English constructions with directional particles and prepositions – patterns of Polish translation

Abstract: In this paper, I argue that expressing English constructions lexicalising Path in Motion events in Polish may present problems – for non-native students of English and for translators – because of different lexicalisation patterns based on speech habits built upon an inflected language. I show a series of examples of English utterances with constructions denoting Path through satellites (which are verb particles) and through prepositional phrases, rendered into Polish. I have structured them according to four main ways of translating such constructions that are consistently followed by Polish translators, which I have labelled ‘patterns’ of translation. The objective of presenting those patterns is to bring certain regularities related to using English constructions with particles and prepositions to the attention of both students and translators in Poland and other Slavic speaking communities.