Polish, anyone?
Posted by Filed under Learning Advice
Over the past decade or so the numbers of Polish people working abroad, especially in the UK and Ireland, has increased dramatically. So the likelyhood of you encounting Polish speakers is high.
Since 2004 the demand for Polish language courses has increased by an estimated 50%, according to this article, and many more institutions have started offering Polish language courses, both in Poland and elsewhere.
In Poland you can learn Polish in private language schools that teach only Polish, language schools that teach a variety of languages including Polish, or in universities. Some Polish courses are also available in the UK and Ireland.
Polish (polski) is a Western Slavic language closely related to Slovak and Czech and has about 40 million speakers. It is the 6th most spoken language in the EU and there is a great demand for Polish speaking translators and interpreters in EU institutions such as the European Parliament. So your job prospects would be good if you learnt it.
While it has a reputation for being hard due to its complex grammar and challenging pronunciation and spelling, Polish is a fascinating language and well worth the effort it takes to learn it.
Here are a few useful phrases in Polish:
- Cześć – hello / hi
- Jak się masz – How are you?
- Poproszę piwo – a beer please
- Dziękuję – thanks
- Na zdrowie! – Cheers!