At some point in your research you will need to have a document translated, if you are researching in Poland and don't know the language in which your ancestor's vital record is written.  Your ancestors' records may have been written in Polish, Latin, German, or Russian, depending upon which part of the country they were from.  Fortunately, there are several options available for translating these documents.

Translation Assistance

Professional Translators:

• PGSA - Translators -- a list of translators who will provide translation services for a fee; from the Polish Genealogical Society of America

Online Translations:

• Free Translation.com -- will translate German to English, among other languages
• Google Translate - will translate Russian, Polish, Latin, and German to English, among other languages

Mailing Lists:

• Polish Lessons -- for assisting Poland researchers in translating Polish documents.  Basic vocabulary lessons and pronunciation will be stressed.
• OLD-RUSSIAN -- Deciphering and interpreting written documents in Russian from earliest to most recent 20th-century times

Do It Yourself

Websites:

• How to Apply for a Certificate from Poland -- several form letters to use for writing to various records repositories
• Polish Letter Writing Guide -- from the Polish Genealogical Society of America
• Translation Aids -- sample birth, marriage, and death records translated from Polish and Russian; excellent resource from SGGEE.ORG!
• Handwriting Examples of Cyrillic Script

Genealogical Word Lists:

• Polish Genealogical Word List
• Latin Genealogical Word List
• German Genealogical Word List
• Polish Terms

Online Dictionaries:

• e-DICT - type the English/Polish word or phrase you wish translated in the text box at the top of the page
• A small English - Polish dictionary
• Anthon's Dictionary English-Polish
• travlang's Translating Dictionaries
• English-Polish Online Dictionary - only translates one word at a time; will translate from Polish to English, too
• ENGLISH-POLISH DICTIONARY
• For other languages such as Russian and German, visit yourDictionary.com - a great resource for dozens of languages

Professional Research Services

PolandGenWeb is not responsible for any services retained by individuals and we do not guarantee satisfaction with any services rendered.

• Discovering Roots - offering professional tour guidance and genealogical assistance
• Professional Genealogists and Genealogy Research Services for Poland - from GenealogyPro.com.