Y SOFT

1. Y SOFT My teacher told me

2. BEFORE YOU WATCH 1Discuss and share your answers to the following questions: • What are your favourite subjects at school? • What are some special skills you have (in sports, the arts, working with others, technologies, studying)? • Have you ever had any summer job? How was it? • What kind of software programs do you use?

3. WHILE YOU WATCH 2 Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? • Muchna’s teacher didn’t believe that typing with a keyboard will help him survive. • Much started with small things like drawing a small house as a opportunity to learn programming from his father. • No one including Muchna believed that he was able to get to the university. • Because his parents didn´t send him enough money, he needed something more from a job. • The first thing he did as a freelancer was work for Makro as a computer programmer. • His dormitorycostsomething roughly around 7000czk for one month. • He started working temporary jobs for two years. • He established Y Soft company in the year 2000. • After three years he passed the exams and finished school early. • For Muchna, the decision to work only on his business was simple – it was calling, it called him from the school.

4. BEFORE YOU WATCH 2Do you understand the following words? If not, look them up in a dictionary and write down the meanings. KEYBOARD FAIL THE EXAM SCREEN TEMPORARY JOB DORMITORY FREELANCER OPPORTUNITY QUIT POCKET MONEY TO EQUAL PASS THE EXAM GRADUATE Work in small groups and check if you all have the same meanings Discuss across the groups until you all agree

5. WHILE YOU WATCH 3Watch the video and LISTEN for the words you copied down. Check which ones you hear during this section.

6. AFTER YOU WATCH Exercise 4 Translate these English expressions into their Czech equivalent

7. AFTER YOU WATCH 5You could hear some of the sentences below in the video but some of them not.Check those that you think you heard. 1. But at that time, it was like 1994, if I remember correctly, at that time there were no software-oriented schools, high schools, I mean, at all. 2. My father told me that electronics is not very useful. 3. Originally I didn´t want to go to university but it would make my parents happy. 4. And that was the thing which led me to Brno. 5. When I started living in dormitory, the times were tough. 6. I remember it like it would be today, 10 years ago, more than that – 12 years ago, I needed some cash, you know. 7. And I was moving, shifting, waters, you know, cans of water during the night. 8. The lectures at university were sometimes very boring but sometimes very interesting. 9. Their attitude was – typing to keyboard is a work for assistant, you know, and electronics that´s the key thing. 10. I passed the school some way, I even don´t understand how, neither do they.

8. AFTER YOU WATCH 6The jumbled sentences are all from the text. Rearrange the words to form the right sentences. Do it as quickly as possible. 1. that Muchna, keyboard really believe you typing to do will let you do survive? 2. that study the closest So thing was able to wasI. 3. of, nobody First me get believed all that I was including toable to the university. 4. just didn´t me living dormitory enough, it Parents was good for and feed basic. 5. the I took job And was store a temporary first in Makro, that´s thing a wholesale. 6. went three After I because years the business quit up.

9. AFTER YOU WATCH 7 Discuss, Develop and Present • DISCUSS: What do you think about Mr.Muchna’s company name? What associations does the word ‘soft’ in the name and product line have for you? How does the combination of the Czech letter Y (why?) with English contribute to the profile and image of the company? Today, Y Soft is a globalized company. How does hearing Mr. Muchna’s story about how he got started influence your thinking about using your own personal interests for starting a new business? Explain. • DEVELOP: If you were going to develop a new company, what kind of name would you create? In a small group, make a list of possibilities. Select one of the names and develop a concept that represents the name. What would your new company do? How would it function? Describe in as much detail as possible. Create a logo to go you’re your name and concept. • PRESENT: Present your results to the rest of the groups. Decide which one your class like the most. As a group, decide what you will do with your new concept. • REFLECTION: Does the name drive the concept behind the company or does the concept of the company make the name? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of creating first from a name or from a concept. After the concept stage, what would you need to do next to actualize it?

10. FOLLOW-UPBelow there are some useful phrases from the video. Use your own ideas how to finish them and the sentences into stories. First of all, nobody including me believed that… And that was the thing which… I remember a story when …. So the time has come to… After three years I quit because… … at that time there were no…

11. ANSWER KEY BEFORE YOU WATCH 2: graduate – promovat, freelancer – pracovník na volné noze, dormitory – studentská kolej, quit – odejít/ ukončit, pocketmoney – kapesné, opportunity – příležitost, keyboard – klávesnice, to equal – rovnat se, screen – obrazovka, passtheexam - složit zkoušku, failtheexam – propadnout u zkoušky, temporaryjob – brigáda AS YOU WATCH 1: freelancer, dormitory, quit, opportunity, keyboard, equals, passtheexam, screen, temporaryjob AS YOU WATCH 2: Muchna, do you really believe that typing to (screen) KEYBOARD will let you survive? so I started very soon with, you know, small stupid things like drawing a small house on a (opportunity) SCREEN really, these basics. First of all, nobody including me believed that I was able to get to the university, (quit) PASS THE EXAMS . Parents didn´t feed me enough, it was good just for (keyboard ) DORMITORY and basic living but I needed something more And the first thing I took was a (freelancer) TEMPORARY JOB in Makro, that´s a wholesale store. That (dormitory) EQUALS something roughly around 7000, OK, for month. So, for me it was not acceptable to be employed, so I started like a (temporary job) FREELANCER and I was doing this for two years and after that we established Y Soft company in year 2000 and… After three years I (pass the exams) QUIT because the business went up and the (equals) OPPORTUNITYfrom the business environment for me was simple – it was calling, it called me from the school. AFTER YOU WATCH 1: • Muchna, do you really believe that typing to keyboard will let you survive? • So that was the closest thing I was able to study.

12. 3. First of all, nobody including me believed that I was able to get to the university 4. Parents didn´t feed me enough, it was good just for dormitory and basic living 5. And the first thing I took was a temporary job in Makro, that´s a wholesale store 6. After three years I quit because the business went up AFTER YOU WATCH 2: 1. But at that time, it was like 1994, if I remember correctly, at that time there were no software-oriented schools, high schools, mean, at all.YES 2. My father told me that electronics is not very useful. NO 3. Originally I didn´t want to go to university but it would make my parents happy. NO 4. And that was the thing which led me to Brno.YES 5. When I started living in dormitory, the times were tough.NO 6. I remember it like it would be today, 10 years ago, more than that – 12 years ago, I needed some cash, you know.YES 7. And I was moving, shifting, waters, you know, cans of water during the night.YES 8. The lectures at university were sometimes very boring but sometimes very interesting. NO 9. Their attitude was – typing to keyboard is a work for assistant, you know, and electronics that´s the key thing.YES 10. I passed the school some way, I even don´t understand how, they probably neither.YES