Working in a pandemic

Angielski w pracy z humorem. Bezpłatna lekcja angielskiego. 14 marca 2020.

Kasia Sielicka, doktor filologii angielskiej.

Temat: Working in a pandemic.

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I am usually impervious to ( = obojętna na) the world’s events, preferring instead to dwell in ( = mieszkać w) my own little world, and find out about the latest news only ( = dopiero) a few months later. However, right now it is impossible to stay indifferent to( = obojętny na) what is happening around us.

When I’m writing this, WHO has declared a pandemic. Now, short language note: be careful about the ending of this English word. It ends with -mic, not -mia. It’s the same with an epidemic. So, we’re experiencing a pandemic of COVID-19, a virus which is wreaking havoc ( = szerzy spustoszenie) in the world’s economy. Oh, another language point: the pronunciation of “virus” is /ˈvaɪrəs/, so it’s different from Polish.

Polish authorities ( = władze) have reacted to the crisis sooner and more decisively ( = zdecydowanie) than those in other countries, apparently subscribing to the adage ( = wyznając powiedzonko) “better safe than sorry” ( = lepiej dmuchać na zimne). Schools have been shut down ( = zamknięte), and the entire state ( = państwo) is now in lockdown ( = zamknięte), with flights being cancelled, shopping malls( = galerie handlowe) closed, and mass events rescheduled ( = przełożone). People are urged to ( = zaleca się) self-isolate ( = odizolować się od innych) and stay at home. All of that in an effort to contain( = ograniczyć, powstrzymać) the virus.

A lot of my students, who usually commute ( = dojeżdżają) to work, are now shifting to ( = przestawiają się na) working remotely = teleworking = working from home ( = praca zdalna). This raises new challenges: how to organize your workplace, how to work on a tiny ( = malutki) laptop instead of the usual two big screens at the office, how to communicate when your team is no longer just a desk away. And, how to accommodate for ( = zadowolić) your kids, who are now suddenly at home, because the schools are shut down ( = zamknięte). All of a sudden, that dreaded ( = przerażające) open-space office is starting to have an intangible ( = nieuchwytny, nienamacalny) kind of allure ( = powab, pokusa)…

For me, the virus doesn’t change much in the way I’m working. I’ve been teaching online for many years now – either live classes via skype, or courses in the audio / video / pdf format, most of them with the use of mobile apps. But my everyday life has definitely been affected. First of all, my kids are now at home, so it is a bit of a challenge to be a mother and a breadwinner ( = zarabiacz pieniędzy) at the same time. Secondly, the widespread( = rozpowszechniona) shopping panic has taken its toll on ( = zebrała żniwa) my shopping habits. I’ve ordered food online with frisco for many years, and now suddenly the delivery dates are weeks away, and stock levels are down, as Poles are stocking up on supplies ( = magazynują zapasy) and preparing for a zombie apocalypse. So I’ve had to resort to ( = uciec się do) Biedronka, and that experience has made it clear to me that a zombie apocalypse is imminent ( = nieuchronna) indeed( = zaiste)! I am beginning to think that starving ( = śmierć z głodu) might not be such a bad option, compared to the stampede ( = popłoch) in Biedronka! 😉

And on top of all that, I am now reading “The Stand” by Stephen King – a book set in a post-apocalyptic reality, where a disease has decimated( = zdziesiątkowała) the world’s population. I guess you’d call it total immersion( = zanurzenie) ;).

And how is your life in the middle of the pandemic? I’ll be happy to find out!