My Translations

A list of my contributions as a translator (examples of texts) :

HEKSIS

The journal HEKSIS is devoted to interdisciplinary humanistic issues, philosophy /subject, knowledge and cognition/, the arts /music, art and dance/ and science /medicine, psychology and education/ and has been reactivated as an online bilingual Polish-English quarterly. More at: http://www.heksis.com/

JOWITA WYCISK

SELECTED ASPECTS OF MALE AND FEMALE BODY EXPERIENCE (Heksis, No. 4/2010, full text available online)

INTRODUCTION

Are men and women different in terms of defining their own body? Do they differ in creating the image of their body, in judging and experiencing it? Are they different or alike in defining their own body experience? Is it worth considering at all?

The problem of sexual differences concerning body-self was formulated due to the observation of differences in signs of auto-destruction (both male and female). Such differences can be observed in the frequency of certain actions, their severity and the form (Wycisk 2002: 67-79) and they are typically in accordance with cultural patterns of masculinity and femininity, hereinafter referred to as the patterns of cultural sex, i.e. gender (see 'gender schema', after Sandra Lipsitz Bem 1981: 354-364). The analysis of male and female self-destructive behavior, e.g. suicide attempts, suicides, self-mutilation, eating disorders symptoms or addictions, makes it clear that females focus this kind of behavior directly on the body (Wycisk 2003: 70). The sexual differences in terms of the tendency, which is mainly directed towards the body, attracted my attention to the differences of male and female body experience and especially to its aspects which are considered crucial for explaining the auto-destructive behavior.[...]

VIRTUAL SHTETL

The "Virtual Shtetl" is devoted to the Jewish history of Poland. Currently, our portal is a source of information, but in the future it will also include an interactive system, by which Internet users will interact with each other. It will create a link between Polish-Jewish history and the contemporary multicultural world.

The "Virtual Shtetl" is a museum without barriers, a consequent extension of the real Museum. Its main objective is to provide a unique social forum for everyone interested in Polish-Jewish life. The "Virtual Shtetl" re-tells the history of Polish Jews, which existed to a great extent in towns and villages. (Explore at: http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/cms/the-project/).

Miasto : Piaski (województwo wielkopolskie)

Kategoria : Historia

The beginnings of the Jewish compact settlement in the gostyński district are tightly connected with the founding of Piaski. Before that time, such urban centres as Gostyń, Pogorzela, Krobia and Poniec were bound by de non tolerandis iudaeis privilege, which prevented Jews from settling down there. Yet Borek was an exception: the record from 1674 says that there were 21 Jewish taxpayers, who constituted 9.1% of the residents. Not allowed to live in the cities, Jews started to settle down in nearby villages. Taking advantage of the support of landlords, who were interested in collecting higher taxes, the Jews established numerous inns, taverns and slaughterhouses there. That gave rise to many protests of the Polish craftsmen, who were organized into guilds. In 1748 the butchers of Gostyń turned to the owner of the town with a formal request, explaining difficult financial situation brought about by unfair competition on the part of the followers of Moses' denomination. Although Jews were not allowed to settle down in the town proper, with the help of the local landowners they managed to find accommodation in nearby inns and taverns ( e.g. Grabonóg, Krajewice, Strzelce, Gola).

            Local butchers were afraid of competition from the Jews working in the same profession. They  lodged a complaint to the duchess, claiming sharp decrease in income: “… things had got so far that some of the locals had moved out of the town and nearly all of us gave up on that trade”. It is not certain whether the situation was that dramatic, yet it is worth remembering that the innkeepers and guild of brewers had the same problems. The situation became extremely unfavorable for the craftsmen and tradespeople of Gostyń in the second half of the 18^th century, which was related to the founding of Piaski.

         Without any official permission, the castellan of Śrem, Karol Koszutski, started to build houses in 1773, offering accommodation to the subjects from his estates and to other settlers brought by him next year. [...]

HumanDOC: INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM  FESTIVAL

THE UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY

“Human Development is the process of enlarging people's choices”

(Human Development Report 1990:10)

The International Documentary Film Festival HumanDOC Global Development in Cinema is the first festival in Central and Eastern Europe which is devoted to the issue of development of the most impoverished countries and to the problem of the supportive activities. On the one hand, our aim is to make Polish viewers, with the aid of documentary films, reportages and social campaigns more acquainted with the daily problems of the people living in the developing countries. On the other hand, the aim of the festival is to make us aware that each of us has an impact on the life of these societies and each of us can help them change for better.

The process of globalization has significantly contributed to making the societies living in different parts of the world dependent on each other and has made the problems of the underdeveloped countries a global issue. At the same time, the economic moat between the rich north (the Global North) and the poor south (the Global South) is becoming deeper.

Do we act sufficiently to solve these problems? Should we counteract these processes at all? UN defined Millennium Development Goals, which are to be reached till 2015, including putting end to poverty. Will we succeed at it? The EU, Poland included, spends hundreds of billions of euros to support the poorest countries of the Global South. What does it mean? Who do we help and how? Why do we help other people, who often live in countries far away, far from Poland and Europe? Does helping others work both ways? HumanDOC Festival is a place where we wish to put such questions and attempt to find answers. [...]

TED.com

At TEDxNYED, former "young Republican" Larry Lessig talks about what Democrats can learn about copyright from their opposite party, considered more conservative. A surprising lens on remix culture.   
Lawrence Lessig, Re-examining the Remix