The article reviews methods (according to the classification proposed by Krzysztof
Hejwowski) of translating cultural elements as used by Grzegorz Franczak in his
Polish version of Carmina Catulli. It is argued that the cultural distance between Latin
and Polish is more evident than any difference between modern language cultures. In
these circumstances it is necessary to pay particular attention to translation of culturebound
terms and expressions, because misinterpretations may be a serious risk. As the
analysis shows, Franczak addresses this issue very carefully and, as a consequence, an
overall evaluation of his translation of Catullus’ poems is highly positive.

The article reviews methods (according to the classification proposed by Krzysztof
Hejwowski) of translating cultural elements as used by Grzegorz Franczak in his
Polish version of Carmina Catulli. It is argued that the cultural distance between Latin
and Polish is more evident than any difference between modern language cultures. In
these circumstances it is necessary to pay particular attention to translation of culturebound
terms and expressions, because misinterpretations may be a serious risk. As the
analysis shows, Franczak addresses this issue very carefully and, as a consequence, an
overall evaluation of his translation of Catullus’ poems is highly positive.