the talking bear

moving blog

2004-12-06T00:29:00.000+01:00

Dear All

This blog has now moved here (http://talkingbear.typepad.com) for the duration (many thanks to David for that). As a result, please can you ensure to do the following things:

If you link to me in your blog/website, please update your link to http://talkingbear.typepad.com.
All posts currently from this blog will remain here on Blogger, so there's no need to update links to posts already posted...

Many thanks to all my readers so far; see you at the new address!

viewing this blog

2004-12-03T11:07:00.001+01:00

I have noticed (thanks to comments from Joachim), that the blog sometimes doesn't load properly in IE. I've sorted this out for now (oversized image forced the sidebar down...), but here are some tips:

view this blog in Firefox
if you insist on using IE, then change the text size to "smaller"
er...
that's it

Thanks.

gazeta wyborcza does its thing

2004-11-26T13:49:00.000+01:00

Gazeta Wyborcza is in the process of delivering 30000 specially prepared newspapers to Ukrainians protesting in heart of Kiev.

Dziś rano samolotem prezydenckim dotarło na Ukrainę 30 tys. egzemplarzy specjalnie przygotowanej "Gazety Wyborczej". Teraz są już na pl. Niepodległości, tuż przy podium - w samym sercu ukraińskiej "pomarańczowej rewolucji". Ok. godziny 12.30 będzie rozdawana w centrum miasta. Część artykułów została przetłumaczona na język ukraiński.

This morning 30000 copies of a specially prepared edition of Gazeta Wyborcza arrived in the Ukraine by presidential plane. They are now in Independence Square, right by the podium - at the very heart of the Ukrainian "Orange Revolution". At 1230 they will be handed out in the centre of town. Some of the articles have been translated into Ukrainian.

Well, if there ever was solidarity, I think Gazeta has done a good job...

The front page of the special edition (from Gazeta Wyborcza)

ah, the joy of haloscan...

2004-11-26T00:56:00.000+01:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been (painfully) added to this blog.

As a result, I seem to have lost all previous comments made thus far. Sorry about that. Feel free to Trackback and Comment as of now...

Bo.

local news...

2004-11-25T23:57:00.000+01:00

I know that hardly anyone from Kraków reads this blog, but:

Friday (26.11) at 1800 on the Rynek (by Adaś)
Demonstration in aid of the Ukraine
Wear orange!

Over and out...

Piątek (26.11) o 1800 na Rynku krakowskim (koło Adasia)
Manifestacja na rzecz ukraińskiej demokracji

Koniec nadania...

мы с тобой, ющенко!

2004-11-25T20:52:00.000+01:00

Lech Wałęsa and Wiktor Jushchenko in Kiev today (Gazeta Wyborcza)

Well, it seems as if the Ukrainians have finally got the balls to revolt. Here in Kraków I went to the Rynek yesterday to see if I could some find some action (I had heard that there was a demonstration afoot), but everybody had gone home. Admittedly it was pretty chilly, but that doesn't seem to be stopping the Ukrainians in Kiev. The opposition (Jushchenko's) party has blocked roads, got Wałęsa in on the game, and Kwaśniewski's making the trip to the capital tomorrow... Poland is making an effort to try and help these people, as the West helped Poland when it needed it most. However, the western portions of the EU are experiencing the NIMBY effect, albeit on a much larger scale. The Hague or Brussels can say whatever they want, hell, I can too. Yet actions speak louder than words, as my mother taught me. Big up Yushchenko (Ющенко)!! I have placed a button on this blog linking to his party to show my solidarity. Niech będzie wolna Ukraina!

Wirtualna Polska shows solidarity with the Ukraine on its front page by showing an orange ribbon. Other sites, such as Gazeta Wyborcza, urge Poles to wear orange as a sign of solidarity.

One last thing... what's the OSCE doing at the moment? Has it disappeared off the face of the planet? I thought they dealt with this sort of thing!

mikulski-santorum bill rejected

2004-11-20T00:42:00.000+01:00

It looks as if Poles will still have to queue for visas. Ridiculous.

From Wirtualna Polska:

Wszyscy republikańscy senatorowie popierali tę inicjatywę, ale niestety nie mogliśmy jej jednomyślnie uchwalić z powodu obstrukcji ze strony Demokratów - poinformował senator Santorum w specjalnym oświadczeniu.

"All Republican senators agreed to this initiative, but unfortunately we couldn't get it ratified because of Democratic obstruction", said senator Santorum [Republican] in a special interview.

This comes to me, and many others I'm sure, as very sad news. Poland has managed to become one of the USA's best allies, alongside the UK. There's not much more I can write on this, but if you want to know where Poland stands in world politics today, read this. Excerpt below. The article's amazing...

From Chrenkoff:

If and when the Mikulski-Santorum bill to abolish visa requirements for the Poles passes the US Senate, Poland will not suddenly empty of all its wretched masses yearning to breathe free, but America's wealth, dynamism, optimism and imagination will undoubtedly continue to fascinate and inspire generations of Poles.

I can't agree with this more fully. The EU had the same scare when it opened its borders to the East, and nothing much has changed here at all. It's time for the US to open its arms to the people who helped out with her interests, at least, and to stop being so up itself for a change. Thank-you.

it's getting a touch windy

2004-11-18T20:02:00.000+01:00

Image from Dziennik Bałtycki via Wirtualna Polska

From Wirtualna Polska:

Siedem osób, w tym strażak i 6-miesięczne dziecko, zginęło podczas szalejących w całym kraju wichur. Co najmniej siedem osób zostało rannych.

Seven people, including a fireman and a six-month-old child where killed by gales that are raging across the whole country. At least seven people have been injured.

Here it was blustery too, made worse by the halny. The picture was taken up in the north by the Baltic coast, where winds in the port of Ustka exceeded 120 kph (that's around 75 mph for you imperialists...). Wrap up tight!

state of affairs

2004-11-17T20:54:00.000+01:00

Well, well, well. Not much to say from my end at the moment, apart from the fact that Polish politics is starting to drive me nuts. Scandals abound, mafia dealings and general chaos. That's how we like it here, didn't you know?

Enough.

PS I have a new bookcase, if you hadn't noticed...

which biological molecule are you?

2004-11-15T14:21:00.000+01:00

Came across this quiz whilst aimlessly browsing... It tells you what kind of a person you are by asking you a mere 4 questions (or was it 5?). Worth a shufti, if you have time to kill and don't feel like going outside (brrr...). Anyway, it sums me up quite nicely. Now, where was I...?

You are DNA. You're a smart person, and you appear
incredibly complex to people who don't know
you. You're incomparably full of information,
and most of it is useless.

Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

czas na świętowanie...

2004-11-10T22:11:00.000+01:00

Poland, the country I live in, is a place which boasts deep-rooted national conscience and devotion to the Church. After all, the history of this place goes way down (excuse the Norfolkism), and since 1000 its course has been linked to Roman Catholicism. This means only thing: lots of holidays... November is one of those months when you can expect two days off work (at least). The first one has already passed, on the 1st of this month. That was All Saints day, when Poles take the time to celebrate their dead, albeit one day ahead of schedule, on All Souls. Tomorrow heralds Independence Day. Britain in modern times has always been a country free from invaders; Poland's history tells a very different story: this day marks the end of 123 years of partitions by the Russians, Prussians and Austrians. A good reason to celebrate, especially if you lived in the Russian partition (such as in Warszawa and Kielce), where Polish as a language was dominated by it's eastern neighbour and discriminated against. The final ploy to eradicate a nation. Many people thought that the country wasn't really free until the downfall of Communism in Europe, triggered by Lech Wałęsa, who then went on to become Poland's second president (but the first by free election). Even after the joining of NATO in 1997, some hard-liners even felt that Poland wouldn't become really 'free' until the state joined the EU. Now this has happened, the day now marks not only independence in 1918, but the beginning of a new relationship between Poland and Brussels. And I think that has made a difference. Poland now will not have to worry about becoming 'dependent' again. Well, in a socio-nationalistic sense at any rate. Dependence on Brussels may be a harsh reality that may yet be seen... and felt.

As the national anthem goes, "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, póki my żyjemy": Poland is not yet lost as long as we still live. Indeed.

strange goings-on at kraków 78

2004-11-05T18:34:00.000+01:00

I had to go to the post office today to collect a piece of mail and pay my gaz bill. Now there's nothing particularly interesting in that, but today seemed to herald some weirdness at the Urząd Pocztowy (Kraków 78). As I was standing in the queue there was a guy in front of me that had purchased stamps for letters to the States, and as I got to the window he happily stood by and licked his postage whilst I handed over my Dowód and the chit that appeared in my letterbox this morning. There seemed to be quite a lot of licking going on, so I had a quick shufti as to what this guy was sending. A few packages, but with a difference. They were all to Hollywood stars, including Mr. Tobey Macguire, Ms. Sharon Stone and Ms. Halle Berry. The last one had written on it "Do you like Britney?". I'm beginning to think this man was a total maniac, but that's not all. Just before I got to said counter a man (one of two) in dark sunglasses who spoke Polish badly and had an Arab accent (his plastic carrier-bag gave it away, I admit), made inquiries as to the postage of his parcels (oh, all of about 15 of them) to various destinations. When he was told the price, he looked in his wallet and said, "Sorry, I've got no cash. Can I leave my parcels here for 15 minutes while I go and get some dosh from home?". The woman behind the counter obliged, and both men left, leaving me and the maniac American by the window. I wanted to comment, but wha' tha faaa? Serious alarm bells are ringing!!! I paid my bill and got the hell out of there asap. Nothing on the news just yet, and I'm sure these men were absolutely bona fide, but it begs to ask the question: do you accept any parcels (especially from dodgy looking people) for safe-keeping, especially in a post office? I think that this wouldn't have been allowed in the UK, but I think it's time to start making people aware of the world around them. I suppose that's the Londoner in me talking. Packages left in post offices = bombs (or regular post, come to think of it). Anyway, that's all I have to say. Yours in eternal paranoia...

apologies

2004-11-05T18:31:00.000+01:00

I think I might have upset some people with my near-fascist remarks in an earlier post of mine... I have changed it a bit so that hopefully no-one gets hurt, ultimately including myself. Sorry.

the neologism and questionable translation

2004-11-04T16:51:00.000+01:00

One of the many dillemas that translators come across is how to go about translating words that do not exist in the target language (TL) they are working with. How should these be dealt with? With great caution, obviously, yet how far can one go? Polish is one of those great examples where neologisms crop up all the time. One only has to pick up a text by Gombrowicz (in the original), for example, and realise that there aren't many words that are not neologisms... Well alright, a slight overstatement, but the point rests. Slang, which often is made up of neologisms, is a differing case - cultural bonds expressed in the spoken word are next-to-impossible to 'translate' (in the true sense of the word), and therefore don't count. (They do, but I won't be writing about that now, or anytime soon either). However, a 'standard' neologism (if such a thing exists) should be translatable. And that's the issue. Translatability. Walter Benjamin writes in "The Task of the Translator":

"Translatability is an essential quality of certain works, which is not to say that it is essential that they be translated; it means rather that a specific significance inherent in the original manifests itself in its translatability."

Reading this made me think: if something is translatable, then surely I should be allowed, as a translator, to make something up in English that would reflect the Polish? If I do make up a word (which, unfortunately, I've been doing a lot recently), can I justify its existence, or am I merely abusing my rights as a native speaker of English by making up a word that I think all other speakers of English will understand, whilst at the same time bastardising my own native tongue?

Suggestions, anyone?

eu-style fags part 2

2004-11-04T02:41:00.000+01:00

More EU words... Finally.

And...

I love the word for "risk" in Polish. No guessing for which one it is...

a celebration of life and death

2004-11-01T19:13:00.000+01:00

Rows of graves light the whole cemetary. Cmentarz Rakowicki, Kraków

The feast of All Saints (Wszystkich Świętych) is an occasion when people in Poland gather their thoughts, and rather than thinking about themselves as living beings, take time out to reflect upon their dead. The country shuts down as families re-unite and visit their respective cemetaries. I have no family here in Kraków (a trip awaits to Warszawa to mark this day), yet it is custom for families to go to cemetaries and perform a ritual 'spring cleaning' of their loved-ones' graves and tombs. Candles are lit, prayers are said... Everyone goes about their own family business.

The tomb of Jan Matejko, a famous painter and Polish patriot.

Not only do families visit their respective graves, however. Many people come to pay homage to some of the more well-known personages that rest here. As there are many people of renown that are buried here in Kraków (such as Jan Matejko, above), it is custom to place a candle out of respect by the grave...

A huge array of candles surrounds a memorial to Poles who have died at the hands of the country's many occupiers over the years.

Tomorrow life will go back to normal and the cemetaries will lie quiet for another year. Yet it is a day such as this this that reminds us: we are all going to die, so may the Dead Rest in Peace.

More photos from the Cmentarz Rakowicki.

any takers?

2004-11-01T15:27:00.000+01:00

Saw this in the Rynek today as I was going about my business. I can't really comment any further, save to say that the company should most definitely go global.

eu-style fags

2004-11-01T15:09:00.000+01:00

It had to happen sooner or later... The EU finally gets its word on the Polish cigarette packet. Long gone are the days of two simple messages on the theme "Smoking Kills" etc. I wonder how long it took them to translate all the variations of the EU ones? I'm not going to tell you what they mean, so you can print them out (if interested) and slap 'em on your Marly Lights, or are they now "Gold" or whatever...

And remember kids...

motorised barleywheat

2004-11-01T13:42:00.000+01:00

I'm not going to go into the details why I bought this tasty product, needless to say I didn't sleep very well last night... Coming back from Mass this morning (it's All Saints today - national holiday and whatnot. More on that later today) I went to my local shop to buy amongst other things something to tame my stomach - as any Pole knows, the answer is boiled barleywheat. In Warszawa they call it Kasza Krakowska (Cracovian Barleywheat). I don't know whether this is a dig at Cracovians for having poor digestive systems, but I rather suspect it is, for a couple of reasons:

1. When I asked ever so politely whether there was any of this wonder-stuff in stock, the woman at the counter looked at me in disgust and said they only had what was on the shelves.

2. The only available fix was from Lublin, a town to the north-east of here. No Cracovian stuff anywhere (maybe they keep the best produce to themselves...).

Got the half-kilo for 1.50 PLN (all of about 25p) and studied the cooking instructions. First of all, I was reminded in a rather exquisite English translation that I had bought "Lublinian Fine Pearl Barley". That's reassuring. However, there was a moment in Step 3 where I felt that in some parts of the country the only way to boil water is by placing a pot on a motor engine:
"Pour the pearl barley into the boiling water and boil mixing about 10 minutes under the bonnet" (sic). Thank God I know Polish, otherwise I would have made a dash for the nearest Fiat Polski and revved it up to epic proportions.

I just hope it works...

the banality of translation

2004-10-31T23:27:00.000+01:00

Translators always have a problem in trying to sell themselves and the languages that they offer. This is especially true in the place I am writing now. After all, it is the translator that provides the service, yet I see all too many people in my profession whoring themselves out to firms that think that 40 PLN (if you're lucky!) is a reasonable price to pay for the standard page. What I write may seem naïve to those who have been in the business for longer than I have, but surely it is the translator that has the burden hanging over him, not the firm (working with someone in person is far more agreeable and generally pays better, too...), which might as well employ their own translator on a contractual basis.

The other problem is choosing the language to translate to. There's no point in "selling" a language that no-one's going to want. The issue of determining which language to choose, however, comes and goes in trends.

Kazakh, darling? Oh, that's so passé!

I've always liked to think that English as a global language will always come in handy, and as I speak Polish fluently as well as having a good knowledge of Russian and French (the latter being not so useful out here), finding work is much more of a problem than I though it would be. The problem reaches far beyond bureaucracy, which is enough to tackle in the first place, but because of the simple law of economics (which I have no clue about, so don't ask), I have found myself coming to this conclusion: why pay a native-speaker of English (price per page: 45 PLN) to translate the dokumenty, when we can hire a local (ppp: 35 PLN) to do the same job? For those of you not in the know, the difference in the price amounts to about £1.80 per page. I have come across varying translations, some good, some bad. Having been resigned to the purgatory of translators that is proof-reading, I found myself re-writing almost 20% of a text that I was given. The thing is, the price for proofing is 3 times cheaper than translation. Go figure.

And all this because I was rejected by a translation firm that gave me a poor-ass wooly apology why they wouldn't hire me. Something stinks.

current state of affairs

2004-10-31T22:34:00.000+01:00

Hmm... You can't see much, can you? Just as well...

the bear speaks

2004-10-31T22:06:00.000+01:00

One of the harshest decisions I have made today is what font my new blog should be in. God, I really should get out more. Anyhow, now that I have started this blog, I might as well just get on with it. So, without further ado, I present to you the Talking Bear. Cue grumbling in the background...