Some small words that I don't recognise....

(Kasia) jue sni i zyczy dobrej nocy!

Kate is already dreaming (err - she is sleeping) and wishes good night.

:) Thanks - i didn't want to wake with a reply...!

Kasia! her name is Kasia! not Kate! why do you change it!

Well, there are names which can be translated....

Kate = Kasia
Michael = Michał
Andrew = Andrzej

and so on..

http://www.tlumaczenia-angielski.info/angielski/angielskie-imiona.htm

What's wrong with that?

yes, they can be....but her name is Kasia, she's Polish so call her Kasia! Kasia! Kasia!

:)

ok, ok, ok :DDD

btw, nice name, isn't it? :)

good ;)

I have noticed there is a Polish tendency to translate first names where possible into English. Is this a slavic thing? In other languages (e.g. French, Spanish, German..) they don't seem to do that.

Is it possibly because Poles think that Polish names will be too difficult for foreigners to pronounce?

It's usually the fact that some foreigners really have troubles with those names, both written and pronounced.
Translating first names and even surnames isn't something unusual for the cultures with different languages (especially when a nation's knowledge of another nation's language is poor).
That's why Fryderyk Chopin is known as Frederic, on the other hand in Poland we use William Szekspir (for Shakespeare) Wolter (for Voltaire).
And isn't Pope's name translated as well? I read/heard John Paul II many times, although he never chose those names in the English version :)

Now I think about it I guess biblical names are always translated into English (e.g. John, Paul, Luke etc..) but pretty much no others.

Also, when I used to work with Japanese people in London, the custom was to give them temporary English names (e.g. "John") rather than translate their names if their names were too difficult.

Szikago or Szykago?

By the way, you can translate my name if you want, but only if you're really careful.