# runny noses



## KaMus

I'm translating an American food safety notice, and encountered the term "runny noses." In the United States, this is a very common term, and is used even in more or less formal announcements.  Can I translate it into Polish as "zasmarkane nosy?" Or is that translation too informal?  

As an alternative, I thought to translate it as "zakatarzone nosy"- it sounds a tad bit more less informal, but also a bit less "natural" to the Polish ear.  Can someone give me an idea of which expression would sound better? Or maybe there is yet a better option? Thank you!

Here is the sentence with the term in question:

"We know that our hands can carry harmful bacteria. Think about all the things you touch throughout the day:
• Food, including raw meat
• Tables, desks, and other countertops
• Pets
• Cars
• Children
• Dirty diapers
• *Runny noses*
• Cigarettes"


----------



## anthox

How about “cieknące nosy”?


----------



## KaMus

Thank you! - This could be another good option!  Yet, I am still not sure if any of the three options would be something one would see on the wall poster in a Polish restaurant kitchen, for instance.  I can sort of imagine a poster with "runny noses" in America, but in Polish - it just sounds almost too "graphic" for a wall poster


----------



## zaffy

You could be "zasmarkany" in informal language, but not your nose. You can ask "Coś taki zasmarkany?". 'Nos' also can't be 'cieknący'. You could say "Z nosa ci cieknie". You can either say"Mam katar" or "Jestem zakatarzony". 

I guess you should translate it as "zakatarzone nosy".


----------



## anthox

zaffy said:


> 'Nos' also can't be 'cieknący'.



But Google search returns thousands of results with this term.

_Jak leczyć *cieknący nos*?
Zatkany lub *cieknący nos* zdarza się wielu osobom niemal każdej zimy. 
Każdy w swoim życiu cierpiał chyba z powodu *cieknącego nosa*. 
Kiedy masz problem z infekcją wirusową, możesz spróbować powstrzymać *cieknący nos* zażywając tabletki na katar...
*Cieknący nos* i wilgotne oczy świetnie pomagają w usunięciu szkodliwych bakterii i wirusów. _
Etc.


----------



## zaffy

OK, so this must be a regional thing. I would never say "cieknący nos" and it sounds awkward to my ears.
I say:
-Mam katar
-Jestem zakatarzony.
-Leje mi się z nosa.
-Z nosa mi cieknie.

I just can't imagine saying "Mam cieknący nos". Well, possibly this might be a formal medical term used by doctors or journalists, but never (at least here in the south of Poland) used in everyday language.


----------



## anthox

zaffy said:


> OK, so this must be a regional thing. I would never say "cieknący nos" and it sounds awkward to my ears.
> I say:
> -Mam katar
> -Jestem zakatarzony.
> -Leje mi się z nosa.
> 
> I just can't imagine saying "Mam cieknący nos". Well, possibly this might be a formal medical term used by doctors or journalists, but never (at least here in the south of Poland) used in everyday language.



Fair enough, thanks for clarifying. Not to hijack the thread, but, is there any difference between _katar _and _preziębienie_?


----------



## zaffy

Two different things. 'Katar' is a result of 'przeziębienie = a cold', just like other things like a headache, high temperature, sore throat etc. Katar, in fact, is the yellowish/greenish discharge that comes out of your nose when you have a cold.


----------



## KaMus

I agree that one can say "mam katar" when one has a runny nose, and it does imply that the reason is a cold, just like with "jestem zakatarzony." "Leje mi się z nosa" seems more generic, so maybe one could use it also if the speaker had allergies. Interestingly enough, I would never say "mam katar" if I had allergies, but I'd say "mam katar sienny."

In my translation example, I think that when trying to find the adjective describing the"runny" nose, it probably doesn't matter whether it is a result of a cold (although it is probably understood, since you can't spread "allergy" germs) - just that it is not "a clean nose" but a nose with "stuff" running out of it. 

I think I agree now that "mam cieknący nos" does not sound like something I would say, although I would understand it.  In the quoted google search, maybe it is used as a loan translation (linguistic calque)?

I also agree that "zasmarkany" is just too colloquial, and makes me think of "smarkacz", so I think I'm going to go with "zakatarzony", although I'm not really loving it.

Thank you everyone for all your input!


----------



## KaMus

zaffy said:


> You could be "zasmarkany" in informal language, but not your nose. You can ask "Coś taki zasmarkany?". 'Nos' also can't be 'cieknący'. You could say "Z nosa ci cieknie". You can either say"Mam katar" or "Jestem zakatarzony".
> 
> I guess you should translate it as "zakatarzone nosy".


Thanks! Just a small correction: "Nos" CAN be "zasmarkany", I think  - for instance, "ależ ty masz zasmarkany nos!"


----------



## zaffy

KaMus said:


> Thanks! Just a small correction: "Nos" CAN be "zasmarkany", I think  - for instance, "ależ ty masz zasmarkany nos!"


Yes. It sounds fine. Yet, I believe most people would say "Coś taki zakatarzony" or even more informally "Coś taki zasmarkany". If I were to mention the nose, I would say "Mam przytkany nos" or "Leje mi się z nosa". 'Zasmarkany' sounds very informal and would rather be used when addressing children.


----------



## jasio

KaMus said:


> I agree that one can say "mam katar" when one has a runny nose, and it does imply that the reason is a cold, just like with "jestem zakatarzony."


Not really, actually. 

Katar is a symptom and it does NOT imply the cause. It may be an infection, sudden change of temperature, alergy, some foods... It's still katar. Nieżyt nosa – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia


----------



## zaffy

If I hear someone say "Mam katar", I immediately take it as "I'm sick".  If someone had said "Leje mi się z nosa", I would take as either an infection or allergy.


----------

