Transcreation: your English copy, rewritten for people who read Polish
The Polish version came back from a translation tool, or an agency, and your colleague in Warsaw says it’s “correct, but nobody talks like that”. Transcreation keeps what the copy is for and changes whatever it takes to get there in Polish. I work English to Polish and Polish to English.
€19 excl. VAT per 1,000 characters of source · minimum €100
Oak table. Outlasts the mortgage.
Transcreation: your English copy, rewritten for people who read Polish
The Polish version came back from a translation tool, or an agency, and your colleague in Warsaw says it’s “correct, but nobody talks like that”. Transcreation keeps what the copy is for and changes whatever it takes to get there in Polish. I work English to Polish and Polish to English.
€19 excl. VAT per 1,000 characters of source · minimum €100
Oak table. Outlasts the mortgage.
Same line, three ways
Original, literal translation, transcreation. Written for invented brands, for this page.
Oryginał: "No faff. Just good coffee."
Dosłownie: Bez zamieszania. Po prostu dobra kawa.Without commotion. Simply good coffee.
Transkreacja: Bez ceregieli. Kawa ma być dobra i tyle.No fuss and palaver. Coffee should be good, full stop.
"Faff" is British and impatient. The literal Polish word means a crowd or a commotion, so the line reads like a queue problem. „Ceregiele” carries the same eye-roll.
Oryginał: "Get in touch"
Dosłownie: Wejdź w kontaktEnter into contact
Transkreacja: Napisz do nasWrite to us
"Get in touch" has no neat Polish twin. The literal version is a calque Polish readers spot at once. Polish buttons name the action: write, call, book.
Translation or transcreation?
| Translation | Transcreation | |
|---|---|---|
| Loyal to | the source text | what the text has to do for the reader |
| What can change | word order and vocabulary | examples, idioms, paragraph order, sometimes the whole headline |
| Formal or informal Polish | whatever the translator picked, sometimes both on one page | decided once, kept everywhere |
| Best for | contracts, manuals, documentation | websites, ads, packaging, emails |
| You receive | the text | the text plus notes on every departure from the original |
I don’t do certified translation. Legal and official documents in Poland go to a sworn translator.
What arrives
- the Polish (or English) text, in the same structure as your original;
- notes in English wherever I’ve changed a meaning, an example or an idiom, so you can see the choice and ask about it;
- a glossary: product names and terms that stay in English, and terms that always get the same Polish word;
- on PL→EN jobs, one variety of English, British or American, kept throughout.
€19 per 1,000 characters
- Scope
- adapting existing copy, English → Polish or Polish → English. 1,000 characters of source is about 150 words. Quoted as one fixed sum; minimum €100.
- First draft
- usually about 10,000 characters in 3 working days
- Revisions
- 1 round
Writing from scratch rather than adapting? Polish copy from scratch is priced per service, see the price list. English copy from scratch runs about 40% above the Polish price.
Costs more if
- the subject is dense with terminology and there’s no glossary yet
- you need it in half the usual time (+50%, if my calendar allows)
Not included
- certified translation
- checking the copy against the target country’s regulations (food labels, supplements and the like)
- typesetting or pasting into your CMS
Transcreation on the price list
Working days, counted from an approved brief and a paid deposit. The binding date is in your quote.
Copyright passes to you once the invoice is paid in full, under a short agreement we sign at the start.
Prices are shown net of VAT. I’ll add a VAT line once that’s settled on my side.
How a transcreation job runs
You send the copy and tell me who reads it.
Country, trade, and whether they’ve heard of you.
One number.
I count the source characters and quote a fixed sum.
Glossary first, on longer jobs:
what stays in English, what gets translated, and how. You approve it before I start.
The text with notes,
usually about 10,000 characters in 3 working days, then one round of your comments.
One window, two languages
The samples page has an invented furniture exporter and the decal on its showroom window, Polish and English side by side. A sample, not client work.
Zmieści całą rodzinę. Kłótnie też.
In English: Seats eight. Survives Christmas.
Also useful when you’re entering Poland
- Naming and taglines
when the name itself needs checking in Polish.
- Product descriptions
when a whole catalogue is coming to Poland.
- GuideWhat copywriting costs in Poland (2026)
Transcreation questions
Nobody on our team reads Polish. How do we sign it off?
That’s what the notes are for. Every place where the Polish departs from your English is explained in English, so you can approve choices rather than sentences. If you have a distributor or partner in Poland, send the draft to them too; one consolidated set of comments is all I need.
Which direction do you work in?
Both. Most people reading this page need English into Polish. Polish into English is for Polish companies going abroad. No other languages.
Can you do certified translation?
No. Contracts and official documents go to a Polish sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły). The Ministry of Justice keeps the public list.
Why per character, when your other prices are per project?
Because the text already exists, and its length is the fairest measure of the work. You still get one fixed sum before anything starts.
Can our brand terms stay in English?
Some should. Product names and registered taglines usually stay as they are; generic words like “dashboard” or “checkout” get a decision each, and the glossary records it so every future text follows the same rule.
What needs to work in Polish?
Send a link or describe the material, and say which market it’s for. You’ll get one fixed number back. I usually reply within 2 working days (Mon–Fri, CET).
Send copy for a quote +48 61 856 73 91office@splendidcopywriting.com