FRS,My best bet is that it does convert. The Polish surname, Polak, is from the same root as 'pole' (pron. po'-leh) meaning field. And the Polish word for 'green' is along the lines of the Russian but escapes me right now...it's been a couple of years since I was immersed in the language. Didn't have to go to Poland either, just to Mississauga.
CH.