Czech to Korean: polite Vy is not a fixed Korean pronoun
A Czech plural form can address one person respectfully
The Czech encyclopedic account of vykání describes grammatical plural forms used with a singular addressee. It also explains mixed agreement: the finite verb is plural while participles and adjectives can remain singular. A Czech message containing jste can therefore concern one customer rather than a group.
When translating into Korean, identify the actual addressee before assigning a plural meaning. The source’s respectful form does not establish that several people need separate seats, documents, or replies. A singular participant can remain singular while the target expresses the relationship through its own address and speech-style choices.
당신 is not a general replacement for every respectful you
The National Institute of Korean Language dictionary gives 당신 several uses, including address between spouses and a disparaging reference to the hearer. The Seoul National University discussion likewise warns that Korean address cannot be understood as a simple plain-versus-polite pronoun substitution.
An original Czech email politely asking a customer about their booking should therefore not receive 당신 automatically merely because Vy appears in the source. The same source pronoun can occur in a relationship unlike the Korean dictionary’s spousal context. Selecting a target address form requires knowing who is speaking to whom, rather than replacing a capitalized Czech pronoun with the first dictionary equivalent labelled you.
A title can identify the person being addressed
The SNU discussion explains that titles and other appellations can be used where a European-language translation might suggest a pronoun. This is a grammatical and social choice, rather than evidence that the target has forgotten the source addressee.
For a Czech message to a teacher, distinguish direct address from a third-person report about that teacher. A Korean title inside the target does not by itself turn the addressee into an unrelated person. Conversely, preserving a personal name while choosing an unsuitable pronoun can still misrepresent the source relationship. The intended communication remains a request to this person, even when the target does not reproduce every occurrence of Czech Vy as an independent pronoun.
Singular agreement can provide evidence about the real headcount
The Czech account’s combination of plural finite form and singular participle is particularly useful evidence when the source message lacks an explicit name. It can help establish respectful singular address rather than ordinary plural address. That distinction should be interpreted before the target sentence is assembled.
Imagine an original Czech instruction asking one guest whether they have already arrived, followed by a separate question asking whether all guests have arrived. The polite first question and actual plural second question must not collapse into the same headcount. Korean speech style does not excuse losing the number of people whose arrival is being confirmed. Preserve the participant count recovered from Czech agreement and context, then choose a natural Korean way to address or refer to those participants.
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