Category Archives: Dla Polaków

How to translate “nie później niż w ciągu”

Posted on November 3, 2017 by

I often see the literal translation of this phrase – not later than within. This is always wrong. Here’s an example: POLISH Płatności należy dokonać nie później niż w ciągu pięciu dni od daty otrzymania niniejszego pisma. WRONG The payment … Continue reading →

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How to translate “ujawnić”

Posted on September 7, 2017 by

“Ujawnić” seems to have various meanings and can be translated into numerous different words in English. Unfortunately most people regularly choose the wrong word. Here’s a typical example: POLISH W dziale I-Sp księgi wieczystej nr WA4M/00847639/5 ujawnione zostało prawo użytkowania … Continue reading →

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Comma before “that”

Posted on September 22, 2015 by

Different languages have different rules about how to use commas. You cannot use the punctuation rules of your native language when you write in English – you must use English rules. Putting a comma before “that” is a very common … Continue reading →

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How to translate “ekspertyza”

Posted on July 16, 2015 by

WRONG Please send us an electronic version of the Purchaser’s technical expertise dated 29 November 2014. RIGHT Please send us an electronic version of the Purchaser’s technical opinion dated 29 November 2014.  Do NOT translate ekspertyza as expertise. These words … Continue reading →

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The difference between “consist of” and “consist in”

Posted on June 11, 2014 by

Until relatively recently I was not aware of the difference between “consist of” and “consist in”. This is probably because among native English speakers “consist in” is very infrequently used in comparison to “consist of”, which is relatively common. In … Continue reading →

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How to translate “dziś rano”

Posted on October 31, 2012 by

“Dziś rano” CANNOT be translated as today morning. Similarly, today afternoon and today evening are WRONG. Say this morning / this afternoon / this evening. But remember that yesterday morning / afternoon / evening and tomorrow morning / afternoon / evening are correct.

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A brief note on how to use “a/an” and “the”: General and specific references in English

Posted on June 13, 2012 by

This area causes various problems for Polish people writing in English. The main problem is the correct use of articles (“a” and “the”), but another problem arises from the fact that in Polish you can use the singular to make … Continue reading →

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