Polish oral interpreting in Georgia belongs to that rare language pair where demand comes at once from several entirely different flows: groups of Polish tourists, who remain one of the EU's most numerous visitors from Kakheti to Svaneti; Georgian workers, for whom Poland is the main destination of employment in Europe and who need an interpreter for a contract, an induction and a video interview; Polish companies studying Georgia's construction, IT and agricultural technology sectors; Georgian wine exporters, for whom Poland is one of the EU's largest markets; and an institutional relationship that rests on the particular political closeness between Poland and Georgia since 2008. To all this are added transactions before a notary with the participation of a Polish party, court proceedings, medical consultations and remote meetings with Polish authorities. We provide consecutive, simultaneous and remote interpreting in the Polish-Georgian pair, with interpreters who have the experience of living and working in Poland, in Tbilisi and, by prior arrangement, in Georgia's other cities and tourist regions.
Where a Polish interpreter is needed in Georgia
- Official visits of Polish government, parliamentary and voivodeship delegations, where protocol calls for interpreting in the native language
- Projects of Polish development cooperation programmes and foundations in Georgia's regions, where Polish experts work with local self-governments
- Business negotiations with a Polish company in construction, IT, agricultural machinery and logistics
- Presentations of Georgian wine, mineral water and agricultural products for Polish importers, including tastings and wine tours
- A transaction before a notary with the participation of a Polish party: the sale of real estate, a power of attorney, founding a company
- A court hearing, an interrogation or an administrative procedure for a Polish citizen in Georgia
- A medical consultation for a Polish patient, especially in cases of mountain tourism injuries and medical tourism
- A video interview with a Polish employer, agency or voivodeship office for a Georgian candidate
- Accompanying tourist groups and guide interpreting in Polish
- Cultural, academic and church events with Polish participants
Spoken Polish: what the interpreter must know
Polish in writing is relatively transparent for a Georgian reader, but by ear it is one of the hardest Slavic languages to take in: nasal vowels (ą, ę), dense clusters of consonants (szcz, prz, chrz), three series of sibilant and hushing sounds (s/ś/sz, c/ć/cz, z/ź/ż), the confusion of which changes the meaning of a word, and a fast tempo resting on a constant stress on the penultimate syllable. A translator who grasps Polish "approximately" through knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian takes in spoken language incompletely, and this is especially dangerous in the simultaneous mode. To this is added the Polish system of politeness: address in the third person (pan, pani, państwo), the active use of titles (pan dyrektor, pani doktor, pan mecenas) and a formal register far more refined than the Georgian "you", which calls for the right equivalent in interpreting. The regional variants, Silesian, the mountain speech of Podhale, the intonation of the eastern "kresy", depart noticeably from standard Warsaw Polish. Our Polish interpreters command the language by ear, with the experience of living and working in Poland, and with knowledge of these phonetic and cultural layers.
Consecutive interpreting: negotiations, the notary, the clinic
Consecutive interpreting is the most requested format in Polish: the speaker says a few sentences, the interpreter interprets, and so on in turn. This format is ideal for a business negotiation, where the formality of Polish business culture meets the style of Georgian hospitality, for an official visit, where accuracy matters more than tempo, and for the meetings of development projects, where the terminology of self-government, agriculture and the social sphere is specific.
Interpreting before a notary has a particularity of its own: under Georgian legislation, if a party to a transaction does not command Georgian, the notary calls in an interpreter whose identity and signature are recorded in the act. For a Polish party this is a familiar system, because the Polish notariat is of the Latin type and resembles the Georgian one, but the terminology differs: akt notarialny, pełnomocnictwo, księga wieczysta, umowa przedwstępna, these concepts must correspond exactly to their Georgian equivalents, and the interpreter must command the language of both notarial systems at once. A Polish client accustomed to the system of sworn translators in Poland often asks what force a Georgian notary's act has in Poland, and the interpreter must convey this explanation exactly in the notary's words.
Simultaneous interpreting: forums and conferences
Simultaneous interpreting in Polish is needed in Georgia mainly at institutional events: Poland-Georgia business forums, Eastern Partnership conferences where a Polish minister or ambassador speaks in Polish, seminars on local self-government reform with Polish experts, academic symposia with researchers from Polish universities, cultural events with the participation of Polish authors. In this format two interpreters interpret in real time from a booth, alternating, because simultaneous interpreting for more than half an hour is impossible for one person without a loss of quality.
The Polish-Georgian simultaneous pair is rare, so at a large event a relay scheme is sometimes used: Polish into English, English into Georgian. This scheme increases the lag and loses nuances, so where possible we plan a direct Polish-Georgian booth. A separate challenge in Polish simultaneous interpreting is the length of a Polish sentence and the free position of the verb: a Polish speaker often builds long, subordinate sentences, and the interpreter must begin the Georgian structure so as to keep flexibility until the end of the sentence. The equipment, a soundproof booth, consoles, receivers and a sound engineer, is organised within the order, while for small meetings a portable "whisper" system works without a booth.
Remote interpreting: a video call with Warsaw
Between Poland and Georgia there is a difference of two or three hours, depending on the season, which makes remote meetings convenient for both sides within working hours. An online negotiation with a Polish company, a video conference with a Polish head office, a Polish employer's video interview with a Georgian candidate, a remote consultation with the voivodeship office or the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), a Polish bank's video verification, all of this takes place over a video link, and the interpreter joins the call as a third participant. For a Georgian worker who talks to an employer or an agency before leaving for Poland, this format is often the only way to understand exactly the conditions of the contract, the structure of the pay and the accommodation before signing. We work on every common platform and run a technical test before the meeting.
The court and immigration context
A court hearing, an interrogation or an administrative procedure with the participation of a Polish citizen in Georgia provides for the mandatory participation of an interpreter, and the interpreter assumes responsibility for the accuracy of the interpreting. This format requires neutrality, knowledge of procedural terminology and calm in a stressful environment. For a Polish party there is a separate layer, the difference between the Polish and Georgian procedural systems: the concepts of Poland's criminal and civil procedure codes, the prosecutor's role and the system of court instances differ from the Georgian ones, and the interpreter must convey the function rather than the term. Our interpreters know the specifics of court interpreting: they interpret everything, without summarising or interpreting, and where needed ask the judge or the investigator to clarify a term. In the opposite direction, a remote interview for a Georgian citizen with a Polish authority, the voivodeship office, the border service, a court, calls for the involvement of an interpreter with the same strictness.
Medical interpreting in the clinic
Polish patients end up in Georgian clinics in two main ways: as tourists, especially with injuries from mountain tourism and ski resorts, and as clients of medical tourism, dentistry and aesthetic medicine, where Georgia is attractive against the background of Polish prices. A medical interpreter is needed at the consultation, during examinations, before an operation and when signing informed consent. Medical oral interpreting requires special preparation: anatomical and clinical terminology, the names of medicines, where Polish trade brands are unknown to a Georgian doctor and the international non-proprietary name must be added, the language of insurance procedures. With a Polish patient there is an additional layer, the expectations of the Polish healthcare system: a Polish patient is used to the referral system of the National Health Fund (NFZ), the role of the family doctor and the logic of the European insurance card, and the procedures of a Georgian private clinic, payment in advance and the rules of insurance reimbursement, need explaining. The interpreter conveys this explanation in the words of the doctor or the administrator, without their own interpretation.
Tourism and the guide interpreter: groups of Polish tourists
Polish tourists are one of the EU's most numerous groups in Georgia, and this flow is constantly fed by direct flights from Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw and Katowice to Tbilisi and Kutaisi. A Polish tourist comes to Georgia with specific interests: wine and Kakheti, the mountains and trekking, Svaneti, Kazbegi, Tusheti, historical and religious monuments, and, what is particular, the Polish-Georgian historical links, from the Polish exiles of the nineteenth century to the Polish traces in Tbilisi. A guide interpreter who leads a tour in Polish needs not simply translation but knowledge of this context. We work with tour operators who receive Polish groups and provide an interpreter for a multi-day tour, a wine tasting, a mountain camp or a one-day excursion. In mountain tourism the interpreter also interprets the safety induction, where accuracy is directly linked to safety.
The business context: Polish companies and Georgian wine
Polish business operates in Georgia in several directions: construction and engineering companies, suppliers of agricultural machinery and agricultural technology, IT companies that hire Georgian teams, transport and logistics operators, exporters of furniture and construction materials. In the opposite direction Georgian wine, mineral water, hazelnuts and agricultural products enter the Polish market, and Poland is one of the largest European markets for Georgian wine. The oral part of this relationship, a negotiation, a factory visit, a technical audit, a tasting, an exhibition, calls for field knowledge from the interpreter: the terminology of construction standards, agricultural machinery, wine technology and EU food regulations. Polish business culture is formal and punctual, values titles and written agreement, and an interpreter who knows this style helps the Georgian side read the tone and the expectations of the meeting correctly.
Georgian workers in Poland: the induction and the contract
Poland is one of the main destinations of employment in Europe for Georgian citizens, and oral interpreting is needed at several stages of this process: the preliminary video interview with an agency or an employer, where the candidate must understand exactly the conditions of the work, the structure of the pay, the gross and net amounts, the accommodation and the working hours; the discussion of the employment contract, umowa o pracę, umowa zlecenie or umowa o dzieło, where the difference between the three types of contract directly determines the candidate's social protection; the induction in safety and occupational hygiene (BHP), which is mandatory in Poland and whose interpreting is often carried out in a group, online. In this format the interpreter does not defend the candidate's interest but interprets exactly, and it is exactly the exact interpreting that protects a Georgian worker from conditions they do not understand. We carry out this format both individually and in groups, including service for agencies under contract.
Cultural and academic events
The cultural link between Poland and Georgia is long and alive: literary evenings of Polish authors, theatre festivals with the participation of Polish companies, film screenings, concerts, scholarly conferences in cooperation between Polish and Georgian universities, student exchange programmes and Polish scholarships for Georgian students. Interpreting at these events calls for two different skills: in a literary and theatrical context, conveying style, humour and cultural allusions, and in an academic one, the accuracy of field terminology. Polish-Georgian academic relations are especially active in history, Caucasus studies, European integration and self-government reform, where Poland's experience is a model of reference for Georgia. Our interpreters prepare in these fields in advance, by getting to know the speakers' publications and presentations.
How to prepare the interpreter
The quality of oral interpreting is largely decided before the meeting. The more we know in advance, the more exact the result:
- The subject, format, duration of the event and the number of participants
- Presentations, the agenda, a draft contract or other documents that will be discussed at the meeting
- The speakers' names, positions and titles, so that we use the Polish forms of address correctly
- Field terminology and the company's internal abbreviations
- Which side speaks which language and whether you need the English relay option
- Sensitive matters that call for particular care
On the basis of this information the interpreter prepares a terminology base, and if the project runs for several days the team works on a single glossary so that the terminology is the same at every meeting.
The technical side: equipment and recording
For simultaneous interpreting we provide the full technical package: a soundproof booth, interpreters' consoles, wireless receivers for the participants, microphones and a sound engineer who is on site throughout the event. For small groups, a factory visit, a wine tour, an excursion, a portable "whisper" system is used, where the interpreter interprets while moving and the participants listen through earpieces. For the remote format we run a technical test before the meeting and, where needed, set up the platform's simultaneous interpretation channel. Recording the event and keeping the audio of the interpreting happens only with the prior consent of both sides, and we give the recording to the client and do not keep it ourselves.
Ethics and neutrality
An oral interpreter stands between the parties and represents neither. This principle matters especially at a negotiation, in court, before a notary and at an employment interview, where one "helpful" word from the interpreter changes the outcome. Our interpreters interpret everything that was said, without summarising, softening or adding, and if something is unclear they openly ask for clarification. Every order is carried out under an obligation of confidentiality: the content of a negotiation, medical information, court materials and commercial conditions are not passed to third parties, and where needed we sign the client's confidentiality agreement.
Who our Polish interpreters are
Our Polish interpreters command the language by ear, with the experience of living and working in Poland, not only with a philological education. The team includes interpreters who studied at Polish universities, worked in Polish companies or took part in Polish-Georgian projects over years, and each has their own field specialisation: business and technology, law and the notariat, medicine, tourism and culture. For simultaneous interpreting we choose interpreters with the experience of working in a booth, and for the court and medical formats those with the corresponding ethical and terminological preparation. For every order we choose the interpreter by field and format.
Booking, duration and deadlines
A Polish-Georgian interpreter is a rare resource, so booking as early as possible is better: for consecutive interpreting a few days in advance, for simultaneous interpreting and a multi-day project at least two weeks in advance, so that we can plan two interpreters, the equipment and the preparation time. The minimum order is two hours, a full working day covers eight hours with breaks, and in the simultaneous mode two interpreters change every twenty to thirty minutes. Outside Tbilisi, in Kakheti, Svaneti, Batumi, the interpreter's travel and accommodation are planned within the order. For urgent cases, a hospital, the police, the border service, remote interpreting by telephone or video call is organised within a few hours.
Frequently asked questions
My Polish partner speaks English well. Do I still need a Polish interpreter?
If the language of the meeting was agreed in advance as English and both sides speak it freely, an English interpreter is enough. A Polish interpreter is better when the context is official, a notary, a court, an official visit, or when respect for the Polish side is shown by addressing them in their native language.
Will a Russian-speaking interpreter understand Polish?
In writing partly, by ear insufficiently: the Polish sound system, the nasal vowels and the three series of sibilant and hushing sounds are hard for someone who knows Russian to take in, and there are many false friends. For an official meeting we advise only an interpreter who commands Polish.
Should the notary call in the interpreter or should I?
The notary calls in an interpreter or accepts the one you have chosen, if their qualification is confirmed. Our interpreters work regularly with Georgian notaries, and their identity and signature are recorded in the act.
I am going to work in Poland. Who will interpret the discussion of the contract for me?
At the video interview and the discussion of the contract the interpreter joins online. They interpret exactly the conditions, the type of contract, the structure of the pay and the accommodation, so that everything is clear before signing.
Why does simultaneous interpreting need two interpreters?
Simultaneous interpreting is extremely intensive work and is impossible for one person for more than thirty minutes without a loss of quality. Two interpreters alternate, and this is an international standard.
A group of Polish tourists needs an interpreter for several days in Kakheti and Svaneti. Is that possible?
Yes. For a multi-day tour the interpreter accompanies the group, their travel and accommodation are planned within the order, and we choose the appropriate interpreter by the subject of the tour, wine, mountains, history.
Which platforms does remote interpreting work on?
Every common platform, Zoom, Teams, Google Meet and others, and by telephone call too. We run a technical test before the meeting, while the time difference with Poland is two or three hours, which makes a meeting within working hours easier.
How far in advance should I book an interpreter?
For consecutive interpreting a few days in advance, for simultaneous interpreting and a multi-day project at least two weeks in advance. In an urgent case remote interpreting is organised within a few hours.