Short Polish<->English translations

Psia krew, cholera. As with swearing and such there is no literal translation as it wouldn't make much sense. Google translate should do if you the trick if you want a literal translation.

psia krew (dog blood)

cholera (cholera)

both are mild swear words... the second a little stronger than the first I think.

According to certain Forum members, both of the above are rather old-fashioned.

Psiakrew is definitely getting out of fashion. Cholera still holds strong but I may be blinded as I like to use it :)

@Lenka
I remember as a kid watching a huge downpour of rain through the window and shouting out "Cholera" and my mum chastising me for the use of that word.

I believe the expression du jour has become "kurwa", at least if certain 21st century films e.g. "Wesele" are any guide:-)

I swear in English even if I speak Polish... wonder why...hmmm


Nah, that is word crutch for those with poor vocabulary and kurwa can mean anything from a strong swear words to a mild exclamation of wonder..

Hence i think it can be safely translated as F .... the same flexibility of usage depending on circumstances and intent.

By myself I often swear in Polish..... taboo words in a foreign language never have quite the same force as in a person's first language....

I don't swear that often plus I use euphemisms, I don't think it is a case of - as you put it - taboo words. As I find it to be more emotionally gratifyingly in those rare instances that I do swear.

I wonder why is that. I mean I would expect the reverse would make more sense. well...

Apropos many Europeans swear in English, but don't really speak it!

There's also the thing where English swear words are incorporated into different European languages where they lose the force they have in English. I remember reading that Danes in international contacts need to be told ahead of time that casual use of the word 'fv(king' in English makes native speakers uncomfortable.

Similarly in German "Sh[tstorm" means something like 'kerfuffle' or 'contretemps'....

"Shitstorm" 's a great example. It only goes to show the difference between why the Europeans use English as opposed to why we Anglophones use words from European languages; the Poles, Germans etc. use English out of laziness whereas we do it out of cultural aesthetic:-)

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Need help reading this

Can someone help me translate this? Specialy Names, Places and Dates...

photos.app.goo.gl/pfqfuNxYLUU7Az619

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  maryanna4.jpg
  

Bunky:
Psia krew! Cholera!!!

Mild swear words, literally, "Dog's blood! Cholera!"

This is from a letter written in 1945. There are two words I can't get (indicated by question marks):

Muszę zwrócię się do Ciebie z ? ? prośba.

"I must turn to you with a ? ? request"

The full letter is here if you want to look at it:
[url=leonidhurwicz.org/letter-from-adek-lodz-nov-1945/][/url]

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  musze.jpg
  

I figured it out:
Muszę zwrócię się do Ciebie z jeszcze jedna prośba.

"I must turn to you with a one more request"

I have a request for you.

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Need help translating memory book page from 1929

My grandmother left Poland for the US in 1929 with her twin sister at age 14. Her twin died young from cancer but the family left my grandmother a memory book from 1929 in which my grandmother wrote a section. We recently found the book and we'd love to translate the page where my grandmother left a note for her sister.

Here is an image of the page where my grandmother drew a picture and wrote something:

ibb.co/64DGjgj (hopefully you can get to this link. It's just an image sharing site)

Thank you in advance!

Here is the image with reduced file size to translate. Thank you so much for looking at this!

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  The image
  

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Help, please! I have a Polish character in my book and need some translation assistance

Hi, all! looking for help with a handful of dialogue/scenes that include bits of Polish .Appreciate any and all assistance!

1)
"It's been too long, you <zaciety> girl. I was afraid you were waiting for my funeral to visit again." Aneta's dry, papery cheek brushed hers and Stacia's eyes filled. It had been too long.

"Don't say such things," she scolded, but Aneta waved a hand.

2)
Stacia set her own cup down. Her gaze flickered to Matthias.
His expression was pained. "Forgive me, babciu, but I cannot do that."

3)
He eyed her as he poured a hefty shot of the śliwowica, downed it and poured another, then filled a glass for her.

4)
"Come to the table, Nastka." He tossed the words over his shoulder. "There are eggs and fruit. Also pączki. The little orange ones."

5)
"But she is policja?" Aneta insisted. "She would not hurt you?"

6)
Klaudia clearly had a good eye. She clapped once as Stacia studied herself in the mirrors. "Doskonały!" she breathed.
"It is perfect," Stacia agreed. "We'll take it."

7)
He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "It's not the killing that's hard, moja królowo, it's the living with it."

8)
"You've called the policja? Nie," she whispered, yanking her hands away. "You can't."

9)
Lucjan gave him another once-over. "Fajnie." He turned to Squires. "Don't blame me if your man doesn't come back in one piece." Or at all.

10)
"That's it," he breathed. "Don't go anywhere, jedyna moja. Don't hide from me."

11)
"I didn't think it did, jedyna moja," he said softly.

some random notes (from a non-native speaker but with decades of living in Poland)

<zaciety> girl.
- zacięta (but not the best word... not sure which would be better0

He eyed her as he poured a hefty shot of the śliwowica,

-not the most common or characteristic drink, maybe brandy or koniak or

"Come to the table, Nastka." He tossed the words over his shoulder. "There are eggs and fruit. Also pączki. The little orange ones."

-what is Nastka an abbreviation of?

-pączki are basically jelly donuts... how are they orange?

"But she is policja?" Aneta insisted. "She would not hurt you?"

-policja is 'police force' so maybe 'from (the) policja'
-when is this set? what time period? after WWII until 1989-90 or so Poland had milicja instead of policja

6)
Klaudia clearly had a good eye. She clapped once as Stacia studied herself in the mirrors. "Doskonały!" she breathed.
"It is perfect," Stacia agreed. "We'll take it."
-what is doskonały? what's the item?
-what is Stacia an abbreviation of?

7)
He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "It's not the killing that's hard, moja królowo, it's the living with it."

-to me it would sound better without 'moja', that kind of possessive pronoun is often omitted in Polish

9)
Lucjan gave him another once-over. "Fajnie." He turned to Squires. "Don't blame me if your man doesn't come back in one piece." Or at all.

-fajnie sounds a bit dated (which might be fine)

I have a favor to ask of you.


Can you tell me what do you expect us to do with it?

Whatever you want.... agree, disagree, ignore.

British donuts are orange-browne - Polish are most often brown


- in this sentence moja królowo fits MUCH better

nalewki or wisniowki


depends on the context.


As far as I know it either Anastazja or Konstancja, it could be from few other names, those who are using it know lol!

orange donuts - beat me - maybe with some orange flavor i.e. candied orange peel - why small? size has nothing to do with it.

she is a policewomen?

stacia? Maybe Stasia.
Doskonale? Doskonaly what the fudge? Some BS out of context.

moja krolowo is Ok in the context but that too cheesy and outdated like hell.

śliwowica is characteristically Eastern European - if the author aims at specific Polish flavour of the narration śliwowica fits there much better than your suggestions, mafketis

Thanks for all the help!

For this one, I'm aiming for 'crazy' girl, or maybe 'silly'?

With the donuts, I think I was just being unclear, talking about the kind with the candied orange peel on top. :)


The item is a dress.

The book is modern day.


Is there an option more contemporary then?


I was worried about that! Any suggestions on something that would sound more up to date? Is jedyna moja better? The character here is slightly old-fashioned in his temperament, but he is a young man (late 20s).

Also thanks for the options on the alcohol. I didn't want him forever drinking brandy, it's seems cliché for a Polish character.

szalona?


but in my experience not that common in Poland (I think of it as a Czech or Yugoslav, it might be more common in southern Poland...) but koniak... (nalewka would be good and very Polish but it's usually a lot weaker)

a dress would be doskonała

Depends what kind of nalewka it is...


A man in his 20' would go for vodka, if contemporary anything really depending on his story and background. If you have something stereotypical in mind it could be a drink like zubrowka with an apple juice.

If a dress - doskonale, doskonala or swietnie, Not doskonaly.

Instead of fajnie - dobrze, dobra.

moja jedyna rather than jedyna moja it sounds like he is mocking her or is not quite serious. If that is some life and dead situation he would use her name rather than some endearing substitute.


kochanie, sloneczko, mala, zlotko, serduszko...thing is I'm not that young so that could be outdated too but it is still better than that cheesy bit from 40 years ago or more. lol

To steady his nerves? That's the context I understood from the short passage (could be wrong of course). I don't think 20 year olds go for żołądkowa (another thought of mine...)

I like żubrówka but not sure if people drink it straight (again how I understood).