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8 The Linguist Vol/60 No/5 2021
thelinguist.uberflip.com
MICHAL GLOWACKI CONSIDERS THE CHALLENGES OF TRANSLATING FOR
THE CYCLING INDUSTRY AND WHY IT CAN SOMETIMES BE AN UPHILL RIDE
I
magine an amazing day, sunny, with hardly any wind –
the perfect day for my first ride with a group of fellow
cyclists (Polish zgrupka), some six years ago. I was
enjoying the ride and learning the various hand gestures
cyclists use to show potholes, indicate a turn or warn
about an obstacle. We were cruising at 18-19 mph, and
my front wheel was 2-3 inches behind the rear wheel of
the person in front. But I was getting tired – this was my
first ride longer than 60 miles. Suddenly, I heard a
rubbing noise and the whole world went upside down. I
woke up on the road, dazed and surprised. Fortunately, I
sustained no major injuries except for some road rash
(ścierka/szlif). This was a valuable lesson: when worn out
it's easy to get distracted and touch tyres (liznąć koło).
Cycling is like ice cream: there are lots of flavours.
There's road cycling (kolarstwo szosowe), MTB ('mountain
bike'; MTB), track cycling (kolarstwo torowe), cross-country
(XC/cross-country), enduro (enduro), endurance cycling
(kolarstwo długodystansowe) and cyclo-cross (CX/
kolarstwo przełajowe). And those are just some of the
official sports disciplines. Let's not forget cycling for fun
or commuting. When it comes to writing and translating,
each one requires different terminology and a different
approach in order to engage the target audience.
When translating a parts catalogue, you want to use the
official and technical terminology, as catalogues are aimed
at retailers, mechanics and enthusiasts. But with a piece
for XC fans, you will use colloquial terms to engage
readers and build credibility as a brand. A roadie (kolarz
szosowy) will appreciate knowing the size of the cassette
(kaseta) in the latest aero road bike (szosa aero), but your
typical commuter just wants to know if it has enough gears
(przełożenia) for their route to work. Translators have to
be aware of the context and the audience at all times.
WHEN A CYCLIST ISN'T A CYCLIST
When writing about cycling in Polish you have to
remember that there is a slight and not very well defined
difference between terms for riders. Typically, a cyclist is
a rowerzysta – a person riding on their bike at any given
moment. If they get off their bike, they become a
pedestrian. This is a very general way of talking about
SHIFTING GEARS
ON THE ROAD
Michal Glowacki in the
Tatra Road Race 2020
(above); and his
bicycle during a
break (main image)
©
IGNACY
GRUBKA
