Since 1990 the Polish and English Language Centre for Foreigners (former: Department of Polish Language for Foreigners) has been organising the Polish Language Olympiad for Foreigners in Szklarska Poręba. At the beginning it was held every year, now every three years.
The goal of this event is to encourage foreigners to broaden their knowledge of the Polish language, culture and traditions. The participants are Polish language learners and foreigners studying at Polish universities who have lived in Poland no longer than 5 years. The come from nearly all countries and continents.
The participants are divided into:
- foreigners whose first language is Slavic;
- foreigners whose first language is non-Slavic.
There are two stages in the Olympiad: first there are eliminations in particular centres (Wrocław, Łódź, Katowice, Rzeszów, Kraków, Lublin); the second stage is the final composed of the written and oral part. On the first day, there is a four-part written exam, encompassing listening and reading comprehension, a short grammar test and editing functional documents. On the second day, there is an oral part during which the participants are asked general questions, followed by questions testing their knowledge of history, geography, Polish culture, and current social and political affairs in Poland. Aside form this, they make a statement based on randomly selected pictures.
There are also other attractions – sightseeing in Szklarska Poręba and its surrounding area, a trip to the mountains and swimming outing. The final part of the Olympiad is a dinner party, artistic performances of the representatives of the academic centres represented at the event and a disco.
The Polish Language Olympiads for Foreigners have been very fortunate for the students of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, who have been winning top laurels. The foreign students’ teaching team is renowned for their efficient organisation and friendly atmosphere fostering the integration of the representatives of various universities.
”(…)Yet another very successful Polish Language Olympiad for Foreigners (…) which received the highest appraisal (…)”
„(…)The Department of Polish Language for Foreigners employees put a lot effort to achieve both high level of the event and very special atmosphere (…)”
Małgorzata Wieliczko “Pryzmat” 2007
“The Centre of Polish Language and Culture UMSC in Lublin would like to thank for inviting both students and teachers to the Polish Language Olympiad for Foreigners organised from 8 to 10 April 2011 in Szklarska Poręba by The Foreign language Department of Wrocław University of Science and Technology”. Both the students participating in the event and their teachers were impressed by the preparation of participants and the organisation of the event. We are very happy that our delegation had an opportunity to participate in this event”.
Prof. Jan Mazur, PhD, DSc, April 2011
“(…) I would like to extend special thanks to the teachers of the Department of Polish Language for Foreigners for their work and time devoted to the organisation of this very attractive trip and a very special atmosphere (…)”.
University Committee of Foreign Students and PhD candidates of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, April 2011
“This is to thank for organising such an important event as the Polish Language Olympiad for Foreigners. The popularisation of the interest in the Polish language, traditions and culture is the goal of all centres of education for foreigners, hence it was a great pleasure for us to participate in this competition allowing foreigners to see what is most beautiful in our country. Both wonderful family-like atmosphere and excellent organisation will definitely mean that students and their teachers will remember their stay in Szklarska Poręba for a long time and the contacts made their will develop”.
Prof. Jolanta Tambor, Ph.D. D.Sc., Head of the Polish Language and Culture School, Silesian University, April 2011
“(…) Thank you very for great atmosphere during the Olympiad”.
International Education Centre of Cracow University of Technology, Maj 2011
Our Olympiad participants, encouraged by the Olympiad tasks, compare their own culture and traditions with what they can see in Poland and what they are learning. Bothe social relations in our country and its history stimulate exchange of opinions not only while doing Olympiad tasks, but also during spontaneous conversations. Foreign students emphasise that contact with another culture inspires them to change their way of thinking and acting. They also express the opinion that they would like to implement a lot of what they observe in Poland in their own countries. For the organisers it must be great pleasure to hear how beautifully and proficiently the laureates speak Polish.