My 12 Favorite English to Polish TV Show Translations

Maybe I'm weird, but I find it fascinating to examine the way Poland translates popular TV shows from around the world from their original titles into the Polish language. Sometimes the titles remain entirely the same, while others tend to stray quite far from the original. I'd love to have the chance to talk to those responsible for such translations to find out how they arrived at their decisions. Enjoy the show!

[michamarkowski]

Before "Married with Children" was aired in Polish tv, it was translated as "Ożeniony z dziećmi" ("Married with children", which could be understood as beeing married to children). Magazines with tv schedule had schedules for German tv stations available in Polish cable tv and I think Pro7 was airing "Married with Children". Similiar thing happened with the Christmas action movie "Die Hard" - it was first available as a VHS release translated to "Brutalna śmierć" ("Brutal death") and after it made to Polish theaters it was translated to "Szklana pułapka" ("Glass trap").

[mobo]

Przystanek Alaska został nazwany tak dlatego, że główny bohater to lekarz, którego sponsorowało miasteczko z Alaski pod warunkiem, że po skończeniu studiów będzie tam praktykował przez chyba 5 lat (nie pamiętam konkretnie jak długo). Cały pierwszy sezon był o tym, że doktor myślał, że to tylko przystanek na drodze ku wielkiej karierze w wielkim mieście (chyba Nowym Jorku), ale z czasem zaczął się łamać w tym postanowieniu... Mnie sie najbardziej podobało tłumaczenie pastiszu Szklanej pułapki czyli Die Hard, z Leslie Nielsenem na Szklanką po łapkach oryginał Spy Hard. Nawiasem mówiąc cieszy mnie, że w pewnym momencie moja znajomość z zapchajdziurami, czyli serialami telewizyjnymi się kończy, bo od lat nie oglądam tv i nie mam tego złodzieja czasu i zmiękczacza mózgu w domu.

[maciejmodzel]

A small mistake: Texas Ranger was translated to Strażnik Teksasu z a nie Strażnik Z Teksasu, so The Guard OF Texas, not FROM Texas. Also, while it's not the most obvious one, I believe "strażnik" to be among the standard translations of "ranger" - as you probably already know, we don't have a formation similar to the Texas Rangers here. In fact, Polish Wikipedia gives "Strażnicy Teksasu" as the Polish name of the formation. Ranger Smith form Yogi Bear is also translated into Polish as strażnik Smith. I wonder if there is any better translation of the word in the context?

[grzegorzmroz]

W przypadku Married with Children inspiracją tłumacza IMO był tytuł znanej i popularnej w Polsce książki Johna Irvinga Świat według Garpa

[hynol]

You can translate polish tittle "Moda na sukces" as "Fashion for success", but also as "Hunger for success". And second one is a little bit closer to polish tittle in my opinion.

[evilTchort]

I'm mildly shocked that no one has mentioned "Prison Break" being translated to "Skazany na śmierć" ("Sentenced to Death").
From old shows, there was this gem called "Quantum Leap", in Polish "Zagubiony w czasie" ("Lost in time").

[harry]

Fun fact about "Miami Vice": It was translated as "Policjanci z Miami", but us, kids that grow up in the turn of 80's and 90's when this show was broadcasted on polish tv, we used to call it "Policjanci z jajami" which in free translation means... "Cops with balls" :)
Still one of my favourite cop shows ever, it aged very well. The 80's mood is unreplicable but this show captured it so good, that each time i watch it it's just like time traveling.

[SuiGenerisAbbie]

Nice to always see you come back here. We miss you when you are gone.

[lupusdeum]

I'm a Polish ancestry guy born in Canada living in California for a long long time. I've been to Europe including Poland three times over the years. I wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying your channel's content & presentation. And yes, I subscribed.

[boguslawpiskorz]

Honorable mention here is an old tv series "Rich men poor men" which was aired in Poland as "Pogoda dla bogaczy".

[nonperson]

In the eyes of a Ranger...
The unsuspecting stranger
Had better know the truth of wrong from right.

'Cause the eyes of the Ranger are upon you
Any wrong you do, he's gonna see
When you're in Texas look behind you
'Cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be 🤠 🤠 🤠

[ulysses]

Bundys! My favourite! Al is stll my idol 😂
But the Polish title is "World acording to Bundys", all Bundys not only Al. It's important because the show present stereotypes of American family in 80's. Every member of this family has own story to tell. It was amazing show and funny as hell. I love it.

[Zultar_Gachelet]

Ale "strażnik teksasu" to po prostu "texas ranger", w polskim tytule nie na żadnego "z"
Zdrówka życzę i dzięki za materiał :)

[madchen]

Translation of "Bold and beautiful" as "Moda na sukces" is slightly more sophisticated than it looks at first glance. It's a wordplay. "Moda na sukces" should be translated back to english as "Success is in fashion".

[opusd]

Renegat - oryginalny tytuł Renegade z 1992 roku.
Swego czasu był tytułowany - Mściciel na Harley'u.

[pstrzel]

Not a TV show, but a movie: Kosmiczne Jaja for Spaceballs. I think it's even better in Polish. A perfect title for a cosmic satire.

[andrewplck]

You can do movies too. "Die Hard" translates as "Glass Trap" was an amazing example how, if you don't think ahead, you can translate yourself into a corner, as the name did not fit any of the sequel movies.

[agata]

Uroczy odcinek. Moja Mama uwielbia Przystanek Alaska. W latach 90-tych nagrywała sobie odcinki na kasety VHS

[martynamaczyszyn]

Russ, if you allow me - when it comes to Sex in the City or Seks w wielkim mieście - as you may know, Polish 'miasto' has two equivalents in Engllish - town and city and city is the bigger one, like, you know, Warsaw, Gdańsk, or New York :) So I think that's why the emphasis was put on the size - because of that 'city' in the original title :)

And the translation of The Big Bang Theory actually does play on the double entendre of the original title, even though it's a bit more subtle - as it's a play on what a pick up often leads to (the bang, or - as Sheldon would elloquently put it - the coitus) as well as the actual Big Bang theory - which in Polish is teoria Wielkiego Wybuchu (the Big Bang is Wielki Wybuch) - so you see, the Polish translation/distribution kept that entendre as close to the point as they dared :)

[bartomiejjonda]

"Prison break" - "Skazany na śmierć" (Sentenced to Death). In later seasons, polish title may in fact have much more sense