To say that the Polish language is a tough language to learn and use is a bit of an understatement. A more correct statement is to say that the Polish language is the hardest language in the world to learn written in the Latin alphabet. Undertaking the study of our native language is quite a challenge for which you will have to devote several years of hard mental work. It’s no surprise then that the Polish language doesn’t belong in the group of the most preferred languages to learn. That’s why we don’t require fluency in our language from foreigners who come to Poland and we prefer to communicate in the most popular language in the world which is English. However, Polish language schools can be found in different and often unexpected places around the world.
One of the main reasons why foreigners who don’t live in Poland take up the study of the Polish language is a desire to learn the language of their life partners. It’s rather uncommon for foreigners to learn Polish just to become ultimately a translator. Poles are a nation with migrant tendencies, therefore the Polish Diaspora can be found in a majority of countries in the world. Countries where the Polish Diaspora is most numerous include Great Britain, Germany and the USA. A Slavic type of beauty is known throughout the entire world, with Polish women ranking in high spots in a majority of beauty rankings, so it’s no surprise that the native inhabitants of these countries are willing to take Polish women as their wives. And in these very same countries, the amount of community schools run by Polish educational organisations is the highest (in the UK there are 144, in Germany 71, and in the USA 69).
Another reason why a foreigner decides to learn our language is the financial aspect. A country leading in this regard is our eastern neighbour, Ukraine (on the territory of this country the amount of Polish community schools is 125). The term of ‘the hardest language to learn’ doesn’t actually apply there in the same manner as in other parts of the world. The Polish language is much easier for Ukrainians to learn, considering the significant similarity in vocabulary, pronunciation etc. For this reason it’s much easier for them to adjust to the Polish reality.
Probably a big surprise for many people will be the fact that the study of the Polish language reaches countries of the Far East, for instance Japan; in some of the local universities, the Japanese take up the study of our language. The main reason why Japanese are interested in our country at all is Fryderyk Chopin, whose work is commonly known and respected. Chopin’s popularity is caused by the top quality Japanese musical educational system, which is conducted at a much higher level than in Poland and it doesn’t end when people leave the classroom.
To sum up, the Polish language – despite its homogeneity and overwhelming difficulty – is still taught in many different places around the world. So it’s worth considering the actual impact of our native language on world culture and where we can communicate in our language. Thanks to that translation and localization into Polish language is becoming more and more popular.
(translation: M.L.K.)
