list - a uniquely Czech term :)

13:07 Mar 1, 2012 

Well if neither you nor I as native English speakers have heard of such a term, it doesn't exist. Try saying 'ring me through' or 'clip me' to another native and see what response you get :)

12:45 Mar 1, 2012 

don't beat around the bush Ger give it to me straight :)

12:37 Mar 1, 2012 

It is an old chestnut - it would be great if we had one or two words to say 'call somebody's mobile with the intention of leaving your number on the other person's phone or to inform them that you are downstairs/wherever' but I have been pondering over it for years as well and have yet to come up with a satisfactory answer. I have asked many English friends as well and they seem to have no concept of such a procedure when I suggest it - just get blank looks. It just isn't really done.