Category Archives: Dla Polaków

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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Don’t use Polish word order when you write in English

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

It is very common to use the word order of you native language when you write in a foreign language. It is part of what linguists call “first-language interference”, and it leads to a vast range of errors. This post … Continue reading →

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How to translate “W przypadku gdy…”

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

WRONG In case when the Lessee does not acquire a building permit before 30 June 2014, the Lessor has the right to terminate the lease agreement upon one month’s notice. RIGHT If the Lessee does not acquire a building permit … Continue reading →

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How to translate “sprecyzować”

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

“Sprecyzować” CANNOT be translated as “precise”. “Precise” is an adjective (przymiotnik), while “sprecyzować” is a verb (czasownik). Nonetheless, mistakes like the one below are very common: WRONG The agreement does not precise which of its terms survive its termination. I … Continue reading →

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