english is the 2nd language in poland but yet almost all the polish who are coming to england to work or live cant speak a word of it. the english that is taught in poland isnt proper english just like in england at polish school the polish is all wrong.
2nd language? nah man, many people speak french, german and other languages.
the english spelling is on purpose wrong.thats how british ppl type.shortern words and saving time.its easy compared to england to get a degree in poland.people are coming to england because why earn 5zl per hour when your can earn 10 times that in england. england has a better education system and better hospitals and the main reason poles come here is becuase the polish government are very selfish and dnt care about poles.
Should the British go to Poland as the Government here are very selfish and don't care about the British ?
the reason the Polish don't speak English, well the same reason as the English don't speak Polish, they are both English and Polish respectively.
if you arrive in a english speaking nation you speak english! i had to learn it was hard but im very good speaker how would you feal if 3million english goto poland and dont learn polish? you would be pretty pissed off i can assure u
correct of course mate, i just wish everybody who came to this country learned the language as well as you have, or at least be bothered to learn it in the first place :)
Of course you would expect somebody going to live in a foreign nation to be able to speak the language on some sort of small scale at least.
bubba ive lived here since age 12 so im a very good speaker,however i never went to english school. i speak dutch as a first language,i could happily write that in the forums if that was easier.
i think youll find that he speaks much better english than hes letting on
Fair enough.
Generally speaking, I would say that anyone wanting to live here on a longterm basis and is serious about the language side of things, should enrol on a course.
Relying on picking it up from others just means you'll learn how to swear and how to use words in the wrong context.
Have said that, I can think of quite a few English people who could benefit from some lessons too :-)
"WHY DO POLISH PEOPLE THAT COME TO ENGLAND CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH?"
....I had to laugh. Maybe the author should learn how to pose the question correctly before he yells about his fellow countrymen's English.
Anyway to answer the question, it's not that they can't speak English. It's more they can't understand the different dialects. I'm told they speak English in Glasgow, but I can tell you from personal experience that it sounds like complete gibberish to natives of all English speaking nations. I'm a Geordie and I think that the same can be said for my fellow breathen.
Simple answer, as my student explained to me yesterday. Many Poles in the UK are those that couldn't handle the expensive living conditions in big cities due to a lack of education. They have no money to invest in improving their English and thus roll the dice by hoping to pick some up when there.
when i first came to England it was like a revelation cos i was the first Pole my workmates met who was able to communicate in English on a very fluent level. I got the job straight away and they used me as a translator for a bit (there was a guy here who hardly spoke any English and he didnt understand he was not allowed to smoke on the premises or where the fire exists were etc.). i met quite a few Polish peeps here and i must admit that only a couple of them had good English skills. the rest learnt a lot during the time spent here, but the main problem is that they choose to stick with other Polish people, go to the Polish shops all the time, read Polish papers, eat Polish food... I think that's why so many Poles who are here and have been here for a couple of years already don't speak English, because in many cases they simply don't have to. They pretend they are still in Poland, their mates help them with documents, their employer gets them a translator. Many Poles here are also poorly educated, and sadly their Polish isn't very good either... I came here not because i'm poor or uneducated, or because my family is poor and they need my money, quite the opposite, but i just wanted to try something new and check out how far my English can take me. I've learnt so much here and i'm still learning everyday, both the English language and the life in England. It's so different, but i really like it. I kinda admire, but also feel sorry for all the Poles who come here without knowing any English, they must've ran out of other options to support themselves and their families, or maybe they still believe in the myth that there's work and money everywhere in this country.
Marek, basic arithmetic is the 1st school subject throughout the world, does this mean we're all great or even good, much less very good, in math??
If you don't use it, you'll lose it and if you never needed to use it why would you? I'm constantly baffled by this conundrum as well with people's reactions to it. Is it really the speaker percentage which determines a foreign speaker's proficiency in that language? Polish is spoken by a much smaller number of people relative to the size of the country than English which stretches across several continents. By the latter definition, foreigners who learn to speak English should be not only fluent, but perfect in English. This though is hardly the case.
The foreigners whom I've encountered who've taken the time to master Polish speak it FAR better than even the most gifted Poles who've done their level best to master English. And the reason? Simple. People expect less from non-natives speaking English because our standards, at least here in the States, are so low. Polish, Russian or German, on the other hand have the reputation of being 'difficult', indeed 'demanding' languages. Therefore more is expected of those who learn it as the standards for those languages respectively in Poland, Germany and Russia, are so high.
if you live in one EU country (eg Poland) and receive a job offer you would like to accept in another EU country (eg UK), should you take the job? Yes, if it suits you!
But what if you do not speak the local language? Well, if you will work alongside others who speak your language, or if your lack of knowledge in the local language will not be an impediment in carrying out your duties then..yes, go, work etc, if it's best for you!
If you (or your family back home) need the money in the short or long term, go! If you simply relish the challenge, or would like to try something new...go, whether you speak 1, 2, 3 or however many languages, do what suits you. If you have friends/family/acquantainces (perhaps with a better grasp of the local language) in the country you are travelling to go, if you so desire!
Perhaps someone coming from a (eg Poland) to b (eg UK) will have accomodation with others who speak both that persons own language and the local language. Great, go, if it's what you want!
Until such time as an employment opportunity will prove to be either temporary or permanent it may be a luxury or even a waste of time to learn a language you may or may not continue to use. If you do stay longer and wish to further integrate into the new society you find yourself in, by all means learn the local language.
Ps: my experience of Polish people who've come to both the UK & Ireland is wholly different to that of the OP. I am constantly amazed by the quality of English spoken by Polish people living and working in English speaking countries - especially when faced with the evidence here - on this forum - the number of EU citizens from (eg UK) who have gone to (eg Poland) with a poor or non-existant knowledge of the local language (eg Polish).
That English is a very useful and desirable second language cannot be denied, a language well worth learning. I overheard a Hungarian girl speaking with her Spanish friend earlier to-day...and English was their de-fault language. The opportunity to learn such a useful language should be taken where possible for one's own good. That is a seperate matter.
So, in short, the answer the original ironically poorly worded (and IMO factually inaccurate) question is....why not?
If I get an excellent job offer in a country whose language I'm not familiar with, but my brother is already there and doing ok...I'm out of here!!
Marek so how do you explain the bad grammar of your title of Topic
Should read Why can't Polish people that come to England speak English.
Are you foreign born???? I was just thinking of the quote of people in glass houses should not throw stones. People who are seeking a better life to not first think oh...I can't speak the language. They look to what is available to them and reach for the opportunity.
I can though understand any country being upset with the ones that don't make the effort once they arrive. Here we have Mexicans and Hispanics from other countires. PR, Cuba, Panama that refuse to learn the language and so we are expected to learn their language....not. They can learn as there are many free programs for them to do so.
The thing is that we still suffer from the old linguistic education. Before, we had to learn Russian. It was mandatory and everyone hated it.
After 1990, the majority of the old language teachers (i.e. Russian language teachers) simply "converted" to a Western language, they had to pick them up or lose their job. And the education system still suffers from the old and stupid methods!
There are plenty of young teachers now (who spent some time in real world situations abroad), but one can assure you that the methods they have to use (officially, at schools) are simply stupid in most cases. They try to teach languages as if it was maths or something that you just have to listen to or read, then sit down and learn and understand, then take some tests (build up texts and sentences etc.)... And then they're surprised that they cannot even buy a ticket at a train station.
I used to teach English at a secondary school and at university. Every time I went for the listening comprehension / student speaking time / discussion tasks, I would get the same response from the students: a huge sigh of NOT AGAIN! They hated it with a vengeance, for some reason. They were absolutely happy just sitting there fiddling with multiple choice grammar tests and suchlike. Young people, 16-20 years old! It really frustrated the hell out of me. When asked what they expected of me as their teacher, they candidly explained that I should "revise grammar" with them and spend time writing out huge lists of "useful words" on the board. As if they had never heard of dictionaries. I am a trained teacher mind you, and learnt whatever I know during the eighties, so according to Bondi I should be the evil incarnate as far as teaching English goes, but actually I always found the students to be exceptionally disinterested and passive... :-(
I even tried telling them that one day Poland would be in the EU (that was pre-2004) and they would travel abroad blablabla, but they just laughed it off. I'm still miffed when I think of it!
I am an Englishman who came to live in Poland...and could not speak the language...but thanks to friends , and an attempt to learn enough to get by i survive here all alone on a farm in the middle of nowhere.....I even had a job , working for Poles who spoke little English....its all possoble if you are able to adapt...
Exactly...mareck are you english? what annoyes me is why do english people move to france and work there and can't speak a word of french...and french is the 2nd language...
I think polish people speak enough english for me...the qustion is: how good polish can I speak...Well I am trying but I need help
Interesting thread. I am a Scottish born half Polish man who used to be a fluent Polish speaker but lapsed over the years :( (there was a reason for it).
I live in the Inverness area and would like to reacquaint myself with the language and in doing so, maybe be able to offer some linguistic help to a Pole(s) who could use a "buddy" for mutual education. Any takers?
how would you feal if 3million english goto poland and dont learn polish?
That's what's happening right now. While there are not 3 million Brits in Poland (neither are there 3 million Poles in England) what percentage of Brits living in Poland speaks Polish?
If you won't large scale though, there were over 3 million of Jews living in Poland before WW2. Most could not speak Polish, even though they had been descendants of generations of Jews living there.
