Stuff about the Balkans, Australia, languages and more...
since 2009.
September 15, 2025
10
min read
[Balkan Nation] + [Protector/Benefactor Superpower] = Inflated Number/Prowess. How some Balkan nations feel the need to prop up their numbers to show how “big” they are. But not everything that the slogans say is what it seems…
Category:
South-east European culture
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September 13, 2025
2
min read
When targeting your copy and text for Australia, you also need to take into account that our calendar is different.
Read more
September 10, 2025
2
min read
Aussies love wearing thongs outdoors. But does "thongs" mean the same in Australia as it does in other countries? Find out here...
Read more
September 1, 2025
3
min read
Find out more about this uniquely Australian item, much loved by Aussie kids and adults through the decades, and how come it's an essential part of any ongoing marketing campaign for many products and brands in Australia.
Read more
August 30, 2025
10
min read
The story of Sister Milka, the Serbian mother who went viral claiming her son had to wear a dress to school in Germany. But was she telling the truth?
Read more
August 29, 2025
2
min read
Aussies often mention "the bomb" when talking about the weather. Why bomb?
Read more
August 22, 2025
3
min read
Are you up for a crazy coupon where you're strutting your stuff on the "dancing"? Perhaps you're a "labour" or a "gender"? A sneak peak into some Bulgarian linguistic false friends
Read more
August 20, 2025
2
min read
Oil, banking, jewelry, optics, radio broadcasting, hard spirits... Nik does it all! But do I really?
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August 18, 2025
2
min read
Ever seen a notice or ad in a public place written so badly that you've wanted to grab a pen and make corrections? Well, someone did on a Croatian tram. Here's the story...
Read more
August 17, 2025
2
min read
Even historic international events can have different names in Australia, such as the victory in World War II.
Read more
August 14, 2025
3
min read
Want a negative impression that lasts? Of course not! Then why is there still bad English for tourists to laugh at?
Read more
August 13, 2025
3
min read
Why picking a new name for your company is a very important task as this case example shows...
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August 11, 2025
5
min read
After many decades of Yugoslav rule, Albanian spoken in Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro has some Serbo-Croatian words, but particularly in certain areas. Which ones? And why is this not unique?
Read more
July 31, 2025
2
min read
Which one is the accepted spelling in Australia? You might be surprised at the answer!
Read more
July 30, 2025
10
min read
What happened the first time I was in 4 countries in 24 hours. Bus, trains, automobiles... and a bizarre interrogation!
Read more
July 29, 2025
5
min read
Do you know what the biggest thing the long-running Australian TV series Neighbours brought to the world? And why did the soap show a rather skewed image of Australian suburbia?
Read more
July 28, 2025
1
min read
Have you ever seen a name of a shopping mall where they got it so right... or so wrong? Here are two examples: one win and one fail...
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July 27, 2025
3
min read
Bilinguals and multilinguals do muddle their languages at times. But sometimes we might say something by accident... and it turns out to be the perfect response.
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July 23, 2025
2
min read
Are these terms the same in Australia? Well, it depends, but it comes with a major warning. And what's the generic trademark some Aussies use instead?
Read more
July 21, 2025
12
min read
44 years later and the death of Lyudmila Zhivkova, the ambitious, high-profile daughter of Bulgaria’s paramount leader Todor Zhivkov, continues to enthral the Bulgarian public. Who was Lyudmila Zhivkova and why is her death still subject to intense speculation?
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July 16, 2025
3
min read
What can I say? How I learnt what makes Australian English what it is by simple communication and more. And what are the two things most native English speakers don't realise?
Read more
September 13, 2025
2
min read
When targeting your copy and text for Australia, you also need to take into account that our calendar is different.
Read more
September 10, 2025
2
min read
Aussies love wearing thongs outdoors. But does "thongs" mean the same in Australia as it does in other countries? Find out here...
Read more
September 1, 2025
3
min read
Find out more about this uniquely Australian item, much loved by Aussie kids and adults through the decades, and how come it's an essential part of any ongoing marketing campaign for many products and brands in Australia.
Read more
August 29, 2025
2
min read
Aussies often mention "the bomb" when talking about the weather. Why bomb?
Read more
July 29, 2025
5
min read
Do you know what the biggest thing the long-running Australian TV series Neighbours brought to the world? And why did the soap show a rather skewed image of Australian suburbia?
Read more
July 11, 2025
6
min read
The last round of unique Australian English terms that I've discovered by chance.
Read more
June 30, 2025
2
min read
It's extremely hot in northern Europe! So it's best to ask Aussies for tips on dealing with the heat.
Read more
June 27, 2025
1
min read
Let's settle this... is the popular caffeinated beverage one for the gays or one for the blokes?
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June 23, 2025
2
min read
How an Australian 1990s safe sex slogan skillfully used the many meanings of a common colloquial phrasal verb to great effect. But would this work for an international audience?
Read more
June 15, 2025
1
min read
Are you sure that Father's Day in Australia and New Zealand is in June?
Read more
June 11, 2025
4
min read
Trade negotiations between the EU and Australia fell through over the names of cheeses and wines, of all things. But will a restart of negotiations bring about a breakthrough? And what product name should you use for the Australian market?
Read more
June 6, 2025
2
min read
There are a number of seemingly ordinary English words that can get Aussies thinking 'that's not right'. Here's the case with one...?
Read more
May 28, 2025
3
min read
Rona, RAT, quazza... remembering the now-lost Aussie slang of the early 2020s Covid pandemic
Read more
May 20, 2025
3
min read
Bludging on a smoko as if you've chucked a sickie? Welcome to work-related Australian English vocab about not working!
Read more
May 15, 2025
3
min read
It's not in Europe, so why is Australia at Eurovision? There are plenty of reasons why...
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May 14, 2025
3
min read
No, it's not what you might think. A classic case of an Australian English term going from slang to accepted formal speech
Read more
May 11, 2025
2
min read
It may be now more about giving a gift but Mother's Day was also a day of protest. More here...
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May 2, 2025
1
min read
Australians regularly bombard their country's Electoral Commission with important queries... such as about the legalities of drawing penises on ballot papers!
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April 29, 2025
2
min read
Get the tomato sauce out, we're having little boys! But what does this term mean for some Aussies?
Read more
April 24, 2025
3
min read
Aussies love their biscuits, but call them by the 'c' word can even get you fined! What word is this?
Read more
April 23, 2025
2
min read
Want to hear how I speak in Australian English with another Australian English specialist? Here's your chance
Read more
April 20, 2025
6
min read
You can tell how old an Australian is by asking what these terms mean, and what does this have to do with Australia's only ever truly local youth sub-culture?
Read more
April 13, 2025
2
min read
Useful or extremely obvious? Well, it's never wise to assume...
Read more
April 4, 2025
7
min read
Liberal, teal, electorate, corflute, democracy sausage... Here's your indispensable guide to Australian election terminology
Read more
March 4, 2025
3
min read
Do you know what "she's on her P's" means? It's something all Australians understand. And how does this relate to a term that's different in most English-dominant countries?
Read more
February 28, 2025
2
min read
How do you describe using a payment card to use public transport in Australia? It depends where in Australia you are...
Read more
February 27, 2025
2
min read
Want to get Aussies angry? Ask this mathematical question...
Read more
February 4, 2025
4
min read
Are there villages in Australia? Well, yes, but not how the rest of the world sees it. Find out what makes a village in Oz...
Read more
January 31, 2025
4
min read
"But '-or' spellings are American?" has said many an Aussie. But are they really? Not exactly. Find out how and where there are exceptions to the rule in Australian English.
Read more
January 29, 2025
3
min read
Many people are shocked when they find out I'm a translator, but their jaws drop even more when I tell them that I also 'translate' into Australian English.
Read more
January 25, 2025
3
min read
Australia's national day is on 26 January, but it's not a date universally accepted by all Aussies. Find out why Australia Day is so divisive...
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January 25, 2025
5
min read
Would you believe that one of the most anticipated events in the lead-up to Australia's national day on 26 January is... an ad about eating lamb! More about the vibe here...
Read more
December 19, 2024
2
min read
Why wishing your clients, friends and relatives in Australia a happy start to summer on December 21st is not the way to do it...
Read more
December 11, 2024
3
min read
The extraordinary story of this tasty Australian regionalism and how it can ignite passions
Read more
November 7, 2024
2
min read
One of Australia's most visited tourist sites has two official names, but Aussies almost exclusively use one of them. Do you know which one?
Read more
November 4, 2024
3
min read
Australians like to see themselves as "easy-going" and "laid-back". But are they really?
Read more
November 1, 2024
3
min read
Aussies love their cars, so here are a few car-related words for you...
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October 29, 2024
2
min read
If there's anything that can get some Aussies hot under the collar, it's this...
Read more
September 11, 2024
2
min read
Welcome to confusion with "email" in Australia. It's generational...
Read more
September 1, 2024
3
min read
Here's the latest round up of some uniquely Aussie words to add to your vocabulary...
Read more
August 3, 2024
2
min read
Because of, or despite, his very unconventional but trés Aussie approach to training, he won silver at the 2000 Olympics. You won't believe how...
Read more
July 31, 2024
5
min read
How a comedy routine during the 2000 Sydney Olympics provided Australia with its own, very naughty, gymnastics lexicon!
Read more
July 28, 2024
3
min read
To get away from the sharks! Nah, it's more than that.
Read more
July 25, 2024
3
min read
Or perhaps not. It wouldn't be an Olympics if there wasn't impending doom. But how has it actually turned out?
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July 4, 2024
5
min read
Vote-count competitions between rival cities? How a mundane sausage in generic white bread is the epitome of mass democratic participation in Australia. And why a Bulgarian train is not a train. The weird world of election traditions.
Read more
June 30, 2024
3
min read
Australians adore pets... but not on public transport. How come?
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June 30, 2024
3
min read
One of the world's biggest ever rock bands has turned 50!
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June 21, 2024
4
min read
Many Australians are in "de facto relationships". What are these and how do they differ from marriage?
Read more
May 23, 2024
10
min read
Is Burger King the drama? How come there's no Burger King in Australia but you can still get a Whopper? A story of how a technicality turned an alternative brand into a part of local Australian identity, and how that was almost usurped.
Read more
May 22, 2024
2
min read
The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Australia's richest woman, mining magnate Gina Rinehart got more than what she bargained for when she wanted a portrait of her taken down. And how does wine figure into this too?
Read more
April 6, 2024
5
min read
50 years after ABBA won the Eurovision Song Content, it was Australia that set the tone for ABBA's fortunes over the decades. This is their Australian story.
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August 31, 2023
2
min read
It’s all about being friendly when driving out in “woop woop” (the middle of nowhere) 🤗
Read more
June 26, 2023
1
min read
How do you say in Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian this: “Up there, the mountains burn worse”?👉 Gore gore gore gore.
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June 1, 2023
1
min read
🎉 50 years ago today, the Adelaide Festival Centre, the premier performing and visual arts venue and precinct in Adelaide, Australia, opened. The centre to this day remains one of the symbols of Adelaide. 🇦🇺
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May 25, 2023
2
min read
Did you know that Tina Turner has been one of the biggest contributors to Australian culture? 🦘 Honestly, her impact has been huge! Here’s how…
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May 11, 2023
4
min read
Time to get out the sequins and huge props. The world’s most watched non-sports TV show is on, the Eurovision Song Contest 🎤. Tonight is the second semi-final, with 16 acts from Europe… and Australia.
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April 24, 2023
1
min read
Last Saturday Australian 🇦🇺 🎭 comedy legend Barry Humphries passed away aged 89.
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April 11, 2023
3
min read
Eshays and Adlays: the latest bunch of Pig-Latin-speaking, Nike-wearing young bogans (vilified poor working-class people) to cause massive moral panic in Australia 🇦🇺
Read more
April 7, 2023
2
min read
Bunnies are considered cute and loveable… except in Australia 🇦🇺, where they’re a major scourge🤬.
Read more
March 28, 2023
1
min read
Have you unwittingly done a hand gesture that meant something completely different in another country? Here’s a true story…
Read more
March 10, 2023
3
min read
💪🏼 Calisthenics (US English) or Callisthenics (UK English), one the biggest crazes in fitness worldwide, is a form of strength training using bodyweight exercises and minimal equipment…
Read more
March 8, 2023
1
min read
🪃 In Australia, IWD is a day of campaigning and awareness, elements that are much closer to the day’s original purpose of bringing mainstream attention to issues affecting women.
Read more
.%20A%20day%20of%20campaigning%20%E2%99%80%20%E2%80%A6%20or%20a%20day%20to%20buy%20flowers%20%F0%9F%92%90.jpg)
September 13, 2025
2
min read
When targeting your copy and text for Australia, you also need to take into account that our calendar is different.
Read more
September 10, 2025
2
min read
Aussies love wearing thongs outdoors. But does "thongs" mean the same in Australia as it does in other countries? Find out here...
Read more
September 1, 2025
3
min read
Find out more about this uniquely Australian item, much loved by Aussie kids and adults through the decades, and how come it's an essential part of any ongoing marketing campaign for many products and brands in Australia.
Read more
August 29, 2025
2
min read
Aussies often mention "the bomb" when talking about the weather. Why bomb?
Read more
August 17, 2025
2
min read
Even historic international events can have different names in Australia, such as the victory in World War II.
Read more
July 31, 2025
2
min read
Which one is the accepted spelling in Australia? You might be surprised at the answer!
Read more
July 29, 2025
5
min read
Do you know what the biggest thing the long-running Australian TV series Neighbours brought to the world? And why did the soap show a rather skewed image of Australian suburbia?
Read more
July 23, 2025
2
min read
Are these terms the same in Australia? Well, it depends, but it comes with a major warning. And what's the generic trademark some Aussies use instead?
Read more
July 16, 2025
3
min read
What can I say? How I learnt what makes Australian English what it is by simple communication and more. And what are the two things most native English speakers don't realise?
Read more
July 11, 2025
6
min read
The last round of unique Australian English terms that I've discovered by chance.
Read more
June 23, 2025
2
min read
How an Australian 1990s safe sex slogan skillfully used the many meanings of a common colloquial phrasal verb to great effect. But would this work for an international audience?
Read more
June 15, 2025
1
min read
Are you sure that Father's Day in Australia and New Zealand is in June?
Read more
June 11, 2025
4
min read
Trade negotiations between the EU and Australia fell through over the names of cheeses and wines, of all things. But will a restart of negotiations bring about a breakthrough? And what product name should you use for the Australian market?
Read more
June 6, 2025
2
min read
There are a number of seemingly ordinary English words that can get Aussies thinking 'that's not right'. Here's the case with one...?
Read more
May 28, 2025
3
min read
Rona, RAT, quazza... remembering the now-lost Aussie slang of the early 2020s Covid pandemic
Read more
May 20, 2025
3
min read
Bludging on a smoko as if you've chucked a sickie? Welcome to work-related Australian English vocab about not working!
Read more
May 14, 2025
3
min read
No, it's not what you might think. A classic case of an Australian English term going from slang to accepted formal speech
Read more
April 29, 2025
2
min read
Get the tomato sauce out, we're having little boys! But what does this term mean for some Aussies?
Read more
April 24, 2025
3
min read
Aussies love their biscuits, but call them by the 'c' word can even get you fined! What word is this?
Read more
April 23, 2025
2
min read
Want to hear how I speak in Australian English with another Australian English specialist? Here's your chance
Read more
April 20, 2025
6
min read
You can tell how old an Australian is by asking what these terms mean, and what does this have to do with Australia's only ever truly local youth sub-culture?
Read more
April 4, 2025
7
min read
Liberal, teal, electorate, corflute, democracy sausage... Here's your indispensable guide to Australian election terminology
Read more
March 4, 2025
3
min read
Do you know what "she's on her P's" means? It's something all Australians understand. And how does this relate to a term that's different in most English-dominant countries?
Read more
February 28, 2025
2
min read
How do you describe using a payment card to use public transport in Australia? It depends where in Australia you are...
Read more
February 27, 2025
2
min read
Want to get Aussies angry? Ask this mathematical question...
Read more
February 4, 2025
4
min read
Are there villages in Australia? Well, yes, but not how the rest of the world sees it. Find out what makes a village in Oz...
Read more
January 31, 2025
4
min read
"But '-or' spellings are American?" has said many an Aussie. But are they really? Not exactly. Find out how and where there are exceptions to the rule in Australian English.
Read more
January 29, 2025
3
min read
Many people are shocked when they find out I'm a translator, but their jaws drop even more when I tell them that I also 'translate' into Australian English.
Read more
January 25, 2025
5
min read
Would you believe that one of the most anticipated events in the lead-up to Australia's national day on 26 January is... an ad about eating lamb! More about the vibe here...
Read more
December 24, 2024
4
min read
Do you know your Krizmoz from your Bozhik? How some Orthodox Christians in diaspora communities differentiate between the two Christmases.
Read more
December 19, 2024
2
min read
Why wishing your clients, friends and relatives in Australia a happy start to summer on December 21st is not the way to do it...
Read more
December 11, 2024
3
min read
The extraordinary story of this tasty Australian regionalism and how it can ignite passions
Read more
December 8, 2024
3
min read
Australian English is famous for its diminutives, i.e. shortened words. Do you know what these ones mean?
Read more
November 26, 2024
2
min read
Australia's prime source for all things Australian English has picked its word for 2024. And this time, I agree!
Read more
November 19, 2024
3
min read
India and Australia have common bonds that go beyond a passion for cricket. Here are a few words that Indian and Australian English uniquely share...
Read more
November 7, 2024
2
min read
One of Australia's most visited tourist sites has two official names, but Aussies almost exclusively use one of them. Do you know which one?
Read more
November 1, 2024
3
min read
Aussies love their cars, so here are a few car-related words for you...
Read more
October 23, 2024
6
min read
Does DeepL live up to its claim of being "the world's most accurate translator" when it comes to Aussie English? Get ready for some zingers!
Read more
September 11, 2024
2
min read
Welcome to confusion with "email" in Australia. It's generational...
Read more
September 1, 2024
3
min read
Here's the latest round up of some uniquely Aussie words to add to your vocabulary...
Read more
August 5, 2024
3
min read
Do you get what is being said here? Unless you're Australian, it's not what you think...
Read more
July 31, 2024
5
min read
How a comedy routine during the 2000 Sydney Olympics provided Australia with its own, very naughty, gymnastics lexicon!
Read more
July 28, 2024
3
min read
To get away from the sharks! Nah, it's more than that.
Read more
June 21, 2024
4
min read
Many Australians are in "de facto relationships". What are these and how do they differ from marriage?
Read more
May 23, 2024
10
min read
Is Burger King the drama? How come there's no Burger King in Australia but you can still get a Whopper? A story of how a technicality turned an alternative brand into a part of local Australian identity, and how that was almost usurped.
Read more
May 22, 2024
2
min read
The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Australia's richest woman, mining magnate Gina Rinehart got more than what she bargained for when she wanted a portrait of her taken down. And how does wine figure into this too?
Read more
August 31, 2023
2
min read
It’s all about being friendly when driving out in “woop woop” (the middle of nowhere) 🤗
Read more
August 14, 2023
3
min read
Ask what’s most unique about Australian English 🪃, the answers usually are our accent and slang✔️. However, there are also a number of uniquely Australian English words in regular use, even in formal situations, that Australians are surprised to find are not used everywhere else in the English-speaking world (OK, sometimes also in New Zealand🥝, […]
Read more
June 30, 2023
3
min read
Are you a fan of the cult TV comedy show The Office?🕺And which version: the UK one 🇬🇧? The US one 🇺🇸? The French one 🇫🇷? The Indian one 🇮🇳 or any of the other 13 variants made? 📣 News in is that an Australian 🇦🇺 version of The Office will be hitting our screens […]
Read more
May 29, 2023
2
min read
Do Aussies have "bank holidays" like in the UK? Well, it's complicated
Read more
April 11, 2023
3
min read
Eshays and Adlays: the latest bunch of Pig-Latin-speaking, Nike-wearing young bogans (vilified poor working-class people) to cause massive moral panic in Australia 🇦🇺
Read more
April 7, 2023
2
min read
Bunnies are considered cute and loveable… except in Australia 🇦🇺, where they’re a major scourge🤬.
Read more
March 28, 2023
1
min read
Have you unwittingly done a hand gesture that meant something completely different in another country? Here’s a true story…
Read more
March 10, 2023
3
min read
💪🏼 Calisthenics (US English) or Callisthenics (UK English), one the biggest crazes in fitness worldwide, is a form of strength training using bodyweight exercises and minimal equipment…
Read more
January 24, 2023
2
min read
Something Australian (but no way uniquely) today…Do you fancy an escape from the rat race and going for a seachange 🌊, treechange 🌳 or e-change 💻?
Read more
August 22, 2025
3
min read
Are you up for a crazy coupon where you're strutting your stuff on the "dancing"? Perhaps you're a "labour" or a "gender"? A sneak peak into some Bulgarian linguistic false friends
Read more
August 18, 2025
2
min read
Ever seen a notice or ad in a public place written so badly that you've wanted to grab a pen and make corrections? Well, someone did on a Croatian tram. Here's the story...
Read more
August 11, 2025
5
min read
After many decades of Yugoslav rule, Albanian spoken in Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro has some Serbo-Croatian words, but particularly in certain areas. Which ones? And why is this not unique?
Read more
July 6, 2025
2
min read
Did Dolly get the words wrong here? No, in ex-Yugoslavia the average work day is a bit different. Find out why here...
Read more
July 3, 2025
10
min read
There once was one "Serbo-Croatian" but now there are four near-identical languages. Can we still use the term "Serbo-Croatian"? Well, it could cost you dearly...
Read more
June 12, 2025
8
min read
Do you know your deficit from a kupon? Or are you up for joining a brigada? How many aspects and language from communist Bulgaria are still relevant today, but sometimes with a twist.
Read more
May 30, 2025
5
min read
Or is it? On International Day of the Potato, let's look into one of Türkiye's most favourite street foods, and how the Balkans have the Austrians and Germans to thank for the apple, or pear, of the ground.
Read more
May 24, 2025
3
min read
Today commemorates the saints who brought literacy to the speakers of Slavic languages, and symbolises the shared roots of all Slavic nations and languages.
Read more
May 9, 2025
2
min read
A new pope comes with a new name. But which is the correct one in languages other than English?
Read more
April 27, 2025
2
min read
The way you can refer to age in ex-Yugoslavia is different than in English – they have to make you a year and decade older!
Read more
April 10, 2025
2
min read
That's quite a list of languages I translate from, but that doesn't mean I translate from every language in Eastern Europe, no matter how similar they may seem even in name...
Read more
February 20, 2025
4
min read
International Mother Language Day and Global Language Advocacy Day are on! So what do I consider to be my 'mother languages' and why one of them is under threat...
Read more
February 10, 2025
3
min read
The time when a person working for a translation company that bills itself to clients as an 'expert in languages' thought I knew Latin. Spoiler: I don't. So why did this happen and why does this have a link to Serbian? All revealed here.
Read more
February 8, 2025
6
min read
I translate into English from all Southern Slavic languages except one. Sorry, I can't do Slovenian. Here's my apology.
Read more
December 24, 2024
4
min read
Do you know your Krizmoz from your Bozhik? How some Orthodox Christians in diaspora communities differentiate between the two Christmases.
Read more
November 29, 2024
4
min read
3 decades have passed since it officially ceased to exist but I still get requests to translate from Serbo-Croatian. How come?
Read more
November 24, 2024
2
min read
Yet another accreditation...
Read more
November 22, 2024
4
min read
There are words that are the same in Hindi and Urdu as in Croatian and Romanian?! How can this be? Find out here...
Read more
October 23, 2024
6
min read
Does DeepL live up to its claim of being "the world's most accurate translator" when it comes to Aussie English? Get ready for some zingers!
Read more
October 20, 2024
5
min read
Let's see how Turkish has influenced the languages of the Balkans and further afield. Bujrum!
Read more
October 17, 2024
3
min read
Where the translation gets undone because just because a word looks the same in another language, it doesn't necessarily means the same.
Read more
August 25, 2023
3
min read
So who’s having a “crazy coupon” this weekend? 🎉 Wait!✋ A crazy coupon?🎟️😲 What’s that?
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August 22, 2023
2
min read
Did you hear about the man who collects “old-timers”? 👴🏽 Or that Frank Sinatra has many “evergreens”? 🌲
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June 26, 2023
1
min read
How do you say in Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian this: “Up there, the mountains burn worse”?👉 Gore gore gore gore.
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March 29, 2023
3
min read
I’m about to fly off to Australia transiting through Munich Airport 🇩🇪 … so I’m preparing myself to be ready to speak in “naš jezik” (“our language”).
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March 22, 2023
2
min read
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts today, but how do you call the month? A case of local vs global of different circumstances
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September 15, 2025
10
min read
[Balkan Nation] + [Protector/Benefactor Superpower] = Inflated Number/Prowess. How some Balkan nations feel the need to prop up their numbers to show how “big” they are. But not everything that the slogans say is what it seems…
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August 30, 2025
10
min read
The story of Sister Milka, the Serbian mother who went viral claiming her son had to wear a dress to school in Germany. But was she telling the truth?
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July 30, 2025
10
min read
What happened the first time I was in 4 countries in 24 hours. Bus, trains, automobiles... and a bizarre interrogation!
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July 21, 2025
12
min read
44 years later and the death of Lyudmila Zhivkova, the ambitious, high-profile daughter of Bulgaria’s paramount leader Todor Zhivkov, continues to enthral the Bulgarian public. Who was Lyudmila Zhivkova and why is her death still subject to intense speculation?
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July 9, 2025
10
min read
This small-town boy from a prestigious Muslim family shook the Yugoslav Neo-Folk music scene in the 1970s. But he had more than dark sunglasses and long hair to keep the Yugoslav showbiz columns busy.
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July 6, 2025
2
min read
Did Dolly get the words wrong here? No, in ex-Yugoslavia the average work day is a bit different. Find out why here...
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June 15, 2025
3
min read
Belgrade has new street signs with awkward translations... and people are laughing. Find out why translating street names is not a good idea.
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June 4, 2025
13
min read
Like virtual elephants in the room, the empty houses of emigrants throughout the Balkans are testimony to belonging, (no) return, nostalgia, "success"... and inat!
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May 30, 2025
5
min read
Or is it? On International Day of the Potato, let's look into one of Türkiye's most favourite street foods, and how the Balkans have the Austrians and Germans to thank for the apple, or pear, of the ground.
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May 16, 2025
3
min read
Many (western European) Eurovision fans like seeing the contest as being in the forefront of social change and liberal politics. But is Eurovision a reliable benchmark for these?
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May 13, 2025
6
min read
That ultimate of Eurovision tropes! But is it really 'political' voting? Not in the Balkans...
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May 12, 2025
2
min read
Garth Cartwright's award-winning book about the talented Roma music stars of the Balkans is getting a re-release!
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May 1, 2025
3
min read
Southeast Europe is clocking out for the next days. Here's why...
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April 27, 2025
2
min read
The way you can refer to age in ex-Yugoslavia is different than in English – they have to make you a year and decade older!
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April 18, 2025
8
min read
If there is anything that I do for Easter, then it's dye eggs. It has a special significance for me that transcends any religious aspect.
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February 16, 2025
2
min read
How my experience growing up Balkan in Australia has provided valuable knowledge to others.
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February 13, 2025
5
min read
14 February in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia means having to choose between love or wine. How come?
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February 8, 2025
6
min read
I translate into English from all Southern Slavic languages except one. Sorry, I can't do Slovenian. Here's my apology.
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January 6, 2025
5
min read
Today is a big day in southeast Europe, but depending on the country it's either Christmas Eve or Epiphany. Which ones for which? Find out here...
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December 31, 2024
5
min read
There's always one thing each year that stands out in my travels, and this year it was accidently discovering the huge gastarbeiter houses of eastern Serbia
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December 4, 2024
3
min read
Some societies take them very seriously, some not so much. Find out more here...
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October 20, 2024
5
min read
Let's see how Turkish has influenced the languages of the Balkans and further afield. Bujrum!
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October 6, 2024
1
min read
How thanks to the Albanians, a Latin American cake conquered the Balkans.
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September 6, 2024
2
min read
Did you know that people regularly contact me to identify text they can't decipher. That's what happens when I know a number of languages.
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July 30, 2024
4
min read
How the life and death of a popular chalga singer embodied the nature of post-Communist Bulgaria
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July 4, 2024
5
min read
Vote-count competitions between rival cities? How a mundane sausage in generic white bread is the epitome of mass democratic participation in Australia. And why a Bulgarian train is not a train. The weird world of election traditions.
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August 22, 2023
2
min read
Did you hear about the man who collects “old-timers”? 👴🏽 Or that Frank Sinatra has many “evergreens”? 🌲
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March 22, 2023
2
min read
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts today, but how do you call the month? A case of local vs global of different circumstances
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March 8, 2023
1
min read
🪃 In Australia, IWD is a day of campaigning and awareness, elements that are much closer to the day’s original purpose of bringing mainstream attention to issues affecting women.
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March 6, 2023
2
min read
Do you know what to do with hugging and cheek-kissing in southeast Europe? Do you know which countries kiss twice and others three times?
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February 1, 2023
1
min read
The latest book that I played a part in its fruition (no, I’m not in it this time), by my dear friend, the award-winning writer Kapka Kassabova, is now available for purchase.
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July 27, 2025
3
min read
Bilinguals and multilinguals do muddle their languages at times. But sometimes we might say something by accident... and it turns out to be the perfect response.
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May 17, 2025
8
min read
Eurovision likes to portray itself as in the forefront of social inclusion and diversity. However, the title of a Maltese song showed that there's only so far this goes.
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May 10, 2025
3
min read
Ahoy, me hearties! What may appear as a community service actually serves to undermine the supposed primary purpose of such language provision.
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February 7, 2025
4
min read
Children who interpret for their family members who do not know the local language are often portrayed as heroes. But what do these children think?
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November 22, 2024
4
min read
There are words that are the same in Hindi and Urdu as in Croatian and Romanian?! How can this be? Find out here...
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September 6, 2024
2
min read
Did you know that people regularly contact me to identify text they can't decipher. That's what happens when I know a number of languages.
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August 23, 2023
3
min read
Surprising as it may be, I was once a child, but one who happened to grow up in a multilingual environment but dominated by English.
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August 18, 2025
2
min read
Ever seen a notice or ad in a public place written so badly that you've wanted to grab a pen and make corrections? Well, someone did on a Croatian tram. Here's the story...
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July 14, 2025
2
min read
Why such requests are unethical and potentially dangerous for patients
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June 15, 2025
3
min read
Belgrade has new street signs with awkward translations... and people are laughing. Find out why translating street names is not a good idea.
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June 5, 2025
1
min read
The fascinating story of how the first Macedonian-English dictionary in Australia was formed, and what went in and what went out.
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May 9, 2025
2
min read
A new pope comes with a new name. But which is the correct one in languages other than English?
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April 27, 2025
2
min read
The way you can refer to age in ex-Yugoslavia is different than in English – they have to make you a year and decade older!
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April 15, 2025
3
min read
Welcome to the murky world of AI contamination and GIGO
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April 10, 2025
2
min read
That's quite a list of languages I translate from, but that doesn't mean I translate from every language in Eastern Europe, no matter how similar they may seem even in name...
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February 10, 2025
3
min read
The time when a person working for a translation company that bills itself to clients as an 'expert in languages' thought I knew Latin. Spoiler: I don't. So why did this happen and why does this have a link to Serbian? All revealed here.
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February 10, 2025
5
min read
February 2002 was when I did my first paid translation job... and it ended up on TV! Find out how this came about, as well as its connection to Croatian skier Janica Kostelić and Bulgarian footballer Yordan Letchkov
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February 7, 2025
4
min read
Children who interpret for their family members who do not know the local language are often portrayed as heroes. But what do these children think?
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January 30, 2025
3
min read
What's one of the biggest giveaways that a text in English was not written by a native speaker? Find out here with a simple and yet important tip...
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January 8, 2025
3
min read
Some notes on how subtitling is not simply plonking words on a screen
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December 17, 2024
2
min read
To add to that professional touch, I can have your documents stamped with my personalised round stamp.
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December 4, 2024
3
min read
Some societies take them very seriously, some not so much. Find out more here...
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November 29, 2024
4
min read
3 decades have passed since it officially ceased to exist but I still get requests to translate from Serbo-Croatian. How come?
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November 24, 2024
2
min read
Yet another accreditation...
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November 22, 2024
4
min read
There are words that are the same in Hindi and Urdu as in Croatian and Romanian?! How can this be? Find out here...
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October 23, 2024
6
min read
Does DeepL live up to its claim of being "the world's most accurate translator" when it comes to Aussie English? Get ready for some zingers!
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October 15, 2024
2
min read
A cautionary tale about how human behaviour overrides data
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September 29, 2024
3
min read
How the Ottoman Empire granted its translators and interpreters, the Dragomans, with respect and status.
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August 21, 2024
1
min read
Why you shouldn't trust automated translation on LinkedIn or anywhere else. And are the Macedonians being targeted?
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June 26, 2023
2
min read
👍The best thing about being a freelance translator is being able to work at any place at any time. 👎The worst thing about being a freelancer translator is being able to work at any place at any time.
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April 26, 2023
3
min read
Republic of Serbia 🇷🇸, Republic of Croatia 🇭🇷, Kingdom of Norway 🇳🇴, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 🇬🇧, Oriental Republic of Uruguay 🇺🇾, Plurinational State of Bolivia 🇧🇴 …
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August 22, 2025
3
min read
Are you up for a crazy coupon where you're strutting your stuff on the "dancing"? Perhaps you're a "labour" or a "gender"? A sneak peak into some Bulgarian linguistic false friends
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August 20, 2025
2
min read
Oil, banking, jewelry, optics, radio broadcasting, hard spirits... Nik does it all! But do I really?
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August 11, 2025
5
min read
After many decades of Yugoslav rule, Albanian spoken in Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro has some Serbo-Croatian words, but particularly in certain areas. Which ones? And why is this not unique?
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July 27, 2025
3
min read
Bilinguals and multilinguals do muddle their languages at times. But sometimes we might say something by accident... and it turns out to be the perfect response.
Read more
July 3, 2025
10
min read
There once was one "Serbo-Croatian" but now there are four near-identical languages. Can we still use the term "Serbo-Croatian"? Well, it could cost you dearly...
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May 10, 2025
3
min read
Ahoy, me hearties! What may appear as a community service actually serves to undermine the supposed primary purpose of such language provision.
Read more
February 20, 2025
4
min read
International Mother Language Day and Global Language Advocacy Day are on! So what do I consider to be my 'mother languages' and why one of them is under threat...
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January 8, 2025
3
min read
Some notes on how subtitling is not simply plonking words on a screen
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November 19, 2024
3
min read
India and Australia have common bonds that go beyond a passion for cricket. Here are a few words that Indian and Australian English uniquely share...
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October 15, 2024
2
min read
A cautionary tale about how human behaviour overrides data
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October 14, 2024
1
min read
It may come as a surprise but it's not just in French...
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September 6, 2024
2
min read
Did you know that people regularly contact me to identify text they can't decipher. That's what happens when I know a number of languages.
Read more
October 23, 2023
2
min read
We all know how some translations can be so bad that they’re unintentionally hilarious, like the viral examples from Engrish.com...
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September 14, 2023
1
min read
Working in IT? 👩🏻💻 Would you call yourself an IT-ian, Hitechist or Startupist?
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August 28, 2023
2
min read
Watch out for the killer squirrels! 🐿️ We’re very much in “silly season” right now in the UK 🤪
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August 26, 2023
2
min read
Did you know that Tina Turner has been one of the biggest contributors to Australian culture? 🦘 Honestly, her impact has been huge! Here’s how…
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August 24, 2023
2
min read
Two more language directions have been added to my Institute of Translation and Interpreting profile
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August 23, 2023
2
min read
Would you believe that the names of all these famous products are the cause for the deadlock in the free-trade agreement negotiations between the EU 🇪🇺 and Australia 🇦🇺. How come?
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August 21, 2023
5
min read
🟰 Words that look the same or similar in two languages but have two, at times radically, different meanings are called “false friends”.
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June 22, 2023
2
min read
They are chocolate-covered chewy caramels 🍬 that were often so hard to bite into that they kept many dentists in business 🦷. Nothing particularly unique so far, you might think.
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May 30, 2023
1
min read
Translation can often be a very sedentary existence, plugging away in front of a laptop, with little or no face-to-face contact with clients👨🏻💻
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April 12, 2023
4
min read
Now this might sound a bit random 🤨 but this is something you’ll hear all the time, in all places… in department stores in Australia 🇦🇺. How come? 🧐
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February 3, 2025
3
min read
What's one constant when it comes to the cancer experience? It's the gallows humour. Yes, it gets very, very dark. Why is this so?
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September 15, 2024
2
min read
And I know because of an annual procedure a work colleague advised me to do...
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June 14, 2024
5
min read
The story of how I found out by chance that I no longer had cancer
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August 20, 2025
2
min read
Oil, banking, jewelry, optics, radio broadcasting, hard spirits... Nik does it all! But do I really?
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July 16, 2025
3
min read
What can I say? How I learnt what makes Australian English what it is by simple communication and more. And what are the two things most native English speakers don't realise?
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July 7, 2025
10
min read
Every Londoner has their story about what happened 20 years ago today when London's lifeline, the Tube, was bombed. To keep the memory alive, here is my story of that day
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June 17, 2025
3
min read
Refugee Week is a time to reflect on the plight of refugees. And no, no one wants to be one! Here are the personal stories of refugees in my family.
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April 24, 2025
6
min read
Yes, I've hit the big 5-0, the half century, the gold anniversary. This is what I got up to...
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April 18, 2025
8
min read
If there is anything that I do for Easter, then it's dye eggs. It has a special significance for me that transcends any religious aspect.
Read more
February 20, 2025
4
min read
International Mother Language Day and Global Language Advocacy Day are on! So what do I consider to be my 'mother languages' and why one of them is under threat...
Read more
February 17, 2025
4
min read
The blog is expanding to a new platform and new audiences
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February 16, 2025
2
min read
How my experience growing up Balkan in Australia has provided valuable knowledge to others.
Read more
February 10, 2025
5
min read
February 2002 was when I did my first paid translation job... and it ended up on TV! Find out how this came about, as well as its connection to Croatian skier Janica Kostelić and Bulgarian footballer Yordan Letchkov
Read more
November 24, 2024
2
min read
Yet another accreditation...
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July 26, 2024
3
min read
At 4:17 am on 26 July 1963, Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, was almost fully destroyed in an earthquake measuring 6.1, killing thousands.
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July 17, 2024
3
min read
The story of one of the freakiest things to have happened to me, involving what a Russian dedushka told me in Estonia and what later happened soon after I arrived in Ukraine.
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June 20, 2024
3
min read
World Refugee Day today. What would you if this happened to you?
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July 28, 2025
1
min read
Have you ever seen a name of a shopping mall where they got it so right... or so wrong? Here are two examples: one win and one fail...
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info@nicknasev.com
Contact me with the details of your text at info@nicknasev.com