(This guide is excerpted from the book In Their Words… Vol. I: Polish. It is an edited version of an article that originally appeared as "Translating Letters from the Polish National Archives" by William F. Hoffman in the August, 1995 issue of Rodziny, The Journal of the Polish Genealogical Society of America. It is reprinted here with permission.)
 

Note: Since many folks do not have their browsers set up to display Polish characters properly, such as the l with a slash or the a with a tail, this version is presented without them. The words should still be recognizable, and formatting this guide without the Polish letters avoids making you go through the process of enabling that display -- a process many find difficult.  In our book, of course, we preserve the correct Polish spellings, and we encourage their use whenever possible.

This is a guide for translating letters from the Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwow Panstwowych (Head Office of the State Archives). One can write to the Naczelna Dyrekcja in English but the answer is usually in Polish and can be difficult to read for anyone not fluent in that language.

Compiling this kind of guide is feasible because letters from the Naczelna Dyrekcja, and from the individual Archives under its jurisdiction, feature certain stock phrases and expressions that appear again and again, so the amount of material a translation guide should cover falls within reasonable limits. Normal correspondence or prose, on the other hand, can include an enormous variety of ideas and expressions, too many for a mere article to cover. (A cynic would say a guide to translating normal correspondence already exists -- it's called a "dictionary.")

Letters from the Archiwum Panstwowe system follow a basic pattern, illustrated by the sample letter shown on the next page. In the upper left is the Archive's name, usually in boldface type, followed by its address. To the right (often somewhat lower) is the name and address of the person to whom the letter is directed. On a lower line, in smaller type, are the phrases "Wasze pismo z dnia," "Znak," "Nasz znak," and "Data." These mean, respectively, "Your letter dated," "Reference #," "Our reference #," and "date." Relevant data appears below these phrases. Usually only the date and "Nasz znak" are filled in. Always note the combination of letters and numbers under "Nasz znak" -- this is your file number, and citing it in all correspondence greatly improves the chances that your requests will be handled efficiently. This can be quite important, as requests are routinely kicked upstairs to the Head Office, even if you sent your letter to a particular branch Archive, and the Head Office routinely sends orders down to branch offices to do the actual searching in the records. These orders may involve searching in records kept in a number of different places. The znak is what identifies you and your needs so that all this activity can be coordinated and the results kept straight and reported back to you.

The letter often begins with the salutation "Szanowny Panie" [Dear Sir] or "Szanowna Pani" [Dear Madame]. The contents can vary quite a bit (although one constant feature is that you always seem to end up sending money). The first reply to your request usually lays out the ground rules by which the Archives work, with a cennik [price list] enclosed. Subsequent letters tell whether the search was successful, and, if so, will list what documents were found. This is done so that you can choose which ones you'd like copied -- copying is expensive (see the fee schedule, following the word list) so you want to pay close attention to this part and avoid paying for copies of documents that are no use to you.

The letter generally ends with a polite closing such as "Z powazaniem" (Respectfully yours) and the signature of the Archive's director. You'll notice that the directors' names usually are preceded by either "mgr." (magister, holder of a Master's degree) or dr. hab. (holder of a Ph.D.). This means you're dealing with educated Poles, and that is fortunate -- the letter will be written in correct Polish, properly spelled. One of the miseries of translating normal correspondence is coping with non-standard spelling and dialect terms.

I compiled the following list of expressions by looking through actual Archiwum letters I have translated for various people. Please realize that the meanings given are those usually seen in the context of such letters. Many of these words have a lot of other meanings not indicated here; but when used in letters of this sort, these definitions apply.

Also, don't be confused if the translations don't always make sense word-for-word. "Prosimy o przeslanie do nas kopii" literally means "we ask for the sending to us of a copy," but "please send us a copy" is a much better way to render it in this context. Strict word-for-word translations tend to be hideous -- to translate well, you have to understand what each word means literally, but then put the words together in expressions that sound as natural in English as the original did in Polish.

I have tried to give enough examples of phrases to help you without discussing grammar. If you want to understand why it's oplata wstepna in one phrase and oplaty wstepnej in another, there are books on Polish grammar available, and I encourage you to study them. But I hope this list, while hardly comprehensive, provides just enough information to help non-Polish speakers who've found that you can always tell how much money these guys want you to send -- it's just tough to figure out what it's for.
 

Selected Expressions Likely to Appear in Archiwum Panstwowe Letters

 

adres: address; na adres Archiwum: to the Archive's address

akt: record, document; tych aktow: of these documents; w aktach stanu cywilnego: in the Civil
 Registry records; akt chrztu: baptismal certificate; akt malzenstwa: marriage certificate; akt
 slubu: marriage certificate; akt urodzenia: birth certificate; akt zgonu: death certificate

archiwum: archive; Archiwum Panstwowe m. st. Warszawy: State Archive, the Capital City of
            Warsaw

babcia: grandmother

bank: bank; bankowy: the bank's; po otrzymaniu zawiadomienia bankowego o dokonanej
     oplacie: after receiving the bank's notification that payment has been made

bardzo: very

bedzie (< byc): will be

brak: gap, omission; sa pewne braki w ksiegach: there are certain gaps in the records

brakuje: missing, lacking

brat: brother

byc: to be; moga byc przeprowadzone: [they] can be performed, undertaken

byl (< byc): was; nie bylo: there was no[t]; bylby: would be; jezeli bylby Pan zainteresowany
             wznowieniem poszukiwan: if you would be interested in renewing the search

calkowity: entire, total

cennik: price list; zgodnie z zalaczonym cennikiem: as per the enclosed price list

chrzest: baptism; akt chrztu: baptismal certificate; chrzestny [ojciec]: godfather; chrzestna
        matka: godmother

ciag: pathway, course; w ciagu 6 miesiecy: over the course of 6 months, during 6 months

corka: daughter

czek: check; odbior czeku na kwote $40: receipt of a check in the amount of $40; platnosc moze
    byc dokonana czekiem: payment can be made by check

czerwca (< czerwiec): June

czesto: often; dosyc czesto: rather often

czlonek: member; dokumenty dotyczace czlonkow rodziny: documents dealing with members of
         the family

dane: data, information; znajduja sie wiele danych genealogicznych: there is much genealogical
    data

data: date; 6 miesiecy od daty otrzymania: 6 months from the date of receipt

dawny: old, former; ksiegi metrykalne dawnej parafii ewangelickiej: registry books of the
       former Protestant parish

dnia: (< dzien) day; z dnia: dated

do: to

dokonac: to perform, make, execute; zaplaty mozna rowniez dokonac Euroczekiem: payment
          can also be made by Eurocheque; dokonac wybor: to make a selection, choose;
           zawiadomienie o dokonanej oplacie: notification of payment made; nadeslanie kopii
           dokonanej oplaty: sending a copy of proof of payment

dokonanie: making, execution; po dokonaniu wplaty: after payment is made

dokument: document; poszukiwania interesujacych Pana dokumentow: searches for the
            documents that interest you; koszt wykonania kopii tego dokumentu: the cost of
            copying this document

doliczyc: to add; prosimy o doliczenie do kwoty $90 po $10 za kazdy dokument: please add
         $10 per document to the amount of $90

dom: house, home; z domu: nee

dosyc: rather, quite

dotyczacy: dealing with, regarding, concerning; dokumenty dotyczace pozostalych osob
             wspomnianych: documents dealing with the other persons mentioned; materialami
             dotyczacymi wyznan niechrzescijanskich: materials dealing with non-Christian faiths;
             w wyniku kwerendy genealogicznej dotyczacej rodziny: as a result of a genealogical
             search dealing with the family

dowod: proof, evidence; prosimy o przeslanie kopii dowodu uiszczenia: please send a copy of
       proof of payment

duzy: large; duza ilosc: large quantity

dysponowac: to have access to; dysponujemy materialami dotyczacymi wyznan
                niechrzescijanskich: we have materials on non-Christian faiths

dziadek: grandfather

dzieci: children

dziekowac: to thank; dziekujemy za: we thank you for...

ewangelicki: Protestant, Lutheran

ewentualnie: hard to translate, means basically "if need be, if necessary"

figurowac: to appear; we wspomnianych ksiegach nie figuruja: they do not appear in the books
             mentioned

genealogiczny: genealogical

gmina: rural district; congregation

godzina: hour; za godzine: per hour; za 16 godzin: for 16 hours

grudnia (< grudzien): December

ich: their

ilosc: quantity, amount, number

informacja: information

informowac: to inform; informuje: informs; informujemy: we inform

interesowac: to interest; interesuja: [they] interest; poszukiwania interesujacych Pana
                dokumentow: search for the documents that interest you

iz: that; informujemy, iz: we are informing [you] that...

izraelicki: Jewish

jaki: which

jednoczesnie: at the same time

jedynie: only, solely

jego: his, its, of him, of it

jej: her, its, of her, of it

jesli: if

jest (< byc): is; jestesmy: we are

jezeli: if

kazdy: every, each

konto: [bank] account; prosimy wplacic na konto: please pay to the account

koncowy: last, final; od koncowego rachunku: from the final bill

konkretny: specific, actual

kopia: copy; koszt wykonania kopii tego dokumentu: the cost of copying this document (making
     a copy of this document); za kazda zamowiona kopie: for each copy ordered

koszt: cost

ksiag see ksiega

ksiega: book; ksiegi: books, records; w ksiegach: in the books, in the records; we|
       wspomnianych ksiegach: in the books mentioned; ksiegi meldunkowe mieszkancow:
       residents' registration books; nie posiada ksiag urodzen: does not have birth records

ktory: which; ktorymi z wymienionych dokumentami jest Pani zainteresowana: in which
     documents, of those mentioned, you are interested

kwerenda: search; kwerendy genealogiczne: genealogical searches; Archiwum moze
             przeprowadzic w ksiegach kwerende: the Archive can conduct a search in the
             books; w trakcie prowadzenia kwerendy: while conducting the search

kwietnia (< kwiecien): April

kwocie see kwota

kwota: amount; w kwocie 30 USD: in the amount of $30; prosze wplacic na konto... kwoty $30:
       please pay $30 to the account of...; czek na kwote $40: a check in the amount of $40

lata: years; z lat 1835-1900: for the years 1835-1900

lipca (< lipiec): July

liscie see list

list: letter; list z dnia 24 maja 1995 r.: letter dated 24 May 1995; list Panski: your letter;
 dokumenty dotyczace pozostalych osob wspomnianych w liscie: documents dealing with the
 other persons mentioned in the letter; w poprzednim liscie: in the previous letter

listopada (< listopad): November

lutego (< luty): February

ma see miec

maja (< maj): May

malzenski: marital, of marriage

malzenstwo: marriage; akt malzenstwa: marriage certificate

marca (< marzec): March

materialy: materials

matka: mother

meldunkowy: registration; ksiegi meldunkowe mieszkancow: residents' registration books

metryka: vital record, certificate

metrykalny: of a registry, of vital records

mgr.: abbr., holder of a Master's degree

miasto: town, city; w miescie: in the town

miec: to have; mieli: they had; ma: has; nie ma: does not have (also used to mean "does not exist,
    is lacking")

miescie see miasto

miesiac: month; w ciagu 6 miesiecy: over the course of 6 months

mieszkaniec: resident, inhabitant; mieszkancow: [of] inhabitants, [of] residents

moc: to be able; moga byc przeprowadzone: [they] can be performed; moze: can; moze byc: can
   be, may be; mogl: could

mogl see moc

mojzeszowy: Jewish

mowa: speech, discussion; o ktorych mowa w pismie: which were discussed in the letter

moze see moc

mozna: [it] is possible, can be; zaplaty mozna dokonac: payment can be made

na: (prep.) on, to, for; na konto: to the account [of...]

Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwow Panstwowych: State Archives' Head Office

naczelnik: director

nadeslanie: sending, submission

nadmieniac: to mention; nadmienia sie: it should be mentioned, added

nadsylanie = nadeslanie

naj...szy: superlative form of most adjectives, e. g., najstarszy (from stary, old) = "oldest"

nalezec: to belong, be owing; oplaty nalezy przekazywac na konto: payments should be remitted
        to the account

nastepujacy: next, following; na nastepujace konto: to the following account

nasz: our

natomiast: however

nawiazywac: to refer to; nawiazujac do Panskiego pisma: in reference to your letter

nazwisko: surname; nazwiska: of a surname, surnames; na nazwisko: under the name of ...

negatywny: negative

nich: them (as in w nich, in them)

nie: not; nie bylo: there was no[t]; nie ma: there is/are no, it does not exist

niechrzescijanski: non-Christian

niekompletny: incomplete

Niemcy: Germans; Germany; ksiegi zostaly wywiezione do Niemiec: the books were removed to
        Germany

niestety: unfortunately

obejmowac: to cover, encompass; obejmuja lata 1879-1900: they cover the years 1879-1900

oczywiscie: obviously, of course

od: from; od koncowego rachunku: from the last statement (or bill)

odbior: receipt; potwierdzenie odbioru: confirmation of receipt

odliczyc: to figure, deduct; oplata odliczona zostanie: the payment will be deducted

odnalezienie: finding, discovery; w przypadku odnalezienia konkretnych dokumentow: in case
                specific documents are found

odnaleziono: was/were found; odnaleziono zapis aktu chrztu: an entry of a baptismal certificate
                was found; odnalezione zostaly dokumenty: documents were found; odpis
                odnalezionego dokumentu: copy of a document located

odnosie sie: to relate to, refer to; koszt odnosi sie do kazdego dokumentu: the cost applies to
             each document

odpis: copy; uwierzytelnione odpisy: certified copies; wykonanie odpisu: copying (the making of
     a copy)

odpowiadac: to answer; odpowiadajac na list: in reply to [your] letter

odpowiedz: response; w odpowiedzi na pismo Pana: in response to your letter

odszukac: to find, discover; odszukano okolo 30 dokumentow: some 30 documents were found;
           koszt odszukanych dokumentow: the cost of the documents found

ojciec: father

okolo: about, approximately, nearly

okreslic: to define, describe

oplata: payment, charge; oplata wstepna: an initial payment, down payment; kopia dowodu
      uiszczenia oplaty: a copy of proof of payment of the fee; zawiadomienie o dokonanej
      oplacie: notification that payment has been made; nadeslanie kopii dokonanej oplaty:
      sending a copy of proof of payment

osoba: person; jakie osoby: which persons; dokumenty dotyczace pozostalych osob: documents
     dealing with other persons mentioned

ostatni: last; w ostatnim liscie: in the last letter

otrzymac: to receive; odpowiadajac na pismo otrzymane: replying to the letter received

otrzymanie: receipt, receiving; jesli Pani bylaby zainteresowana otrzymaniem dokumentow: if
              you would be interested in receiving the documents; po otrzymaniu zawiadomienia
              bankowego o dokonanej oplacie: after receiving the bank's notification that payment
              has been made

Pan: gentleman, sir (in letters almost always a polite way of saying "you" to a male); poszukiwania
   interesujacych Pana dokumentow: search for the documents that interest you

Pani: lady, madame (in letters almost always a polite way of saying "you" to a female);
    poszukiwania interesujacych Pania dokumentow: search for the documents that interest
    you (addressing a female)

Panski: your

panstwowy: national

parafia: parish; rzymsko-katolickiej parafii w Krapkowicach: of the Roman Catholic parish in||
        Krapkowice

parafialny: parish, parochial; w ksiegach parafialnych: in the parish records

pazdziernika (< pazdziernik): October

pelny: full; w pelni pokrywa koszt: covers the cost in full

pismo: letter; e. g., Wasze pismo z dnia: your letter dated; odbior Panskiego pisma: the receipt
     of your letter; w pismie: in the letter

platnosc: payment, remittance; platnosc moze byc dokonana czekiem: payment can be made by
          check

platny: paid, payable, due; kwerenda jest platna: the search is on a fee basis

po: after, according to, per; po wplaceniu oplaty wstepnej: after payment of the initial fee; po
 dokonaniu wplaty: after payment is made; prosimy o doliczenie do koncowego rachunku
 po $10 za kazdy dokument: please add $10 for each document to the final bill

pobiera sie: is collected, due; za godzine poszukiwan pobiera sie 15 dolarow: $15 is charged
              per hour of searching

pochodzic: to come; pochodza z: [they] come from, date from

podac: to give, provide; Jesli Pan poda, jakie osoby Pana interesuja: if you'll provide the
      persons who interest you; podany Pani koszt $10: the cost of $10 we gave you

podczas: during

podjac: to undertake, begin; Archiwum podejmie prace: the Archive will begin work

podjety: undertaken; kwerenda zostanie podjeta: the search will be begun

podlegac: to be subject to; oplata ta nie podlega zwrotowi: this payment is non-returnable;
           kwerendy genealogiczne podlegaja oplatom: genealogical searches are subject to
           charges

podniszczony: deteriorated, in bad shape

pogrupowany: arranged, grouped

pokrewienstwo: kinship, relationship

pokrywac: to cover; czek pokrywa koszt: the check covers the cost

poniewaz: inasmuch as

poprzedni: previous; w poprzednim liscie: in the previous letter

posiadac: to possess, have; Archiwum posiada: the Archive possesses; posiadamy: we possess;
          w posiadanych ksiegach: in the books possessed

poswiadczony: certified; poswiadczona kopia: certified copy

poszukiwanie: search, searching; za godzine poszukiwan pobiera sie 15 dolarow: $15 is
                  charged per hour of searching; poszukiwania interesujacych Pana dokumentow:
                  search for the documents that interest you

potrzebny: needed, necessary

potwierdzac: to confirm; potwierdzajac odbior Panskiego pisma: in confirmation of receipt of
                your letter

powazanie: respect; z powazaniem: respectfully yours

powiadomienie: information, notification; prosimy o powiadomienie nas: please notify us

powodowac: to cause; nie uregulowanie rachunku powoduje wstrzymanie prac: non-payment
               of the bill will cause cessation of work

powtarzac sie: to be repeated, recur; nazwiska powtarzaja sie: surnames appear again and again

pozostaly: other, remaining; dokumenty dotyczace pozostalych osob wspomnianych: documents
            dealing with the other persons mentioned

prababka: great-grandmother

praca: work; prace skoncentrowaly sie na ksiegach z Grodziska: work concentrated on
      records from Grodzisk; za kazda godzine pracy: for each hour of work

pradziadek: great-grandfather

pragnac: to desire; pragnie: wishes to; pragniemy: we wish to...

prosba: request, petition; w odpowiedzi na Pana prosbe: in response to your request

prosic: to ask; prosimy: we ask (o: for) (often = "please"); prosimy o informacje: please send
      information; prosimy o przeslanie do nas kopii: please send us a copy; prosimy o
      przeslanie kopii dowodu uiszczenia: please send a copy of proof of payment; prosze:
      please; prosze wplacic na konto... kwoty $30: please pay $30 to the account of...;

prowadzenie: conducting; prowadzenie kwerendy: conducting a search

przechowywac: to preserve, maintain, keep; w przechowywanych w Archiwum ksiegach: in the
                    books kept in the Archive

przekazywac, przekazac: to send, transmit, remit, transfer

przeprowadzic: to conduct, perform, do; przeprowadzony: performed, done, conducted;
                    przeprowadzone zostaly poszukiwania: a search was conducted; koszt
                   przeprowadzonych poszukiwan: the cost of the search conducted

przeslac: to send; przeslany: sent; odpisy zostana przeslane: copies will be sent; przeslany
         czekpokrywa koszt: the check [you] sent covers the cost

przeslanie: sending; prosimy o przeslanie kopii dowodu uiszczenia: please send a copy of proof
            of payment

przeslany see przeslac

przesylac: to send; przesylamy: we are sending; przesylamy w zalaczeniu: we are enclosing

przez: through, by

przypadajacy: due, falling [due], payable; oplaty przypadajace z tytulu kwerendy: charges
                  incurred due to a search

przypadek: case, instance; w przypadku odnalezienia konkretnych dokumentow: in case
             specific documents are found

przyspieszyc: to hasten, speed up; przyspieszy zalatwienie sprawy: will speed up resolution of the
                matter

przystapic: to proceed, begin; Archiwum przystapi do poszukiwan: the Archive will begin the
            search

przystapienie: proceeding, beginning; warunkiem przystapienia do poszukiwan: [as] a condition
                 for beginning the search

rachunek: reckoning, bill; nie uregulowanie rachunku: not settling a bill (i. e., non-payment)

raz: case, time; w razie negatywnych wynikow: in case of negative results; poprzednim razem:
  last time

rejestr: register; skorowidze do rejestrow: indexes to the registers

rodzenstwo: siblings, brothers and sisters

rodzice: parents

rodzina: family

rok: year; w roku ubieglym: last year; z tego roku: from that year

rowniez: also, as well

rozpoczecie: beginning; oplata wstepna za rozpoczecie poszukiwan: a down payment for  
               beginning the search

rzymsko-katolicki: Roman Catholic; rzymsko-katolickiej parafii w Krapkowicach: of the
                         Roman Catholic parish in Krapkowice

sasiedni: neighboring, nearby

sierpnia (< sierpien): August

skoncentrowac sie: to be concentrated; prace skoncentrowaly sie na ksiegach z Grodziska:
                          work concentrated on the records from Grodzisk

skorowidz: index; skorowidze do rejestrow: indexes to the registers

slub: wedding; akt slubu: marriage certificate

spis: list; ktorymi z wymienionych w zalaczonym spisie dokumentami jest Pani
  zainteresowana: which documents of those mentioned in the enclosed list you are interested
  in; w przeslanym Pani spisie: in the list sent to you

sprawa: matter, affair, in re; przyspieszy zalatwienie sprawy: will speed up resolution of the
        matter

stan: state, condition; nie jest w stanie: [he/she/it] cannot, is not in a position to; nie jestesmy w
   stanie: we cannot; stan cywilny; Civil Registry; stanu cywilnego: of the Civil Registry

stanowiacy: comprising, representing; kwoty $30, stanowiacej oplate wstepna: the sum of $30,
              which represents an initial payment

stopien (genitive form stopnia): degree; wedlug stopnia pokrewienstwa: according to degree of
       kinship

stosowny: appropriate; wplacenie stosownej wplaty: making the appropriate payment

stycznia (< styczen): January

swoj: his [own], her [own], its [own]; w swoich zbiorach: in its collections

syn: son

Szanowny Panie!: dear sir; Szanowna Pani!: dear madame

szczegolnie: especially, particularly

ta: that, this

taki: such

tego see ten

temat: subject; na temat Mszczonowa: on the subject of Mszczonow

ten: this, that; tego dokumentu: of that document

teren: ground, area, region; z terenu Lodzi: from the Lodz area

trakt: course; w trakcie: during; w trakcie prowadzenia kwerendy: during the course of
    conducting the search

trwac: to last, go on; poszukiwania trwaly 8 godzin: the search took 8 hours

tutejszy: local; tutejszy urzad: the local office

tym: a form of ten, q. v.; tym razem: this time

tytul: title; z tytulu kwerendy: by virtue of a search, due to a search

ubiegly: last, previous; w roku ubieglym: last year

udac sie: to succeed in; jakie udalo sie odszukac: which could be found

uiszczenie: payment

um.: abbrev. for umarly, umarla, umarli: deceased

uprzejmie: politely (but often not translated, it's simply an expression of courtesy, e. g. uprzejmie
            informujemy, ze: we beg to inform you, we are pleased to inform you that...)

ur.: abbrev. for urodzony, born

uregulowanie: settlement; nie uregulowanie rachunku: non-payment

urodzenie: birth; akt urodzenia: birth certificate

urodzony: born

USC, abbrev. of Urzad Stanu Cywilnego, Civil Registry Office

uwierzytelniony: certified; uwierzytelnione odpisy: certified copies

w, we: in; w ksiegach: in the books; w nich: in them; we Wroclawiu: in Wroclaw; w zespole Akt
     miasta Rawicza: in the collection of records of the town of Rawicz

warunek: condition; warunkiem przystapienia do poszukiwan: a condition for beginning the
          search

Wasze: your

we see w

wedlug: (prep.) according to

wiadomosc: news, information; do wiadomosci: for [your, his, her] information (at the end of a
              letter, it means copies were sent to the following)

wiele, wielu: many

wies: village; we wsi: in the village

wojna: war; podczas wojny swiatowej: during the World War

wplacenie: payment; po wplaceniu oplaty wstepnej: after payment of the initial fee; w razie
            wplacenia $30 do Banku: in the case of $30 being paid to the Bank

wplacic: to pay; wplacic na konto: to pay to the account; wplaconych jako oplata wstepna
        $90: the $90 paid as a down payment

wplata: payment; po dokonaniu wplaty: after payment is made; wplacenie stosownej wplaty:
       making the appropriate payment

wrzesnia (< wrzesien): September

wsi see wies

wspolpraca: cooperation, collaboration

wspomniany: mentioned, named; dokumenty dotyczace pozostalych osob wspomnianych:
                documents dealing with the other persons mentioned; we wspomnianych ksiegach:
                 in the books mentioned

wstepny: initial, preliminary; oplata wstepna: initial payment, down payment; uiszczenie oplaty
         wstepnej: making the initial payment

wstrzymanie: suspension, cessation (prac: cessation of work)

wszelki: all, every kind of

wszystkie: all; koszt wszystkich dokumentow: the cost of all the documents

ww., w/w: (abbrev. for wyzej wymieniony) mentioned above, aforementioned

wydac: to issue; wydany: issued

wydzial: department, division

wyjasnic: to explain; pragniemy wyjasnic: we wish to explain

wykonanie: making; koszt wykonania kopii: the cost of making the copies

wymieniony: mentioned, listed

wynik: result, outcome; wyniki poszukiwan genealogicznych: the results of a genealogical search;       w razie negatywnych wynikow prac: in case of negative results of the work; w wyniku
      przeprowadzonej kwerendy: as a result of a search conducted

wynosic: to amount to, come to; koszt wynosi $150: the cost comes to $150

wypadek: instance, case; w tym wypadku: in this case

wyslac: to send; wyslalismy: we sent

wysoki: high, tall

wystepujacy: appearing, showing up; osob w nich wystepujacych: [of the] persons appearing in
                them

wywiezc: to remove, take away; ksiegi wywiezione zostaly: the books were transferred, removed

wyzej: above, previously

wyznanie: faith, religion; wyznania mojzeszowego: of the Jewish faith; wyznan
           niechrzescijanskich: of non-Christian faiths

wzglad: view;  ze wzgledu: in view of

wzmianka: mention: nie bylo wzmianka na temat Mszczonowa: there was no mention of
            Mszczonow

wznowienie: renewing; jezeli bylby Pan zainteresowany wznowieniem poszukiwan: if you
               would be interested in renewing the search

z-ca: abbr. for zastepca, assistant, vice-

z(e): from, of, with; z dnia: dated; z 1878 r.: from 1878; z lat 1808-1882: from 1808-1882; z
 Mszczonowa: from Mszczonow; z Zagranica: with foreigners, those abroad

za: for, per; $15 za godzine: $15 per hour; koszt wynosi $160 (za 16 godzin): the cost comes to $160 (for 16 hours)

zachowac sie: to be preserved, kept; zachowaly sie ksiegi metrykalne: registry books have been
                 preserved

zagranica: foreign countries, abroad, foreigners

zainteresowany: interested; jezeli bylby Pan zainteresowany wznowieniem poszukiwan
                     (otrzymaniem kopii): if you would be interested in renewing the search
                     (receiving a copy); ktorymi dokumentami jest Pani zainteresowana: which
                     documents you are interested in

zal.: abbrev. for zalaczenie

zalaczenie: enclosure; przesylamy w zalaczeniu: we are enclosing

zalaczony: enclosed; wymienionych w zalaczonym spisie: of those mentioned in the enclosed list

zalatwienie: settlement, resolution; przyspieszy zalatwienie sprawy: will speed up resolution of
              the matter

zamowic: to order, commission; $10 za kazda zamowiona kopie: $10 for each copy ordered

zapis: inscription, entry; odnaleziono zapis aktu chrztu: an entry of a baptismal certificate was
    found

zaplata: payment; zaplaty mozna rowniez dokonac Euroczekiem: payment can also be made by
        Euro-check

zasob: supply, store; w swym zasobie: in its holdings

zastepca: assistant, vice-

zaswiadczenie: certificate

zawarcie: contracting; akt zawarcia zwiazku malzenstwa: marriage certificate

zawiadomienie: notification; po otrzymaniu zawiadomienia bankowego o dokonanej oplacie:
                    after receiving the bank's notification that payment has been made

zawierajacy: containing

zbior: collection, holding; w swoich zbiorach: in its holdings

ze see z

ze: that: informujemy, ze: we inform you that...

zespol: set, group, whole; w zespolach: in the holdings

zgodnie: in agreement with, according to; zgodnie z zalaczonym cennikiem: according to the
        enclosed price list

zgon: death; akt zgonu: death certificate

zlecenie: commission; na zlecenie zainteresowanego: on the order/ commission of the interested
         party

zleceniodawca: client, one commissioning work; po wplaceniu przez zleceniodawce oplaty
                   wstepnej: after payment of the initial fee by the client

zm.: abbrev. for zmarly, zmarla, zmarli, deceased, died

znacznie: considerably, significantly

znajdowac sie: to be located, be found; znajduja sie: are located, are found

znak: sign, badge, token; Nasz znak: our reference number

znalezc: to find; znalezlismy: we found

zniszczyc: to destroy, annihilate; ksiegi te zostaly zniszczone: these books were destroyed

zona: wife

zostac: to become, be; zostaly przeprowadzone: were conducted; kwerenda zostanie podjeta:
      the search will be begun; odpisy zostana przeslane: copies will be sent

zwiazany: connected (z: with); wiele danych genealogicznych zwiazanych z rodzina: much
          genealogical data connected with the family

zwiazek: union; akt zawarcia zwiazku malzenskiego: marriage certificate; w zwiazku z tym: in
         regard to this

zwrocic sie: to turn to, apply to, contact

zwrot: return; oplata ta nie podlega zwrotowi: this payment is non-returnable

zydowski: Jewish