Although language slips may seem insignificant, in the case of official invitations—and especially those issued by cultural institutions—they are particularly important.
Prezydent Miasta Bolesławca, not: Prezydent Miasta Bolesławiec
The most serious error is the use of the undeclined name of the city. The invitation says “Prezydent Miasta Bolesławiec”, which—although increasingly common in everyday speech—is incorrect in an official and administrative context. The correct form should be: “Prezydent Miasta Bolesławca”.
Place names, like other nouns, are declined by case in Polish. Here, the genitive is required—that is, the answer to the question “of whom? of what?”: the president (of whom? of what?) of the city of Bolesławca. Similarly, we say and write: “Prezydent Miasta Wrocławia”, “Burmistrz Miasta Karpacza”, and “Urząd Miasta Krakowa”.
Some argue that the form “Prezydent Miasta Bolesławiec” is acceptable because, in the names of institutions or offices, the nominative form is sometimes retained (for example, “Sąd Rejonowy Warszawa-Mokotów”). Indeed, this is permissible in institutional names, but only when dealing with a proper name registered in a specific form. In a grammatical statement, sentence, or heading appearing in a text, the undeclined form sounds jarring.
Moreover, using the genitive is not only grammatically correct but also sounds much more natural and dignified, especially in official documents. “Prezydent Miasta Bolesławca” is an elegant form, consistent with linguistic standards and common usage. Details of this kind demonstrate care for language, while their absence may undermine an institution’s authority.
Dyrektorka Anna Idkowiak, not: Dyrektor Anna Idkowiak
The invitation also contains a sentence using the form: “dyrektor Miejskiej Biblioteki Publicznej – Anna Idkowiak”. Although this is not a signature but part of the text, using the masculine form “dyrektor” in reference to a woman does not correspond to current linguistic and social standards. Feminine professional forms are being used increasingly often—and quite rightly—so the correct version should be: “dyrektorka Miejskiej Biblioteki Publicznej – Anna Idkowiak”.
The Rada Języka Polskiego has emphasized for years that feminine forms of professional titles are not only correct but also desirable, provided that the given form exists and does not sound artificial. In the case of “dyrektorka”, there are no obstacles: the word has long been established in Polish and raises no controversy, just like “psycholożka” or “chirurżka”.
It is worth noting that using feminine forms is not a whim—it is part of promoting linguistic equality and the visibility of women in public life. Since we say “lekarka”, “nauczycielka”, and “kierowniczka”, “dyrektorka” should likewise be the natural choice when referring to a woman. Abandoning feminine forms in official texts obscures gender in the message, which is an error in texts concerning people—and especially in those celebrating someone’s work and role.
80-lecia, not: 80 – lecia
The third error is typographical, but it also affects the correctness of the text. The invitation uses the form “80 – lecia”, with an unnecessary space after the number. The correct form is “80-lecia”—with no spaces between the number and the word.
In Polish, when numerals are joined to nouns with a hyphen, no space is used on either side of the hyphen. Similarly, we write: “20-lecie szkoły”, “15-lecie działalności”, and “100-lecie odzyskania niepodległości”. Although this error may seem minor, it is actually very noticeable to people who pay attention to linguistic correctness and the aesthetics of text.
It is also worth remembering that, in official invitations, details of this kind have representational significance. A poorly formatted number may not only look jarring but also suggest a lack of care in editing the text.
Although the language errors discussed above do not prevent the invitation from being understood, they nevertheless undermine its professional reception. As a cultural and educational institution, the municipal library should set an example of care for language. Official materials distributed to city residents should be not only attractive but also linguistically correct.
Pointing out such details is not maliciousness but an expression of concern for the quality of public communication. Every invitation, every announcement, and every poster is also a language lesson for its recipients. It is worth making it a lesson worthy of top marks.