Talk:Polish Academy of Learning

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[edit] Polish Academy of Learning

In English, "Polish Academy of Skills" is meaningless at best, barbaric at worst. Consider above version, to differentiate from the Polish Academy of Sciences, in Warsaw. Better yet, in the longer run, consider merging the two institutions. logologist 06:59, 2 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Well, AAMoF the Polish name is Akademia Umiejętności, which sounds a tad bizarre for modern Polish ear as well. On the other hand the Umiejętność has little to do with learning and skill seems a better translation - even if it doesn't sound. Halibutt 07:06, Jun 2, 2005 (UTC)

My Great Polish-English Dictionary includes the following meanings of umiejętność: "[in the plural] learning; [in the singular] science, branch of learning." Would you ordinarily call "philology," "history," "mathematics," "physics," "chemistry," "biology," "medicine," etc., "skills"? This is an obvious mistranslation. logologist 07:52, 2 Jun 2005 (UTC)

But we're not speaking of modern Polish here, the term is clearly used in its 19th century sense. That's why many pages translate it that way (check google). Also, it's not "Polish Academy of (one) Umiejętność" (singular) but "Polish Academy of (many) Umiejętności". Halibutt 08:32, Jun 2, 2005 (UTC)

No native English speaker would have translated the Academy's name into English that way in any century. "Many Umiejętności" is, in English, "learning." If the Academy's name appears on Google as "Polish Academy of Skills" (which sounds like an association of trade schools), it's only because the Academy has mistranslated its own name that way. If PAU were to render its name as "Polish Academy of Mortuary Science," Google would dutifully, if uncomprehendingly, honor that version too. I suggest you look up the word "learning" in a good dictionary: the term does not refer only to the memorization of established knowledge. logologist 09:10, 2 Jun 2005 (UTC)

The famous Polish mathematician and leading light of the renowned Polish School of Mathematics, Professor Kazimierz Kuratowski, in his 1980 book, A Half Century of Polish Mathematics: Remembrances and Reflections, published at Oxford by Pergarmon Press, refers (p. 5) to Akademia Umiejętności in Kraków as "the Academy of Learning [my emphasis] in Cracow." I really would urge revision of this article's title, accordingly, to "Polish Academy of Learning." You have no concept of the damage that is being done to this hallowed institution by translating its name as "Polish Academy of Skills." logologist 08:12, 28 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Arts and Sciences

http://149.156.51.41/index_e.htm It's probably the official name. Either you should respect it or to urge the PAU to change it. Xx236 10:25, 5 April 2006 (UTC)