Work / Information about jobs for Indian students in Poland [286]


That is not a real university, and is not allowed to call itself a university in the Polish language. It is a fake school, and any degree from there is completely worthless. A MBA from there will qualify you to clean toilets.

Language / The use of 'sobie' in Poland's language [16]

@BumSkillet

With that example, you're bumping up against a tendency in Polish to use the dative where, in English, you would use a possessive. Here, "sobie" can be translated as "her": "she was putting on her makeup".

In this case, it's a bit ambiguous because it can also give the idea that she was unhurried, self-absorbed and unbothered by, and even oblivious too, anything else around her. The ambiguity was undoubtedly intended by the writer.

Other similar examples that are not ambiguous:

"Robił sobie zdjęcie codziennie przez 9 lat" from this article:

joy.pl/galeria/lifestyle/21717/szok-robil-sobie-zdjecie-codziennie-przez-9-lat-nie-zgadniesz-co-wydarzylo-sie-podczas-ostatniego-zdjecia

Here, it is clear with he was taking a picture of himself, so the possessive idea is the only possible meaning.

"Robił sobie zdjęcia w muzeum. Kiedy się cofał, wpadł na 300-letnią rzeźbę" from this article:

deser.gazeta.pl/deser/7,111858,20951920,robil-sobie-zdjecia-w-muzeum-kiedy-sie-cofal-wpadl-na-300-letnia.html

Here it is clear that the unhurried, self-absorbed, unbothered meaning is intended. He was not taking a picture of himself, but of another sculpture, so the possessive use is not a possible meaning.

You have to rely on context to determine which meaning is intended.

Language / The use of 'sobie' in Poland's language [16]


It also gives the idea of taking one's time and doing something at leisure, without an immediate goal in mind. It's hard to translate into English.

Work / Moving to Krakow, what can I afford for $2k per month apartment plus utilities? [14]

@jpalcan

Yes, they are good. But remember that the prices advertised are not all inclusive, and don't include administration fees and utilities. Also, good deals go very, very fast, so if you are not in the city, you won't be able to take advantage of them. Plan on spending 2000 to 2500 all inclusive for a one bedroom (2-pokojowe) apartment in most of the larger cities, and a bit more in Warsaw. Studio apartments are in great demand and go very fast, especially at this time of the year. In fact, this is the worst time of the year to be looking for an apartment because desperate students are scrambling for anything worthwhile right now.

Really, do enlist the help of an OLDER, experienced Polish colleague or friend. They know what to look for, and can negotiate the price. It will save you a whole heap of time and trouble.

Work / Moving to Krakow, what can I afford for $2k per month apartment plus utilities? [14]

@jpalcan

Yes. generally one month's rent.

Work / Moving to Krakow, what can I afford for $2k per month apartment plus utilities? [14]


Difficult without the help of an OLDER, experienced Polish colleague or friend. Extremely difficult if you try to do it from outside of the country.


A modest, but decent one-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood will cost you 2200 to 2700 PLN a month all inclusive (rent, administration fees, and all utilities except phone/TV/internet).

Work / Poland - Expat Careers [26]


General dictionaries are not adequate for this purpose.

The Oxford Dictionary of Human Geography specifies: "In practice, the term is usually applied to professionals, skilled workers or artists from affluent countries, often transferred by companies, rather than immigrants in general."

Language / Are Anglophones able to detect different Polish accents? [17]

@Lyzko

Nope. Russian has had very little, if any, influence on Polish lexicon (except for criminal slang), and none at all on pronunciation.

Weirdly, it had a major affect on how some Polish speakers pronounce English. After 1989. Many Polish teachers of Russian were reschooled to teach English, and taught English with a rather pronounced Russian accent. I was quite surprised to see many Polish teenagers speaking English with a strong Russian, not Polish, accent when I first arrived in Poland in 2002. That influence has decreased over time, though.

Study / I'm thinking to study in the Wrocław University of Science and Technology [55]


A degree from a course taught in Polish at a top university in Poland, maybe.

However, a degree from a course taught in English even at a top university in Poland is worse than a course taught in Turkish at a good university in Turkey.

The quality of courses taught in English at Polish universities is rather low, and they do not have a good reputation.

UK, Ireland / Are you able to hear the different English accents? [97]


But won't be able to distinguish any other accents except the local one, because there is no point in doing so. So a Pole living in Bangor will be able to understand the Bangor accent, and, perhaps, pick it out from other British accents and imitate it to some extent, but wouldn't be able to distinguish Scouse from Kentish from Geordi from Glaswegian, or even from American or Australian, without abundant experience and work. Probably wouldn't be able to determine whether a given accent was Welsh or not, if it was not specifically the variety spoken in Bangor.

Even as far as speaking goes, they are probably going to largely retain a Polish accent, slightly adapted for local conditions. Unless they are quite young and highly motivated, they are not going to end up speaking the local accent. Acquiring a native accent after one is about twenty takes a lot of hard work that very few people are willing to take on.

UK, Ireland / Are you able to hear the different English accents? [97]


Exactly. There is little, if any, instrumental utility for a foreigner in being able to distinguish between native English accents, so they are, for the most part, ignored as irrelevant. Like you said, most Americans cannot distinguish between the different British accents. The reverse is also true: few Brits can tell the difference between the different American accents. This is also due to lack of instrumental utility.

UK, Ireland / Are you able to hear the different English accents? [97]

@RubasznyRumcajs

I didn't say anything about understanding them, though there are some northern and Scottish accents that you would not even recognize as English at all, never mind understand. Watch the film "Kes" and see how much you can understand without subtitles.

I was talking about accurately identifying and distinguishing different accents. And even with the so-called "Texas" accent, you were relying on additional cues. There is no such thing as a "Texas accent". Texas lies in several accent zones, none of which is specific to Texas, and General American (northern) is very often used there, as well.

When additional cues are removed, by far most Poles will have difficulty distinguishing accents as different as American and British, as in my experiment with audiobooks.

Work / Jobs on Poland's Karta Pobytu - card valid for my current employer only [5]

Your new employer will have to apply for a new work permit, and you would have to take that to the Foreigners Office, together with your new contract.

UK, Ireland / Are you able to hear the different English accents? [97]

@johnny reb

By far most Poles who speak English cannot tell the difference between an American accent and a British one, never mind distinguish accents at a finer level, unless they have lived in the country for a very long time. And yes, I have actually tested this. Without visual or other clues, very few Poles can distinguish between audiobooks read by American or British readers.

As an American who grew up on PBS sponsored imported British TV programming, I can only tell roughly if someone is from the southeast, southwest, middle or northwest of England, or from Wales, Scotland or Ireland, but not specific accents. And that makes me an expert in British accents here in the States. I can't reliably identify a Saffa or Ozzie accent without additional cues, and I have had longterm roommates from both countries.

Canadians are easy. Just punch them in the arm. If they are Canadian, they will apologize, like Canadians always do, even when they are clearly not at fault. That and the weird way they pronounce the word "sorry" are enough to give them away.

Life / Questions about living in Wroclaw, Poland [11]


Probably because other websites like Gumtree and Gratka are popular and established. In other words, there's no niche left for Craigslist to fill.

Study / Hairstyling Academies in Warsaw? [5]

@Ready4

I couldn't find anything, either. My guess is that the demand for that sort of instruction in English is very low.

Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

Here is the geographic distrubution of Kameczura:

moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/kameczura.html

and the same for Kamyczura:

moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/kamyczura.html

Most likely scenario is that the name originated in Kraków, with a subsequent migration of one branch of the family to Myślenice.

Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

@Ziemowit

Kamyczura is less common than Kameczura, with only 58 individuals, mostly in Myślenica and the city of Kraków. It appears to be an alternate spelling of the same name.

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]


I've had rosół with marjoram, and it does dominate the flavor. Same with dill. And lovage really powerfully dominates. Other things I've tasted include garlic, carraway and juniper berries. The garlic was good when I first got to Poland, but was later replaced by a different variety that tastes horrible to me. I stopped using garlic altogether in my cooking because I couldn't stand it.

Leeks and savoy cabbage are quite common, and usually included in the bundles of soup greens that you can buy in stores. Curious how horseradish would taste. Sounds nice. Never had any problem getting horseradish root in Poland.

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]


No, it doesn't. They are entirely consistent.

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]

@jon357

If it is available in "Holland and eastwards", it is available in Western Europe.

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]

Checked Google Maps, and according to them, Holland is still indeed in Western Europe.

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]


I have two doctorates, and a degree in classical languages and another in German. And more than thirty years experience as a translator and editor. I highly doubt that your vocabulary is "better" than mine, even if I don't count scientific and medical terminology.

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]


Have they moved Holland? Is it not still in Western Europe?

Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

There is probably no way, as written records from before that time are quite sparse indeed, especially for people of lower social strata, who are the ones who were latest in adopting surnames. There are no records at all for most individuals who died in Poland before 1812. Most people lived and died without leaving a paper trail behind.

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]

@jon357

Your language is bog-standard educated colloquial English. Your vocabulary is mid-range for same. Nothing out of the ordinary, at all. Certainly nothing indicating that you have "far broader lexical control than most people - hence a more nuanced choice of low frequency words".

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]

@jon357

Or just simply "pietruszka".

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]


And yet you yourself used it in a mainstream colloquial UK English post.

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]


"Pietruszka" is used for both root and leaf parsley.

Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

@NewGuy12

There was probably no "name change" involved. This was the time period when many Poles first started using surnames. Until the early 1800s, many Poles did not use surnames at all.