Polish Language Pitfalls

It is difficult to write (and speak) the Polish language because of weird fonts and difficult characters. Since the early 80s, when computers became common tools for more and more people, there have been constant problems accommodating Polish fonts on display screens and printers.

Even today, proper Polish letters are not automatically displayed and printed on every computer (unless the computer is located in Poland).

In order to view (or attempt to view) the correct Polish fonts while surfing the net, you need to make sure your Internet browser is set up properly.

If you use Internet Explorer, please follow these steps:

From the browser menu select [VIEW], then [ENCODING], and [CENTRAL EUROPEAN - ISO 8859-2]

If you use Netscape, please follow these steps:

From the browser menu select [VIEW], then [CHARACTER SET], and [CENTRAL EUROPEAN - ISO]

Below is an example of what a proper Polish sentence should look like:

The same sentence without decoding of some of the Polish letters:

The same sentence written without the use of the Polish letters:

Nowadays, especially when writing emails, Polish people living abroad tend not to use Polish letters at all because it is inconvenient (very few computers are equipped with special software that allows to write and to encode the Polish characters) and because 99% of the Polish recipients will fully understand the message written without Polish letters.

On the other hand, it is not easy to understand improperly decoded text, so one must either make sure the Polish text will be properly decoded or write without using the Polish letters.

If you want to be sure your English to Polish translation displays the Polish letters correctly, you may request a copy of the translated text in PDF format or MS Word (DOC) format (some unexpected restrictions may apply).

Polish-Translations.com Group

Useful Resources:

English-Polish Dictionary - one of the best free English to Polish dictionaries online. It contains thousands of Polish words and phrases, including difficult idioms and phrases. A good resource for both basic and advance users of the Polish language.

Research Essays & Term Paper Assistance - this site's goal is to help college and university students, who are forced to work and study at the same time, pass their written exams. The organization provides custom writing of essays, term and research papers, book reports, business letters, research proposals, dissertations, and PhD theses on a wide variety of subjects. They also offer translation services into English and Polish. Their custom writing service includes free revisions (if needed) and a money back guarantee if the paper doesn't meet the student's standards. All web pages are also translated into Polish. Includes public articles on writing academic assignments that may be helpful especially for working students who struggle to do their homework on their own.