Between Warsaw and London: what really happens during Polish-English translation
Orders for Polish-English translations look simple on paper — two European languages, both sides well-described grammatically, plenty of qualified translators. In practice, it is this apparent simplicity that generates the most problems.
Polish and English are separated by a structural chasm that is not visible at first glance. Polish is an inflected language — meaning is built through word endings, and sentence structure remains relatively flexible. English relies on the position of words in a sentence and auxiliary verbs. A translator does not simply transfer words — they rebuild the architecture of thought.
A typical corporate document illustrates this problem well: the Polish original often accumulates subordinate clauses that bore an English reader by the third sentence. A good translator recognises this pattern and breaks the structure down into shorter, active constructions — not because the original is bad, but because it is more natural for the English language.
A register that can surprise
One of the most frequently underestimated challenges is the choice of register. Formal Polish — particularly in legal, official or academic documents — sounds natural in the environment in which it grew. Translated literally into English, it becomes incomprehensible or, worse still, incorrect.
A concrete example: a Polish phrase used in commercial contracts, which sounds precise and professional in the original, can sound like an archaic 19th-century notarial deed when translated word-for-word. An experienced translator checks not only industry dictionaries, but also current reference documents in the target language — live contracts, terms and conditions, reports — to know how a given industry really writes in English today, not how it should write according to a textbook.
English, but which one
This is a question that many companies overlook at the commissioning stage: British or American? The difference goes beyond the spelling of „colour” versus „color”. Legal terminology, job titles, date formatting conventions, and even the tone of business communication — all of these differ between markets.
If the material is intended for an audience in the United States, translations calibrated to British standards might not disqualify a document, but the recipient is able to sense the differences. It is worth establishing the language variant before the translator writes the first sentence — not correcting it at the revision stage.
What a well-managed order looks like
Companies ordering regularly Polish-to-English translations have developed habits that genuinely shorten turnaround times and improve the quality of the final text.
Above all, they provide context — not just the file, but information about the target audience, the purpose of the document, and any previous translations from the same project. A translator who knows that the text is intended for investors in London will shape the narrative differently than one who assumes it is being read by an internal HR department. In technical, medical or legal industries, terminology consistency between successive assignments has a measurable value — it saves verification time and protects against a situation where the same product is referred to differently in various documents. And they do not shorten the revision stage. Polish-English translation is work in two language systems simultaneously, and even the best translator benefits from a second look by a native speaker.
Specialisation that makes a difference
The Polish-English translation market is large and diverse. Translation that works perfectly for marketing texts may not necessarily be suitable for patent documentation — and vice versa. Your current translation provider may be a specialist in the language pair, but not necessarily in the field.
Selecting a specialist based on their field of expertise, not just the language pair, translates directly into whether the English text sounds like an original document or like a translation. With the growing presence of Polish companies in English-speaking markets, this difference will become increasingly difficult to hide and increasingly expensive to rectify after the fact.
This article was prepared using artificial intelligence tools and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, linguistic, or professional advice and cannot be treated as a substitute for consultation with a specialist. The author and publisher are not liable for decisions made based on the content provided herein. For matters requiring official translations or legal opinions, we recommend contacting a certified sworn translator or a legal advisor.