How to Say and How to Write it in English: 10 Common Translation Mistakes

When you need to write an email to an international client or prepare for a key presentation, questions naturally pop up: “How to say this in English?” or “How to write it correctly?”.

Unfortunately, the most common trap we fall into as Polish speakers is translating Polish thoughts word-for-word. This results in Polglish—literal translations that sound unnatural, awkward, or sometimes even unintentionally impolite to native speakers.

In this article, you will find a breakdown of the 10 most common translation mistakes that Polish professionals constantly search for. See how the correct, natural English forms sound and why literal translation does not work in these cases.

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1. How to Say: “Jak to wygląda?” (Asking about appearance/status)

When you want to ask about the look or status of a project, and you translate the Polish question word-for-word:

• ❌ The Mistake: How does it look like?
• 💡 Why it happens: In Polish, we ask „jak to wygląda” (how it looks), leading to the instinctive use of how. However, in English, combining how with like at the end of the sentence is grammatically incorrect.
• Correct English Form:
  • What does it look like? (Asking literally: what does it resemble in appearance?)
  • How does it look? (Asking for an overall state or evaluation, e.g., of a project, but without the word like).

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2. How to Say: “Mieszkam/pracuję tu od...” (Past vs. Present states)

When you describe a situation or experience that started in the past and is still ongoing today:

• ❌ The Mistake: I am living here since 2020. or I work here since 5 years.
• 💡 Why it happens: Polish uses the present tense for ongoing states („mieszkam”, „pracuję”). In English, the present simple or present continuous cannot be paired with start-point prepositions like since or duration indicators like for.
• Correct English Form:
  • I have been living here since 2020. (using Present Perfect Continuous)
  • I have worked here for 5 years. (Present Perfect)

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3. How to Say: “Mam 25 lat” (Age)

Stating age is one of the very first things we learn, yet it remains a frequent slip-up in professional settings.

• ❌ The Mistake: I have 25 years.
• 💡 Why it happens: Directly copying the Polish structure using the verb "to have" (mieć).
• Correct English Form:
  • I am 25 years old.
  • I am 25. (In English, age is always expressed using the verb "to be"—am, is, are).

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4. How to Say: “Bardzo to lubię” (Expressing preferences)

When you want to express enthusiasm for an idea, solution, or project proposal:

• ❌ The Mistake: I very like it.
• 💡 Why it happens: In Polish word order, the adverb "bardzo" naturally sits before the verb („bardzo lubię”). In English, the adverb very cannot stand alone before a verb.
• Correct English Form:
  • I really like it. (The word really can go before the verb).
  • I like it very much. (The phrase very much must go at the end of the sentence).

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5. How to Say: “W tym tygodniu” (Prepositions of Time)

Setting deadlines and schedule updates in emails is a daily task. You want to write that something will happen "in this week" or "in next month".

• ❌ The Mistake: In this week / In next month
• 💡 Why it happens: Directly translating the Polish preposition „w” as in.
• Correct English Form:
  • This week / Next month (Before words like this, next, last, and every, no preposition is used in English).

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6. How to Say: “Na zdjęciu / na obrazku” (Prepositions of Place)

Describing a slide, chart, or graphic during an online meeting:

• ❌ The Mistake: On the picture you can see...
• 💡 Why it happens: Direct translation of the Polish preposition „na” (on). For a native speaker, on the picture suggests something is physically resting on top of the physical photo (like a coffee cup sitting on the paper).
• Correct English Form:
  • In the picture you can see...
  • In the photo... (The elements in a graphic are viewed as being "inside" the frame/boundaries, hence we use in).

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7. How to Say: “To zależy od...” (The verb "Depend")

When pointing out that a decision or project outcome depends on other variables:

• ❌ The Mistake: It depends from the budget.
• 💡 Why it happens: The Polish word „od” is typically translated as from. However, the verb depend requires a specific preposition.
• Correct English Form:
  • It depends on the budget. (Remember the fixed preposition: depend on).

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8. How to Say: “Zadzwoniłem do niego” (Making phone calls)

Giving a status update on a phone call with a client or team member:

• ❌ The Mistake: I called to him.
• 💡 Why it happens: Directly translating the Polish preposition „do” as to.
• Correct English Form:
  • I called him. (The English verb call takes a direct object, meaning no preposition is placed between the verb and the person).

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9. How to Say: “Wróciłem do domu” (Going Home)

Updating your team that you have returned from a business trip or the office:

• ❌ The Mistake: I came back to home. / I went to home.
• 💡 Why it happens: Literal translation of the Polish prepositional phrase „do domu” (where "do" translates to to).
• Correct English Form:
  • I came back home. / I went home. (The word home used as a destination or direction does not take the preposition to).

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10. How to Say: “Dlaczego mi nie powiedziałeś?” (Word Order in Questions)

Asking why key information wasn't shared in a project:

• ❌ The Mistake: Why you didn't tell me?
• 💡 Why it happens: Flexible word order in Polish allows us to arrange words arbitrarily. In English, questions require a strict grammatical structure (subject-verb inversion).
• Correct English Form:
  • Why didn't you tell me? (The auxiliary verb/operator didn't must precede the subject you).

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Summary and Quick Reference Guide

To make your communication sound natural, you need to step away from translating entire sentences word-for-word. Instead, focus on learning word blocks (collocations or chunks), such as depend on, responsible for, or call someone.

What you want to say in Polish	The Polish Mistake (Polglish)	Correct English Form (Natural)
Jak to wygląda?	How does it look like?	What does it look like?
Mieszkam tu od 2020 roku.	I am living here since 2020.	I have been living here since 2020.
Mam 25 lat.	I have 25 years.	I am 25.
Bardzo to lubię.	I very like it.	I really like it. / I like it very much.
W tym tygodniu.	In this week.	This week.
Na obrazku/zdjęciu.	On the picture.	In the picture.
Zależy od budżetu.	It depends from the budget.	It depends on the budget.
Zadzwoniłem do niego.	I called to him.	I called him.
Wróciłem do domu.	I came back to home.	I came back home.
Dlaczego mi nie powiedziałeś?	Why you didn't tell me?	Why didn't you tell me?

Building awareness of these structural differences is the first step toward fluency. If you want to write professional emails, speak confidently on calls with international partners, and eliminate the stress of making mistakes, I invite you to join my individual Executive English Coaching sessions.

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