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 [773]

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. [595]

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?

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

Bzw. in German refers to something or someone. "Respectively", often translated as well with "jeweils" cf. "jeweilig-" is perfectly acceptable German for the English, although I do agree with you that dictionaries frequently make mistakes! Then again, so do translators:-)

I'd accept "beziehungsweise" as "respectively" any day of the week, so too my translation colleagues.
Sort of like "unbekannterweise". Normally, the best rendering into English is "...although we've never met".

@NoToForeigners,

How can I respond, other than to say politely to **** off and leave your harassment tactics at the door!!
If something weren't accurate and correct, I wouldn't post it.

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

"JaCy" would be for persons, not things:-) Yet one of many further wrinkles in Polish pronouns, counting etc.

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

If you're Japanese aka from Japan, Russia would logistically make the most sense:-)

Off-Topic / Being a Slav: a blessing or a curse? [199]

Ahemm, crow, the operative word here is "conclusive", from one lizac to another:-)

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

From which country do you hail, globetrekker? Just curious:-)

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

Undoubtedly Russia would make the most economic sense from my point of view:-) I know basic Russian well enough to be able to read a newspaper (albeit with a Polish-Russian dictionary at my side!) and to be sure, Polish does have "limited" use nearly anywhere outside of Poland and the UKLOL

The advantages however of Poland over Russia are strategic at best, rather than exclusively geopolitical! Her proximity to the FRG is important for historical reasons far too numerous to go into here as well as her traditionally West-friendly and extremely hard-working population.

An advantage of Russia on the other hand is that a broader educated spectrum of her population speak English, this in no way lessening the need for outsiders to learn Russian:-)

Off-Topic / Being a Slav: a blessing or a curse? [199]

Still more in-depth and conclusive hard factual evidence needed to convince me!

Polonia / Let's talk about Sweden and other Scandinavian countries [236]

Sarcasm aside, sir, all I meant was that there is good and bad in permissiveness:-) The latter example, of course, is not desirable.

Polonia / Let's talk about Sweden and other Scandinavian countries [236]

In the name of "progressive liberalism", Sweden, along with Denmark and Norway, often test the tolerance of continental Europeans used to a less in-your-face forms of social interaction.

Allowing small children to slowly develop their own identity rather than be exclusively "tied down" to traditional roles is a fine idea in an of itself. On the other hand (as I experienced while living with a family during the '80s in Denmark), permitting house guests to fornicate right in front of foreign company without either warning or apology, I find more than just a trifle much!

lol

Genealogy / Typical Polish Eye Color [77]

Intermarriage combined with cross-pollination of different ethnic groups certainly contributes to both eye and hair color:-)

Polonia / Let's talk about Sweden and other Scandinavian countries [236]

Not sure I see the connection between "going Protestant", self-hatred, and denial, but then maybe I'm a little slow:-)
We haven't all got your lightning intellect, IronsideLOL

Polonia / Let's talk about Sweden and other Scandinavian countries [236]

Look, Sweden's a Protestant country, hence inherently accepting of things which would doubtless offend "religious" Poles, Italians, Spaniards etc.

While not personally "offended" particularly at the Swedish article either, I've considerably more experience in Sweden as well as with Swedes than with Poles, therefore, my reaction to it was more "There they go again!", pushing the proverbial envelope as to precisely how much can one tolerate without defining certain limits:-)

Genealogy / Typical Polish Eye Color [77]

Kaszubs no doubt:-)

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

:-) Literally.

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

As I recall in English, at least in Britain aka England, there exists a phrase "As the captain, so the ship."
:-)

In colloquial speech as concerns "Schlag"/"Der" Schlag, the article may in fact be omitted, I honestly forgot here.
Certain usage is plain, flat wrong such as in fixed expressions.

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

@Ziemowit, the German corresponding expression would likely be "Schlag soll mich treffen!"
:-))

Sometimes, a Polish idiom or saying may have almost a direct translation into another language, but not into user-friendly or common English parlance aka "Jaki pan, taki sam." = Wie's der Herr, so's Gescherr.

Off-Topic / Being a Slav: a blessing or a curse? [199]

Allow me to interject. Slavic as an Indo-European language family is normally divided into Eastern Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian), South Slavic (chiefly, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian etc.) and West Slavic (Polish, Polabian, Sorbian, Silesian, Czech, and Slovene). While categorists abound who'd doubtless take serious issue with the above (much as with most everything elseLOL), among the so-called "theories" floating around concerning peoples and languages is that of the much-debated Nostratic group, given to include as far-flung tongues as Basque, Kartvelian, and Hungarian:-)

The funniest of these is the notion that if a Lithuanian peasant listens to a Sanskrit prayer chanted ever so slowly, the former can understand the latter intelligibly!!

This is pure fiction, to put things politely.

Off-Topic / Being a Slav: a blessing or a curse? [199]

The Slavs, like the Teutons (Germanic tribes), Celts, Balts etc. are a people, a Caucasian sub-group much like the Na-Dene, Havasupai, Kwakiutl, and Tlingit are an Amerind sub-group of Native North Americans:-)

Life / Comparing Poland and Romania [108]

Lots of people mistake Romanians as well as Albanians, even Hungarians, for Slavs:-)