Polish-English Translation Competition #11 (closed)

Traffic in Warsaw is snarled-up, hence it occured to me it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make speed a common denominator for this translation competition. Here we go!

1. iść pełną parą – to be in overdrive (-)
2. paliwożerca – a gas guzzler (Grze$ko)
3. ile wlezie – flat out (adthelad)
4. kumulacja – a rollover (TheAngol)
5. zdusić coś w zarodku – to nip sth in the bud (Pistefka)
6. bez zbędnych ceregieli – without further ado (Pistefka)
7. w gorącej wodzie kąpany – hot-headed (Kasia)
8. oberwanie chmury – a cloudburst (Pistefka)
9. klamka zapadła – a point of no return (Kasia)
10. na rzut beretem – within a stone’s throw (Kasia)

Hurry up!

Polandian caption competition #3

Polandian’s much-loved caption competition is back! To be honest, the reason I stopped doing them was because so many prominent Poles were killed in the Smolensk disaster that for a long time I couldn’t be sure the people in the pictures I had chosen weren’t tragically dead. At least one of the people who appeared in the last competition back in March were on the ill-fated flight. Moving forward… supply your own alternative captions for huge respect and non-existent prizes!

1

This much popcorn please

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2

Want to help me get my Political Intercourse badge?

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3

Re-enactment of the Great Patriotic Summer Holiday of 1923

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4

We kill now…yes?

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5

Please Miss, may I go to the little dictator’s room?

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6

The finals of Miss Emotionally Disingenuous

Polish-English Translation Competition #10 (closed)

Some of readers might be despondent these days. The school year begins today, the weather hasn’t been clement recently in Poland, the days are drawing in, and autumn is imminent. For no apparent reason all those unfavourable circumstances prompted me to make criminality a leitmotiv of the tenth translation competition. Actually not all the phrases below refer to law violations, but in each case there’s at least a tiny connection with some sort of misconduct.

1. dojść do rękoczynów – to come to blows (Steve)
2. podprowadzić coś – to pilfer sth (PMK)
3. wieszać psy na kimś – to badmouth sb (Kasia)
4. podwędzić coś – to pinch sth (Name)
5. przekręt – scam (EM)
6. zbić kogoś na kwaśne jabłko – to beat sb to a pulp (Arturwarrior)
7. możni tego świata* – movers and shakers (-)
8. zaszywać się – to hole up (Name)
9. mały, krępy, niewywrotny** – pudgy (-)
10. nadziany*** – well-heeled (Tomasz)

* bear in mind there’s a numerous group of people in this country who believe everyone who belongs to the elite surely is a criminal…
** hint: use only one word
*** justification – to translate one of Poland’s most outstanding thinkers: “if somebody has money, they must have it from somewhere”

Polish Logo Competition #5: Voivods

Polandian has previously looked at the logos of the main cities found in Poland. This time will be somewhat of a step up as we look at the voivodships (województwa), more commonly known as the regions within Poland. Once again we look at the coats of arms that represent the regions. There are 16 voivodships in Poland, and 10 of them can be seen below.

Please note that each logo is below the # which references it, for example, Logo #3 being the deer with a crown around it’s neck.

Logo #1 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #2 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #3 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #4 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #5 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #6 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #7 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #8 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #9 ˅˅˅˅:

Logo #10 ˅˅˅˅:

**********************************************

Logo #1: Kujawsko-pomarskie (as answered by Basia z Szwecji)

Logo #2: Zachodniopomorskie (as answered by Andy)

Logo #3: Lubelskie (as answered by Basia z Szwecji)

Logo #4: Warmińsko-mazurskie (as answered by Andy)

Logo #5: Lubuskie (as answered by Basia z Szwecji)

Logo #6: Świętokrzyskie (as answered by Andy)

Logo #7: Podkarpackie (as answered by Basia z Szwecji)

Logo #8: Pomorskie (as answered by Basia z Szwecji)

Logo #9: Opolskie

Logo #10: Podlaskie (as answered by Andy)

Polish-English Translation competition #9 (closed)

The heat(ing) is on, the new President has been sworn in, holiday period is drawing to a close. Life provides us with plenty of situations when we can we hear some drivel. To help deal with this and overcome the absurdities let’s tackle another dose of linguistic puzzles.

1. świrować – to go bananas (EM)
2. opowiadać duby smalone – to taletell (-)
3. wyzionąć ducha – to give up the ghost (Name)
4. opowiadać dyrdymały – talk bilge (Island1)
5. na haju – spaced out (Steve)
6. bujda na resorach – a cock-and-bull story (EM)
7. coś diabli wzięli – to go up in smoke (Island1)
8. trajkotać – to jabber (Steve)
9. w granicach rozsądku – within reason (Steve)
10. bez ładu i składu – without rhyme and reason (EM)

I’m sure the list above was compiled bez ładu i składu…

Enjoy anyway!