History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Some debate about whether or not he was technically considered Polish or German, after all, Toruń at the time of his birth was still called "Thorn"!

Sorry to nit pick.

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

There was a famous French poet named "Apollinaire" and I believe he was Polish as well.

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Knowledge is dangerous to BOTH, to oneself as well as one's nemesis:-)

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Thank you! Should have mentioned him:-)

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Already listed way above under his Polish spelling:-)

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

If you then include scores of Polish Jews/half-Jews, indeed, the list of "Polish" accomplishments becomes even longer. And don't forget about Jerzy Koziński, Roman Polański, Tuwim, Różewicz, Leśmian, Brzechwa etc... Oh, yes! Almost forgot about Joseph Conrad, master English stylish, who, though not known for his contributions to Polish culture per se, was nonetheless a full (and a noble) Pole!!

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

And not only gaming, but the Polish capital has become a "virtual" (no pun meant here) hotbed for all manner of software startups and there's a capitalistic zeal worthy of Silicon Valley!!

Small wonder that the youngest Poles, those in their teens and early twenties are learning English with a vengeance:-)

Language / Polish Language Exchange Thread [144]

hi, margaret

Guess there's no further need since receiving your e-mail just now:-)
Sorry to have bothered you!

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Don't forget about mathematicians, scientists, writers etc..

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Much as in the H.C Andersen tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes", Germans by contrast are treated as FIRST-WORLD citizens because everyone, including their closest neighbors, is somehow afraid of telling them they are any less than perfect (as none of the townspeople dares to exclaim that the Emperor's naked, save for a little boy, quickly shushed, if I recall the story correctly)!

By contrast, Polish jokes continue to abound, and sadly a lot of Poles have started to buy into them. Everybody feels as though they need German technology and would be lost without it. A bit of skillful PR work might end up catapulting the Poles into a front-runner position of being taken seriously, a position denied them for far too long, and one which I believe they finally deserve:-)

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

A Russian troll meets an American troll!! Trust you feel in good company, Johnny:-)

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

...Szopen, Łobaczewski, Mickiewicz, Stanisław Lem, Igor Sikorski (half-Ukrainian on his mother's side), Andrzej Wajda, the list goes on and on and on......
LOL

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Quit trolling und start reading:-)

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

Czy znasz podręcznik "Wśród Polaków" (Wydawnictwo Fundacja Kościuszka)?

Please keep to the topic of this thread

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

..but everybody cares about MONEY!!! As far as the first, don;itkid yourself

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

Yes, exactly! And of course, what's so embarrassing about such bloopers is that NO POLE would actually say them, except possibly in jest:-)

Sort of like that old joke from the '60's, translating the German into English "Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn" as "Invisible idiot" rather than "Out of sight out of mind", or from English into Russian, "The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak" as "The vodka was good, but the meat was bad." etc.....

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

No brainer, but Google Translate's often just flat WRONG!! Machine translation as it is should be taken with a [huge] grain of salt:-)

I recently came across "Dziękuję z góry!" translated as "Thank from mountain!" vs. the idiomatically correct "Thank you in advance!" etc.
ad hilarium lol

Law / Poland's invitation letter validity. [26]

As I mentioned, since you are likely a Russian national, the Russian Consulate/Embassy most probably handles such matters:-)

Off-Topic / What is funny about this picture? [31]

It used to be called "fagging", as in Tom Brown's Schooldays:-) The Germans use a made-up. pseudo-"Denglisch" word for it; they call it "Mobbing", and it's equally unpleasant, trust me.

Law / Poland's invitation letter validity. [26]

I'd try the Russian Consulate first, as apparently you're a Russian national who just happens to be in Belarus:-) They might be able to straighten things out for you, diplomatically speaking, that is.

Po polsku / Wielkimi krokami zbliża się... Dzień Przyjaźni Polsko-Węgierskiej [50]

Dzięki, Ziemowicie czyli Ziemowitku! Jak zwykle po Twoich wiadomościach dużo sie uczę o języku polskim:-))

History / What do Poles think about Turks? [761]

Merve,

Armenians blaming ALL Turks for the excesses of a minority is much as with the Jews blaming every German or Austrian for having been either a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer!

It's both unfair and illogical:-)

Genealogy / Want to find a person [770]

I can agree, based on my own experience with Poles here in the States as well:-) Privacy "laws" are so porous in cyberspace.

Food / Origin of the pierogi [127]

Ya see that, Chem:-) The bloke didn't even know what he was selling (then again, maybe he did and was just being a wise acreLOL), 'cuz when I even asked him (in Polish) whether or not there was a difference between "pierogi" and "pirozhki", he merely shook his head and replied "Tak samo!"

Thanks, I finally learned something.

Food / Origin of the pierogi [127]

Just was in a supposed "Polish" bakery not far from where we live and saw "pirozhki" instead of the proper spelling:-) The owner is a Pole, yet he didn't seem either to notice or care. If he's that careless about his signage, how circumspect could he possibly be about his baking?LOL

Imagine an American eatery in Poland, featuring "hat duggi"!

Language / Grammar - difference between "jaki" and "co" in Polish language [43]

I suspected as much, Ziemowit. Thanks for being on my side:-)

Off-Topic / What's your connection with Poland? Penpals. [574]

There used to be a sort of night club type place called "Krokodil", but I'd ask a native Varsovian.... preferrably over fourty about that:-) During the Communist Era, there were lots of hot spots, as well as after-hours places which were of course all illegal, but people went there anyway.

Heard Warsaw's much like any other teeming metropolis, but most Poles (as well as foreign tourists) whom I've spoken to think that Kraków and Wrocław are much more attractive!

Anyway, enjoy.

Language / Grammar - difference between "jaki" and "co" in Polish language [43]

I see that there is some confusion on several points. Concerning "jaki" vs. "jakiś" etc., I decided to consult my Bible, Poprawna Polszczyzna, having apparently either misread or plainly misunderstood Mr. Swan, and confess that indeed I was in error, at least partially:-) Preferring the Polish-language source to even as reliable an Anglo-Saxon Polish expert as Oscar Swan, I realized I must see for myself in the original Polish before I go about instructing others.

It seems that "jaki" and "jakiś" mean two different things, and that whatever I heard spoken, was either incorrect Polish or I simply didn't catch it on the fly, as it wereLOL

"Jaki" = ilość, jakość, therefore, my example sentence "Który kolór?" was wrong, as "który" can mean either "who", "whose", as well as "which". The phrase ought to have read "JakIEGO kolorU jest.....?" =WHICH (rather than WHOSE!!) color is....? For that, I sincerely apologize.

@DominicB,
I'm stating here and now that I will not at this time or any other submit to such a nasty, not to mention uncalled for, retort as yours! You happen to be speaking to a colleague and as I don't denegrate your experience and background, I shall not allow you to denegrate mine. Although I have read "resp." for "respectively" on more than one occasion in scientific journals and the like (written by native English speakers, I hasten to add), it might have simply been nothing more than "translatorese", a bastard tongue from which even I and others in my profession aren't immune:-))

Language / Grammar - difference between "jaki" and "co" in Polish language [43]

Joke: How many native speakers does it take to answer a question?

Answer: You ask two Poles, you get six different answers:-)

I've heard it used throughout Poland, so there's the answer. It's also in my "Poprawna polszczyzna", written by native Polish speakers indicating both standard and colloquial usage.

Language / Grammar - difference between "jaki" and "co" in Polish language [43]

As a translator, nonetheless, I would insist that "bzw." aka "beziehungsweise" IS, moreover, can certainly be used to mean, "respectively" as in "Er ist zwar Fremsprachenlehrer, bzw. Dozent fuer Fremdsprachen." = He is [in fact] a foreign language instructor, resp./that is to say, a foreign language adjunct lecturer. About that, there is really little room for doubt, quibble though as one well might, even in professional circles:-)

As to "respective" as in " the respective books which you ordered..." would best be rendered in German as "die jeweiligen Buecher....."

@NoToForeigners,

The distinction between "jakiś" vs. "który" has already been explained by me as well as by others! "Proszę o chleb! - Jakiś chleb?" = I'd like some bread, please! - What kind of bread? vs. "Piękna sukienka! Który kolor jest?" = Stunning blouse! What color is it?

Kind of a no-brainer, wouldn't you say?