Language / Province or Voivodeship [36]


Umm that just shows you the caliber of "official" EU pol->eng translators. Most are utter sh!t. Here's the first link I found of a .eu address using voivodeship.

espon-interstrat.eu/admin/attachments/the_Pomorskie_Voivodeship_Development_Strategy.pdf

I spotted 20 mistakes in the first two paragraphs. Gimme a break. Polish translators suck bal!s and you know it.

Again, voivodeship is the incorrect translation. It is an archaic word, out of use, non-relevant and entirely inappropriate if it is to be read by anyone who is NOT a Polish national. If I were to use Wroclaw's definition right above me, I could just as well call cars: motorcars, computers: electronic machiens, roads: black tar trails and god knows what else using outdated, poor terminology.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

Reading comprehension not your strong suit? Let's see if you can figure out why you're a moron.

Language / A typical quality of book translation from English to Polish? [28]

How do you know Polish well enough to translate from it? Would using a machine translator (google) and then proofreading the text be an accurate representation?

As I'm wondering how you unscramble some of the gibberish written in Polish that even most Polish speakers wouldnt completely understand.

Language / Province or Voivodeship [36]


I could accept the article THE here, though A is much better.

But teflcat is right, voivodeship is not the correct translation, it's province. Voivodeship IS in OED, I remember seeing it, but still, it is not correct as it has no meaning to an English speaking person and you'd still have to use the word province for clarification purposes.

Language / A typical quality of book translation from English to Polish? [28]


How many native English speakers do you know that can translate from Polish? Or even those that know enough about writing to provide decent copy editing/proofreading?

How many native English translators, who have translated at a somewhat professional level, do you know that can translate from Polish?
How many native English translators do you know (with credentials or who are a sworn translator) thaat can translate from Polish?

The list for all 3 categories is minuscule.

Real Estate / Banks in Poland selling fewer mortgages in 2011, down 49% [285]


Seriously? When purchasing the most expensive thing in your life, as well a place where you might end live out the rest of your days, not mentioning something you'll be paying off for decades... and you're gonna tell your kids or family... that... at least there's someplace worse on the planet?

location location location

Real Estate / Banks in Poland selling fewer mortgages in 2011, down 49% [285]


I'm very interested where I can find a flat for 1.5x or 3x one's annual income in any of the big cities.

Last I remember the national average was 3600 gross, so around 2600 net. But we "work hard", so let's say 3500 net, and the wife pulls in 2000 net. So thats 5500 x 12 so thats 66000. An average flat hovers around 300000, so thats 5x your income. Of course there are so many variables here that it's impossible to even generally summarize what could be considered "affordable" for most people, maybe you make less but the family helps you out, or youre single but work a lot pulling in 6k (for... 30 years), but for most Poles who make 2k net, even with a spouse, and god forbid they have a kid, it's just not financially viable.

Work / So I received an offer from a Poland language school - what's your take on this? [59]


What do you mean by clowns? I mean they're teachers right? CELTAs, grammar, lead-ins, all that jazz, just that they like to have a laugh while doing their job??

USA, Canada / Bringing a smartphone from the US. Would it work in Poland? [4]

check the specs, any decent phone should have quadband and GPRS/EDGE/3G data transmission

make sure its not locked to any provider though

Law / Allegro for non-Polish users -- Cancel order, bank transfer, contacts for help, etc. [19]

I know this thread is old, but for any other interested parties.

1. You cannot cancel orders per se. If the seller wanted to they could easily take you to court and have you not only pay for the item, but thousands of zl in court costs. Why? You entered a contractual obligation to purchase the item. In reality all you'll get is negative feedback, possibly your account suspended.

2. Credit card payment is possible through the Place z Allegro option, but the seller must accept Place z Allegro payments in the first place. If they do not, you have to pay by bank transfer. Dont bother going to banks, just go to your local post office, you want to make a Wplata na rachunek bankowy, you need to fill out this form but it's all in Polish, have someone help you. You pay like a 1zl fee.

3. Allegro pretty much has no customer help of any kind. Maybe things changed, but I doubt it.

UK, Ireland / "If it's not Polish, it's shite" - What is great about Polish Beer in UK? [78]


I dont know if you're serious or what, I'd recommend being a bit more obvious here. Obviously there are quite bit of decent beers in PL, such as a few offerings from the Chiechan brewery, Raciborz (Zamkowy) etc. but the pickings are slim. There are about a million better American or Belgium beers available for the same or similar price of what a "decent" beer goes for in Poland.

UK, Ireland / "If it's not Polish, it's shite" - What is great about Polish Beer in UK? [78]

Well, considering anyone who is actually attempting to "rank" mass-market beers in terms of quality is already..well let's put it this way.. an f'ing idiot, I wouldnt worry about it. I'm sure those Mexican or Danish beers really stand out among the competition, of course as long as theyre on sale. Tyskie, Lech, Zywiec, it's all the owned by the same brewery, produced in the exact same way, and has the same shiiit piiiis mix of chemicals, ethanol and "beer flavor".

Seriously, go try some real beers or something.


****** beers.

News / The European Health Card. Why don't the Poles know about it? Free Medical care. [26]

Thanks Wroclaw, the lady at the NFZ window said it was valid for a maximum of 2 months, so she was wrong. Nonetheless, my card was validated only for the 15 days I was going to be abroad. Still a waste of time getting it. I had to go to the ZUS office 3 times, in the place were I had my zameldowanie. I, unlike others, value my time and it just wasnt worth it, considering the lack of full coverage.

No surprise that Lwowksakrakow is not responding.

News / The European Health Card. Why don't the Poles know about it? Free Medical care. [26]


Lwowskakrakow, you do not know what you are talking about. For the second time.

Anyway, the EHIC, as issued by Poland, is valid for a maximum of 2 MONTHS. Other countries issue the card for longer, but Poland for 2 months. Let me say that again, 2 MONTHS. And most of the time they'll only issue it to you for the length of your trip. And its only valid under certain conditions, ie, traveling for pleasure or when looking for work. The second you find a job or "reside permanently" in some place you lose it.

And with regards to the insurance I bought and which you know so much better than me, no, you are incorrect. My travel medical insurance is valid anywhere in the EU and covers the same thing the EHIC does, including skiing accidents, just far better. I have a hotline I call and they tell me what to do and where to go. Used it twice, no complaints. You are confusing it with standard private health insurance, which uh... costs a lot more than 200zl a year.

My advice is to NOT get the EHIC/EKUZ because its a waste of your time. But oh yea, being Polish means I love to stand in queues since I have plenty of time to waste, thats directly quoting you btw.

News / The European Health Card. Why don't the Poles know about it? Free Medical care. [26]

1. Only for emergency medical treatment or if you fall suddenly sick. You cant go to Germany to get that operation that you listed to have in 3 years through NFZ.

2. The card is valid for a maximum of two months or something, not a year, normally they give it to you for as long as you are travelling. Ever ytime you want to abroad you have to get a new one, and for someone who is self-employed its a PITA.

3. Nope, it's not for those living in another country. The second you find a job you have insure through that country's insurance system.

4. NFZ's own website says they recommend you buy private health insurance, since only the most basic costs, or sometimes only part of even NONE of costs are covered by the EHIC. Transport to Poland for example is not covered, and many countries hit you with 40 to 80 euro fees for visits.

5. Even better, in some countries you have to pay upfront and then get refunded by NFZ. Oh... that sure sounds painless.

So save yourself the hassle and just get private medical insurance, I just got covered for a year for 200zl through Hestia.

Work / The demand for English language learning in Poland is at an all time low [41]

I teach on the side and am turning down work all the time, I dont see any down turn in the TELF market at least here.

BTW, If there are any teachers who are looking for work in Wroclaw let me know.

Real Estate / Who designs houses in Poland? [66]


actually, if im not mixing up poznans stary browar and galeria malta, i know from a friend who designed it.. basically he was hired on as a consultant, the moment he finished the basic renderings he was fired, his plans stolen, and then modified. wait, i think im thinking about malta. that retarded 3rd floor where the food court and move theater is was not in the original plan, thats why it looks so ******.

wroclaw, the renoma was an example of modern architecture but taking into consideration what was old, and it was done very well as the investor knew what they wanted. i know the people who designed it. and even though solpol is 20 years old its still modern architecture. how it works for you though i have no idea, its a perfect example of an arhictect/investor who took NOTHING into consideration when designing it. let alone using quality materials. its still one of the worst designed buildings ive ever seen from a functional point of view, both sol pol I and sol pol II.

Real Estate / Who designs houses in Poland? [66]


of course its investors who design the buildings. of course architects plans are changed. even on site plans are changed. i know many architects, and the process always goes like this:

investor - we want it to look like this and with these fantastic ideas. our budget is $10
architect - ok, we made it look even better, with your fantastic ideas and some of ours
investor - omg we love it. how much?
architect - $12
investor - oh, then lets change this to save some more money.
architect - ok, we can do that, itll still look good. $9
investor - hmm our budget has changed, change this.
architect - thats not going to look good, but we'll try. $7
investor - nope, still too much. that cool stuff has got to go, too expensive, and we're going to use bare concrete for everything.

architect - ummm. but... ok. $6
investor - hey, it doesnt look like the fantastic rendering you first submitted! btw, budget cuts again, and this empty space over here, for a park? lets put some kiosks in there. oh, and......

and of course foster and his investors cared or sometimes didnt care about what they put where. i can give you many examples of where some architects/investors went out of there way to take into consideration what was around them, for example lodz's manufaktura or poznan's stary browar, wroclaw's renoma, or where other just went f'ing nuts, like the sol pol in wroclaw.

Real Estate / Who designs houses in Poland? [66]


you're quite wrong here, the decision on how a building ends up looking is entirely the investors, NOT the architects. and in instances where the project is aimed at adapting an old building into something new, well, poles do it quite well. i would say, however, that interior design is an entirely different matter and still needs a few years of work..

Work / I'M SO SURPRISED BY THIS SALARY FOR IBM in WROCLAW 3000 ZL gross [135]


Sorry delph, I misread you and thought we were talking about 1300zl net. I agree with you here wholeheartedly, 1500 on life life after bills and stuff gets tucked away is actually not that terrible :)

Work / I'M SO SURPRISED BY THIS SALARY FOR IBM in WROCLAW 3000 ZL gross [135]


Is this for ******* real? Are you serious? Nonsense? Delph I remember your posts from time to time and were normally spot on but what the hell is this ****?

You are right, there is something wrong with me about not wanting to live at poverty level. Of course I can live on that, but do I want to?

Because if I follow you correctly, you think a working professional who makes enough money to rent a... room.. and ride the tram... probably gets to eat meat once a week... is something fair?

1300 net
-650 room
-170 public transport (thats in wroclaw)
-60 mobile

that leave you 420zl a month. for food, clothing, and god forbid you get sick, like a private visit to the doctor and medicine. thats poverty my friend.

Work / Salary for an architect with 3years experience in warsaw [37]


Experience with what? As a low level drawer? Project manager? Single dwelling homes or high rises? Do you know anything about the building code/regulations in Poland? As an architect I would think thats the first thing you need to know before working in an another country.

Honestly, as I have many friends who are architects, you may have an incredibly difficult time finding work since you a) dont know polish b) are not an english native speaker c) are not well versed in local building design/construction/regulations d) do not have much experience

The reason being that most architectural offices can find a million university students who would work for free that have all the things you dont.

Work / I'M SO SURPRISED BY THIS SALARY FOR IBM in WROCLAW 3000 ZL gross [135]


Not tight, impossible. A studio goes goes for 800 up to 1500zl a month.

For people who 'get by' on 2000zl a month or whatever in Wroclaw/Krakow/Warsaw, theyre obviously taking the **** since they must have family or friends supporting them somehow, or seriously skimp on some other part of life, such as clothing, food, or entertainment.

If you are doing any programming work you should be making 4000 net easy. IBM and LG and 3M and all the other large corps who settled down here are the only ones still offering such dismal salaries, since they originally budgeted to be paying Poles peanuts for another decade. They seriously expected qualified IT workers and engineers to run them 500 dollars a month.

Work / Teaching English in Krakow -- how to find students? [52]


I dont disagree, one of my cardinal sins as a beginning teacher was overusing Polish to explain tasks, it taught my students it was acceptable to use Polish with me or revert to it the second they had problems saying something in english. I learned my lesson.

But having the ability to instantly translate not just words but idiomatic sentences? Get real, it helps your students tremendously. Its nice some of you speak Polish, but are you fluent in it? Take any word, like lets say a student wants to say that tomorrow theyre going 'na rehabilitacje staw skokowy'. What would you say? Uhhhh? I just had a student ask me that an hour ago. And quite honestly you MUST have the polish definitions for specific vocab words. 'Cod' is just the tip of the iceberg here.

Btw, do any natives teach lower levels??? Like an A1 level?

Real Estate / Just by gauging the interest in this forum says all about property in PL [36]

Oh wait I heard of that, but those arent mortgages mortgages in the same way as in Poland, the US, the UK etc, those are those inheritance deals or those infinite mortgages the Swiss have.

Work / Teaching English in Krakow -- how to find students? [52]


Youre not even 20? Then quite honestly you will have serious problems finding work, sorry.


Then in that case no. You will have to look around for a decent gig but I doubt youll have a problem.

Work / Teaching English in Krakow -- how to find students? [52]


Does it make a difference? I would say it does if you really are bilingual. How common is it? Very rare. Im one of them, born and bred American but speak fluent Polish since my parents were Poles. A decent wage? Well if thats all you can offer than maybe. If you have a uni degree, some TEFL certification, have a knack for teaching, are amiable and generally fun to be around with, and can put together a decent lesson, youre golden.

Real Estate / Just by gauging the interest in this forum says all about property in PL [36]


How is that even possible when an average home costs about 1000e/m2, attainable for lots of Germans. I think you read that wrong, they probably change mortgage lenders 3 times or more seeking better rates.

Real Estate / Just by gauging the interest in this forum says all about property in PL [36]


I know its bleak, but for me those are serious fundamental issues that require long term planning and a tremendous amount of time and money to correct. I dont think a single person in Poland seriously considered what life will look like in 10 years in this country. Of course I wish it was otherwise. And anyway, so what, most people in 10-20 years will want to dump their old commie apartment for something new, then who will buy the old apartments that are falling apart? Theyll have no value, and look at how many could come onto the market.

Most of the communist buildings were built with an life span of 30-40 years, most build in the 70s. Some are already approaching 50. The problem is, how do you destroy a bloc owned by 100 people and then build a new one? And I doubt those who took on 30/40 year mortgages to buy a flat in one of those buildings are considering leaving any time soon.

edit:
I know about the quality issues on new projects, my cousins 5 year old flat has severe structural and plumbing issues, which make you wonder how long they will actually last. Which goes right back to the question, whos going to buy this crap in 10-30 years? Sure some of the communist blocs were built rock solid, using quality bricks and concrete and overengineered. But not all.

USA, Canada / Dual citizenship - US doesn't care if you don't give up Polish passport [103]


Yes, they are. I have dual citizenship/passports and am working on a third.