Claim OwnershipSlovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio
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Slovakia Today is an English language current affairs magazine bringing you the best from Slovakia. Our daily broadcast covers the latest from politics, society, arts and culture, business, science, healthcare and sports. Coming to you from Bratislava, from the studios of Radio Slovakia International – the foreign language channel of the public broadcaster STVR. Making Slovakia heard to the world!
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Ben Pascoe visits the pop-up teahouse at Research lab, an experimental space where diverse intersect and they attempt to develop at holistic approach to the co-evolution of human consciousness and AI. He talks with founders/organizers Roman Pii Wagner, Peter Kašpar, and Andrea Kutlikova about AI, community building, keeping young people at home and doing business in Slovakia today.
With over 6,500 languages spoken around the globe, communication across cultures can be a challenge. Translators and interpreters help us overcome these barriers. To mark International Translation Day, celebrated worldwide on September 30, our show pays tribute to Slovakia’s language professionals.
We meet Pavol Šveda, EU-accredited interpreter, president of the Slovak Association of Translators and Interpreters, and associate professor at Comenius University. He shares insights into the cognitive demands of simultaneous interpreting and the current state of the profession in Slovakia. Also joining the conversation is Miroslava Petrovská, Head of the Slovak Interpretation Unit at the European Parliament, who reflects on the significance of her work within one of the world’s most complex multilingual institutions – the EU.
And in the new episode of Slovak Sound Check, we dive into core vocabulary: learning the names of family members in Slovak.
We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.
In this edition of the Window to the World series, Tatiana Žitníková from the Russian section joins Michal Herceg from Rádio Regina Západ to explore the collaboration between the UNESCO-listed town of Levoča in eastern Slovakia and the city of Perechyn in western Ukraine. In Friday's show, we also highlight cultural events in Slovakia that are perfect for English speakers — and today, we add an invitation to the international symposium Central European Masculinities, an event to be held in Bratislava and featuring speakers from Charles University in Prague, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Sorbonne University in Paris, and more.
RERUN: How is mathematics taught in Slovakia? And how to teach it in a way that entertains and inspires children? Mathematician Zbynek Kubáček reveals. Dušan Polačik, a representative of WAMA, talks about new trends in waste processing. Finally, a new episode of the Who was that series reveals who Janko Alexy was.
Don't miss your final chance to participate in the 8th round of the RSI competition series for 2025. In this episode, Peter Sabaček from the Spanish section uncovers the mystery of the Tribeč hills near Nitra. While in Nitra, we also revisit the partnership between this town in western Slovakia and Naperville, Illinois.
Ben Pascoe talks with recently appointed Director of the Slovak National Gallery Juraj Kralik as well as co-organizer of the free SNG initiative Andras Csefalvay about how the see the Slovak National Gallery today. He also attended the recent opening of SNG's newest exhibit and heard from protesters and attendees about how they seen SNG today.
Every year on 22 September, cities across the world celebrate World Car-Free Day, encouraging people to leave their cars at home. The event highlights the benefits of car-free living — from cleaner air and safer streets to more space for walking and cycling. In Europe, it marks the finale of European Mobility Week (16–22 September), a campaign promoting clean and sustainable urban transport. Slovakia is part of this initiative too, with towns and cities introducing creative programmes and lasting measures to make mobility more accessible and environmentally friendly.
On this occasion, we bring you insights from Juraj Moravčík, General Director of the Slovak Environment Agency, Ján Horváth, transport emissions expert at the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, architect and urbanist Zuzana Ladzianska, and Jozef Vozár, spokesperson for Dopravný podnik Bratislava (the capital’s public transport company). They share their perspectives on how transport shapes daily life in Slovak towns, the impact of cars on air quality and climate, and what alternatives are emerging to make cities more livable and sustainable.
As always, the programme concludes with a new edition of our language corner — Slovak Sound Check.
After our regular news digest covering the past week, we now bring you another part of our 2025 series, Window to the World. Today, our colleague from the Russian section, Tatiana Žitníková, takes you on a journey to Spišské Podhradie in Slovakia and Perečín in Ukraine.
In his remarks regarding his visit to China in September 2025, Robert Fico also expressed his hope that a Slovak Cultural Institute would soon be established in Beijing, alongside a Chinese cultural presence in Bratislava. In today's show, you’ll hear from a Slovak interpreter who has been traveling to China for the past 30 years as well as a Chinese poet who attended a literary festival in Slovakia in July 2025. Some tips for Slovak culture in and beyond Slovakia too.
RERUN: In today’s program, we once again explore inclusive education in Slovakia through the experiences of Mária Reviľáková and Michaela Vlasáková, two friends and visionaries behind the project Alka. They share how personal stories, collaboration with institutions, and dialogue across generations are shaping a more inclusive society.
In this episode, we speak with researcher Jakub Šrol about how conspiracy theories threaten sustainability efforts. Drawing on his new paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, he discusses how belief in conspiracy theories erodes confidence in science and institutions and how social media accelerates misinformation. The conversation covers what defines a conspiracy theory, how to spot telltale signs online, and practical steps—like education and stronger public engagement—to slow the spread of disinformation and protect sustainable policies.
Recently in Bratislava, the city opened Loom, a center for people of foreign origin living in Slovakia. In addition to basic info, foreigners can find social, psychological, legal and employment counselling, in addition to finding community activities. Ben Pascoe visited the center to find out more.
On September 15, Slovakia commemorates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the country’s patron saint. To mark this occasion, we have prepared a special programme exploring the origins of this powerful tradition, the meaning of “sorrow” as an expression of love, and the depth of maternal love as the strongest human emotion. The broadcast will revisit Mary’s story, the long-standing pilgrimages to the national shrine in Šaštín, and the historic visit of Pope Francis, who met with the faithful there during his pastoral journey to Slovakia.
The programme is built around STVR’s archival interviews with prominent figures from the church, academia, and public life. Listeners will hear insights from Martin Kramara, priest of the Žilina diocese and former spokesperson of the Slovak Bishops’ Conference; Benjamín Kosnáč, Roman Catholic priest active in Bratislava with international missions; Mons. Marián Bublinec, parish priest in Krupina; Roman Kečka, university lecturer and religious studies scholar from Comenius University; Dária Miezgová, psychologist from the Community of the Beatitudes; and Štefan Chrapa, musician and editor of religious broadcasting at Slovak Radio.
Weekly roundup of news and stories from RSI English.
September 12th marks the name day of Mária in the Slovak calendar. To celebrate the occasion, Martina Greňová Šimkovičová asks: which Slovak Mária do you know? As part of our cultural tips for English speakers at home and abroad, Marek Soltis invites you to the 47th Slovak Heritage Festival in New Jersey. Other cultural highlights include the Cinematik Film Festival in Piešťany, Džem Festival in Košice, Amplión Festival in Banská Štiavnica, and the World Music Festival Bratislava, among others.
Do you know the genre World Music? It blends classical musical traditions with modern elements, creating something that feels both new and yet familiar. Which Slovak bands have made their mark on the global World Music scene? Radio FM editor Vladimír Potančok, who has been following this topic for years, will tell us more — and he’ll also invite you to the 10th edition of the World Music Festival in Bratislava, taking place in the capital at the end of September. In the second part of the show, we’ll once again look at a personality whose name you can also find on Slovak street signs. This time, the spotlight will be on the storyteller Pavol Dobšinský.
In the next episode of our Window to the World series, we’ll visit the Slovak town of Bojnice – famous for its beautiful castle and zoo – and the Italian town of Rosta to explore their partnership and shared activities. Later, we’ll take you to a unique event, LingvaFest, a festival that brings together language lovers and polyglots from near and far.
Ben Pascoe meets the organizers of two upcoming events aimed at helping everyone better enjoy Slovakia. Director of the Milan Simecka foundation, Veronika Fishbone Vlčková, introduces the 20th edition of Fjuzn festival. Illah van Oijen one of the founders and organizers of Dobry Trh lets us know what we can look forward to at the fall edition.
The eighth episode of the Window to the World series takes us to the historic Slovak town of Banská Štiavnica. From there, we travel nearly 1,000 kilometers west to its twin town, Hünenberg, in Switzerland’s canton of Zug. Along the way, we’ll explore how the two towns have built a lasting partnership — through cooperation in areas such as social support, education, music, and even waste management.
The new episode of Slovak Sound Check takes you through a full day in Slovak — from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night — while covering some useful verbs and handy grammar tips along the way.
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