At Polish railway stations you can sometimes hear information in English. Usually it’s the automatic system, but sometimes the staff have to announce a train arrival or departure in two languages. It’s not a problem if they can’t speak English. The Polish railways have provided their employees with appropriate cheat sheets.
The English cheat sheet
“Etenszyn plis”
The cheat sheets have solved the problem of railway staff not speaking English. The information is written in a way that enables a Polish person who has had no contact with the English language to read it out loud. It begins with the words “Etenszyn plis” (attention please).
A well-known message “please be careful and do not approach the edge of the platform,” is also included. On the cheat sheet it looks very differently though – “Plis stend ałej from de platform edż.” The announcement ends with the words “Łi łisz ju a plezynt dziurni” – “We wish you a pleasant journey.”
The most important thing for us is that each passenger at the station receives a clear announcement both in Polish and, where required, in English – explains Karol Jakubowski of the Polish Railway Lines (PLK). – At the largest stations and those that have been modernised the information on arrivals and departures of trains is announced mainly by an automatic system. Where it is not yet possible, the information is provided by trained employees. Currently, we require knowledge of the English language when recruiting employees. For those who currently do not have these skills we provide relevant materials which they can use – he adds.
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