Category:
Australian English
English language
Australia
By Nick Nasev
December 3, 2025
1
min read
This past weekend friends of mine here in the UK went for a long walk in the countryside. In other words, they went hiking
Doing the same in Australia, then it's bushwalking 🥾
But in New Zealand it is tramping🚶
Now why does this matter?
Because in Australia and New Zealand, people can get particularly vocal (especially local bushwalkers or trampers) if the term 'hiking' is used in place of the local term.
Think globally, act locally!
Hi, zdravo, bok, zdravei, g'day! I’m Nick Nasev, an Aussie of Balkan background living in the UK. I’ve been a translator and editor for 20+ years. If you have an interest in languages and all things Balkan, Eastern European, Australian and beyond, along with a dash of corny and irony, then stick with me as I rant about my experiences and stories.
info@nicknasev.com
Contact me with the details of your text at info@nicknasev.com
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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.
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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 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.
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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?
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.
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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?
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.
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August 25, 2023
3
min read
So who’s having a “crazy coupon” this weekend? 🎉 Wait!✋ A crazy coupon?🎟️😲 What’s that?
Read more
August 22, 2023
2
min read
Did you hear about the man who collects “old-timers”? 👴🏽 Or that Frank Sinatra has many “evergreens”? 🌲
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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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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November 29, 2025
3
min read
It's been decades since Yugoslavia's national day was a public holiday but it's still commemorated, albeit online by a rock song from the 1980s
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November 23, 2025
3
min read
One of the biggest Turbofolk stars in the Balkans is arrested again, but greater focus is on the venue. Have the lessons from the Pulse nightclub fire been learnt?
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November 20, 2025
16
min read
A broom, a forbidden kitchen item for religious holidays, a secret book in Old Church Slavonic, and the colour photo that made my cousin cry. How objects play a vital role in shaping identities.
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October 13, 2025
17
min read
This is not your usual story. It's about a Balkan song's unlikely journey from obscurity to ultra-right-wing rallying call.
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October 7, 2025
3
min read
And it's not pretty. Actually, best avoid Tuesdays in the Balkans for your own good. Find out why here...
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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...
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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!
Read more
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.
Read more
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...
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 6, 2024
1
min read
How thanks to the Albanians, a Latin American cake conquered the Balkans.
Read more
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
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.
Read more
August 22, 2023
2
min read
Did you hear about the man who collects “old-timers”? 👴🏽 Or that Frank Sinatra has many “evergreens”? 🌲
Read more
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
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.
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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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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 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?
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
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
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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November 24, 2025
1
min read
It's the little things that can cause the biggest misunderstandings. Which one is very common in Balkan translations? Find out ere
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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
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.
Read more
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.
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 15, 2025
3
min read
Welcome to the murky world of AI contamination and GIGO
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 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 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
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?
Read more
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...
Read more
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.
Read more
December 4, 2024
3
min read
Some societies take them very seriously, some not so much. Find out more here...
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 15, 2024
2
min read
A cautionary tale about how human behaviour overrides data
Read more
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?
Read more
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 🇧🇴 …
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 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 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...
Read more
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...
Read more
January 8, 2025
3
min read
Some notes on how subtitling is not simply plonking words on a screen
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
October 15, 2024
2
min read
A cautionary tale about how human behaviour overrides data
Read more
October 14, 2024
1
min read
It may come as a surprise but it's not just in French...
Read more
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...
Read more
September 14, 2023
1
min read
Working in IT? 👩🏻💻 Would you call yourself an IT-ian, Hitechist or Startupist?
Read more
August 28, 2023
2
min read
Watch out for the killer squirrels! 🐿️ We’re very much in “silly season” right now in the UK 🤪
Read more
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…
Read more
August 24, 2023
2
min read
Two more language directions have been added to my Institute of Translation and Interpreting profile
Read more
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?
Read more
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”.
Read more
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.
Read more
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👨🏻💻
Read more
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? 🧐
Read more
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?
Read more
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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