Peter Baláž (Esperantist)

Peter Baláž [ˈpɛtɛr ˈbalaːʃ], in Esperanto known as Petro (Esperanto pronunciation: [ˈpɛtrɔ]), (born 8 October 1979 in Partizánske, Czechoslovakia) is an Esperantist, publisher and editor; he was selected as the 2012 Esperantist of the Year. Baláž lives in his hometown of Partizánske and speaks Slovak, Czech, German, Polish, Russian and English, as well as the international planned language Esperanto.[1]

Peter Baláž
In a cavernous convention centre of industrial design demarcated with temporary office partitions, a man with a goatee and close-cropped brown hair and earphone buds is standing, holding an open laptop in his left hand. His right hand, except for his thumb, is in the pocket of his blue jeans, and he wears a white T-shirt with the signature and three-quarter profile outline of Esperanto founder L.L. Zamenhof, a friendly, full-bearded but balding man with a prominent nose and round glasses. Behind him is a circular staircase; to his left two women are in conversation.
Baláž plan the annual summer Esperanto study program using Wi-Fi Internet at the 96th World Congress of Esperanto in Copenhagen (2011).
BornPeter Baláž
(1979-10-08) October 8, 1979
Partizánske, Czechoslovakia
Occupationeditor
LanguageSlovak, Czech, German, Polish, Russian, English and Esperanto
NationalitySlovak
Notable awardsEsperantist of the Year, 2012
Website
www.espero.sk

Work

After pursuing a vocational program in hospitality at Hotelová Akadémia Ľudovíta Wintera ("Ľudovít Winter Hotel Academy") in Piešťany, he worked for two years in Germany and Austria.[1]

Peter Baláž at the 2008 World Congress of Esperanto in Rotterdam.

Baláž is especially active in the international Esperanto movement and educational projects. In 2003 he co-founded Slovak Esperanto Youth (Slovak: SKEJ - Slovenská esperantská mládež, Esperanto: Slovakia Esperanta Junularo) and served as its president for five years.[2] In 2004 he was elected as vice-president of the Slovak Esperanto Federation (Slovak: Slovenská esperantská federácia, Esperanto: Slovakia Esperanta Federacio) [3] and in 2005 became coordinator of E@I ("Education on the Internet")[1][2] as well as a board member of the European Esperanto Union (Eŭropa Esperanto-Unio).[2][4] He is a former board member of Wikimedia Slovakia and a former member of its Revision Committee (September 2012 – 2019).[5] He owns the Slovakia-based publishing firm Espero, founded in 2003, which publishes Esperanto works.

Organising of events
Local Congress Committee of World Congress of Esperanto 2016 (Nitra, Slovakia). Peter Baláž (fifth from left) is its president.

Peter Baláž organised and is organising a couple of events.

In 2007 he led test Esperanto summer school Slava Esperanto-Studado (Slavic Esperanto Study - SES). The original idea, in which Peter participated, was an event touring though various Slavic countries and providing to its participants courses of Esperanto language and Slavic culture. But the next year Peter changed the spirit of the event and made it a physical meeting of lernu! users. Accordingly, the organising organisations was lernu!, E@I (as provider of lernu!) and Slovak Esperanto Youth and the name was changed to Summer Esperanto Study, the abbreviation is still “SES”. Since that SES occurred every year in Slovakia and in 2014 additionally in Russia. Peter was the main organiser of all SESes.

In 2010 E@I took organisation of Conference on the Application of Esperanto in Science and Technology (KAEST) with Peter as the main organiser.

Peter is also the president of Local Congress Committee of World Congress of Esperanto 2016 (Nitra, Slovakia).

Awards

Baláž was five times nominated for the international magazine La Ondo de Esperanto. In 2008 he was in second place, behind Ilony Koutny and in 2011 in third place, [6] behind Dennis Keefe. Finally in 2012 he became a laureate himself, in recognition of his "establishment, development and care of important network projects; exemplary co-operation with national and European authorities, celebration of the Somera Esperanto-Studado (a summer Esperanto study program) and of the scientific conference Konferenco pri Aplikoj de Esperanto en Scienco kaj Tekniko (Conference on the Application of Esperanto in Science and Technology, KAEST); editing of important records, books, pamphlets and films in Esperanto." He was also cited for "succeeding at stimulating and (re)activating many talented young people, who without this might have lost interest in Esperanto."[7]

Works
  • Peter Baláž. Európsky preukaz pre deti. Partizánske: Espero, 10 p. (Slovak, English, Esperanto)
  • Peter Baláž. Internaciaj vortoj en Esperanto / Medzinárodné slová v Esperante ("International terminology in Esperanto"). Partizánske: Espero, 2005, 46 p. ISBN 8096904256 (Esperanto, Slovak)

References
  1. Estraro Archived 2014-10-17 at the Wayback Machine (Board) of E@I. Accessed 21 December 2012.
  2. Pri Peter Baláž ("About Peter Baláž"), 30 November 2011, China Radio International. Accessed 21 December 2012.
  3. Magdaléna Feifičová, Legal Gondžúr, La 3-a SKEF-Kongreso ("The 3rd SKEF Congress") (7 July 2004, in Esperanto or Slovak. Accessed 21 December 2012.
  4. Estraro, Mandato 2011-2014 ("Board, 2011-2014 mandate"). European Esperanto Union. Accessed 21 December 2012.
  5. [wikimedia.sk/Ľudia Ľudia], Wikimedia Slovenská republika (WMSR) (9 April 2012). Accessed 26 September 2012.
  6. Halina Gorecka,Peter Baláž: La Esperantisto de la Jaro 2012 Archived 2013-01-01 at the Wayback Machine (Esperantist of the Year) in La Ondo de Esperanto. Accessed 26 September 2012.
  7. Aleksander Korĵenkov, Peter Baláž: la Esperantisto de la Jaro 2012 in La Balta Ondo, December 2012, and La Ondo de Esperanto, January 2013. Accessed 16 December 2012.
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