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Nick Nasev

My annual Christmas tradition

By Nick Nasev

December 24, 2025

min read

Do you have a Christmas ritual or tradition that you do without fail each year?

Living in a (nominally) Old Calendar Orthodox Christian ☦︎ and Jewish ✡ household but living in the UK where 25 December sees everything closed 🔒 (including all public transport – that always shocks Aussies when I tell them), Christmas Day then becomes just a day-off.

But there's one Christmassy thing that I do every year and have done so since I was a little nipper...

Watch the 1977 stop motion animated Holiday classic Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey!

What can I say? Those toy animals are so cute!

And as the other half is from Israel, I always joke that the scenes in the Middle East are "so spot on" that it's practically a documentary (that's a joke, OK).

🎄 I'd like to wish everyone who celebrates the day a merry Christmas!
✨Честита Коледа!
✨ Sretan Božić!
✨ Gëzuar Krishtlindjet!
✨ Κάλα Χριστούγεννα!

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.

Your text deserves to be taken seriously; have it translated and edited with confidence.

info@nicknasev.com

Contact me with the details of your text at info@nicknasev.com

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November 1, 2024

min read

Australian English: one for the Petrolheads!

Aussies love their cars, so here are a few car-related words for you...

October 23, 2024

min read

Can the "world's most accurate translator" do Australian English?

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!

September 11, 2024

min read

Australian English: is it email and/or e-mail?

Welcome to confusion with "email" in Australia. It's generational...

September 1, 2024

min read

Australian English: scull/skull, stinker, flow-on effect, rock up, slippery dip...

Here's the latest round up of some uniquely Aussie words to add to your vocabulary...

August 5, 2024

min read

Australian English, Olympics edition: "Boomers croak in medal tilt"

Do you get what is being said here? Unless you're Australian, it's not what you think...

July 31, 2024

min read

Australian (Olympics) English: battered sav, hello boys, crazy date, flat bags, goose...

How a comedy routine during the 2000 Sydney Olympics provided Australia with its own, very naughty, gymnastics lexicon!

July 28, 2024

min read

Why are Aussies so good at swimming?

To get away from the sharks! Nah, it's more than that.

June 21, 2024

min read

Australian English: "We're de factos!"

Many Australians are in "de facto relationships". What are these and how do they differ from marriage?

May 23, 2024

min read

Burger King vs Hungry Jacks. Is there a difference?

May 22, 2024

min read

Poor Gina...

August 31, 2023

min read

Australian etiquette: the Outback Driving Wave

It’s all about being friendly when driving out in “woop woop” (the middle of nowhere) in Australia. A definite must-do!

August 28, 2023

min read

Watch out for the killer squirrels! It’s “silly season”… or is that “cucumber season”?

Watch out for the killer squirrels! 🐿️ We’re very much in “silly season” right now in the UK 🤪

August 14, 2023

min read

Three everyday words that exist in Australian English only!

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🥝, […]

June 30, 2023

min read

Watch out, here comes the Aussie version of The Office…

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 […]

June 22, 2023

min read

So what are Fantales?

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.

May 29, 2023

min read

What’s a “bank holiday”? Do Aussies say that too?

Do Aussies have "bank holidays" like in the UK? Well, it's complicated

April 24, 2023

min read

Vale Barry Humphries!

Last Saturday Australian 🇦🇺 🎭 comedy legend Barry Humphries passed away aged 89.

April 12, 2023

min read

Australian English: "You can find the Doonas in Manchester”

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?

April 11, 2023

min read

Eshays and Adlays: Australia’s answer to London’s Roadmen

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 🇦🇺

April 7, 2023

min read

Move over Easter Bunny 🐇 … make way for the Easter Bilby! 🪃

Bunnies are considered cute and loveable… except in Australia 🇦🇺, where they’re a major scourge🤬.

March 28, 2023

min read

The time when George Bush Senior figuratively told the Aussies where to go…

Have you unwittingly done a hand gesture that meant something completely different in another country? Here’s a true story…

March 10, 2023

min read

Australian English: Calisthenics

Calisthenics is a form of body strength training worldwide. Not in Australia though, where "calisthenics" has a completely different meaning.

January 24, 2023

min read

Seachange, Treechange, E-change

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 💻?

December 21, 2025

min read

Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays

Many in the Anglosphere have a strong opinion about what greeting to use now in December. But in the Balkans, the default has been "Happy Holidays" for decades. Here are the reasons why.

December 12, 2025

min read

When cheese is not simply cheese – kashkaval and sirene/sirenje

How come in some Balkan countries there is no simple word for "cheese"... and how two distinct types of cheese came to monopolise these markets.

December 10, 2025

min read

What does "region" mean to you?

"Region" has different meanings in different places. In the countries of ex-Yugoslavia, "region" means something very particular. Do you know what?

November 24, 2025

min read

Translation tip: what's with the scare marks?

It's the little things that can cause the biggest misunderstandings. Which one is very common in Balkan translations? Find out ere

August 22, 2025

min read

Up for a crazy coupon? How Bulgarians say they want to party...

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

August 18, 2025

min read

Let me fix this for you...

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...

August 11, 2025

min read

Dua Lipa and her "pasosh"

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?

July 6, 2025

min read

I'm like every other woman who works from 7 to 3...

Did Dolly get the words wrong here? No, in ex-Yugoslavia the average work day is a bit different. Find out why here...

July 3, 2025

min read

Are you into BCSM?

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...

June 12, 2025

min read

"Fellow Traveller Zhivkov"

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.

May 30, 2025

min read

Kumpir, the Balkans potato culinary gift to Türkiye

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.

May 24, 2025

min read

24 May: Day of Slavic Literacy and Culture

Today commemorates the saints who brought literacy to the speakers of Slavic languages, and symbolises the shared roots of all Slavic nations and languages.

May 9, 2025

min read

Leo, Leon or Lav?

A new pope comes with a new name. But which is the correct one in languages other than English?

April 27, 2025

min read

"Filled up 50 years, entered my 51st year and now in my sixth decade"

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!

April 10, 2025

min read

Can I do Hungarian?

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...

March 17, 2025

min read

Kocani, Kočani or Kochani?

Some Macedonian linguistic pointers

February 20, 2025

min read

What's my 'mother language'?

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...

February 10, 2025

min read

You know Latin, right?

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.

February 8, 2025

min read

Slovenian, the odd one out

I translate into English from all Southern Slavic languages except one. Sorry, I can't do Slovenian. Here's my apology.

December 24, 2024

min read

Anyone up for a 'Krizmoz parti'?

Do you know your Krizmoz from your Bozhik? How some Orthodox Christians in diaspora communities differentiate between the two Christmases.

November 29, 2024

min read

Serbo-Croatian? Yes, I still work from it.

3 decades have passed since it officially ceased to exist but I still get requests to translate from Serbo-Croatian. How come?

November 24, 2024

min read

I'm now a full member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists of the UK!

Yet another accreditation...

November 22, 2024

min read

Hindi/Urdu and Balkan languages... the links between them

There are words that are the same in Hindi and Urdu as in Croatian and Romanian?! How can this be? Find out here...

October 23, 2024

min read

Can the "world's most accurate translator" do Australian English?

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!

October 20, 2024

min read

Why are there so many Turkish words in Balkan languages?

Let's see how Turkish has influenced the languages of the Balkans and further afield. Bujrum!

October 17, 2024

min read

False Friend Friday! Time for some Latin-based words

Where the translation gets undone because just because a word looks the same in another language, it doesn't necessarily means the same.

August 28, 2023

min read

Watch out for the killer squirrels! It’s “silly season”… or is that “cucumber season”?

Watch out for the killer squirrels! 🐿️ We’re very much in “silly season” right now in the UK 🤪

August 25, 2023

min read

Луд купон, the “crazy coupon” Bulgarian party

So who’s having a “crazy coupon” this weekend? 🎉 Wait!✋ A crazy coupon?🎟️😲 What’s that?

August 22, 2023

min read

Oldtajmer, evergrin, rekorder, golman… the world of Balkan pseudo-anglicisms

Did you hear about the man who collects “old-timers”? 👴🏽 Or that Frank Sinatra has many “evergreens”? 🌲

June 26, 2023

min read

Homonyms maketh the sentence…

How do you say in Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian this: “Up there, the mountains burn worse”?👉 Gore gore gore gore.

March 29, 2023

min read

Naš jezik at Munich Airport

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”).

March 22, 2023

min read

Ramadan or Ramazan?

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts today, but how do you call the month? A case of local vs global of different circumstances

December 21, 2025

min read

Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays

Many in the Anglosphere have a strong opinion about what greeting to use now in December. But in the Balkans, the default has been "Happy Holidays" for decades. Here are the reasons why.

December 19, 2025

min read

19 December is Saint Nicholas Day!

It's a pretty big day in some Orthodox Christian parts of the Balkans – St Nicholas Day. But how come it's happening 13 days after the rest of the world? And what are you not supposed to do today?

November 29, 2025

min read

Dan Republike, Yugoslavia's national day

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

November 23, 2025

min read

Will they ever learn? Aca Lukas arrested (again) in Macedonia

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?

November 20, 2025

min read

Seeing yourself in colour: Balkan identity through household items and photos

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.

October 13, 2025

min read

The journey of a Balkan song: its chilling present and obscured past

This is not your usual story. It's about a Balkan song's unlikely journey from obscurity to ultra-right-wing rallying call.

October 7, 2025

min read

There's something about Tuesdays in the Balkans...

And it's not pretty. Actually, best avoid Tuesdays in the Balkans for your own good. Find out why here...

September 15, 2025

min read

Propping up the numbers Balkan-style... because we're "bigger" than you!

[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…

August 30, 2025

min read

A boy in a dress or a dres? The curious case of Serbia's Sister Milka

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?

July 30, 2025

min read

Tales from Balkan Border Posts: "World Traveller"

What happened the first time I was in 4 countries in 24 hours. Bus, trains, automobiles... and a bizarre interrogation!

July 21, 2025

min read

The death of Lyudmila Zhivkova, Bulgaria's perennial murder mystery

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?

July 9, 2025

min read

From muezzin to multi-millions. Hašim Kučuk Hoki, the ultimate in Balkan bad boys

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.

July 6, 2025

min read

I'm like every other woman who works from 7 to 3...

Did Dolly get the words wrong here? No, in ex-Yugoslavia the average work day is a bit different. Find out why here...

June 15, 2025

min read

Can you tell me the way to Dzordza Vasingtona St.?

Belgrade has new street signs with awkward translations... and people are laughing. Find out why translating street names is not a good idea.

June 4, 2025

min read

Bigger is better! The Balkans and 'Gastarbeiter houses'

Like virtual elephants in the room, the empty houses of emigrants throughout the Balkans are testimony to belonging, (no) return, nostalgia, "success"... and inat!

May 30, 2025

min read

Kumpir, the Balkans potato culinary gift to Türkiye

May 16, 2025

min read

"We're so tolerant!": Eurovision and the benchmarks of tolerance it (supposedly) sets

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?

May 13, 2025

min read

Eurovision: 'The voting is all political and just for your neighbour'

That ultimate of Eurovision tropes! But is it really 'political' voting? Not in the Balkans...

May 12, 2025

min read

Princes Amongst Men: Journeys with Gypsy Musicians is back!

Garth Cartwright's award-winning book about the talented Roma music stars of the Balkans is getting a re-release!

May 1, 2025

min read

May Day and St George's Day in the Balkans

Southeast Europe is clocking out for the next days. Here's why...

April 27, 2025

min read

"Filled up 50 years, entered my 51st year and now in my sixth decade"

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!

April 18, 2025

min read

My special tradition: dying eggs for Easter

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.

February 16, 2025

min read

Eat that burek... it could be useful later on

How my experience growing up Balkan in Australia has provided valuable knowledge to others.

February 13, 2025

min read

14 February: St Valentine's Day or St Tryphon's Day? Sveti Valentin 💑 ili Sveti Trifun 🍷?

14 February in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia means having to choose between love or wine. How come?

February 8, 2025

min read

Slovenian, the odd one out

I translate into English from all Southern Slavic languages except one. Sorry, I can't do Slovenian. Here's my apology.

January 6, 2025

min read

January 6 in Southeast Europe: Christmas Eve or Epiphany

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...

December 31, 2024

min read

My moment of 2024...

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

December 22, 2024

min read

Utopia of the Uniform: Affective Afterlives of the Yugoslav People's Army by Tanja Petrović

22 December was Yugoslav People's Day. Here are some notes about the topics raised in this research, my personal connection to the former JNA and how its legacy lives on in the memories and legends of millions.

December 4, 2024

min read

Professor, Doctor, Docent, Magister... let's get into academic titles!

Some societies take them very seriously, some not so much. Find out more here...

October 20, 2024

min read

Why are there so many Turkish words in Balkan languages?

Let's see how Turkish has influenced the languages of the Balkans and further afield. Bujrum!

October 6, 2024

min read

Trileche, the not-so-traditional Balkan dish

How thanks to the Albanians, a Latin American cake conquered the Balkans.

September 6, 2024

min read

"Can you identify the text here?"

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.

July 30, 2024

min read

25 years since the death of Bulgarian chalga star Rumyana

How the life and death of a popular chalga singer embodied the nature of post-Communist Bulgaria

July 4, 2024

min read

Who's gonna win: Sunderland or Newcastle? Fancy a Democracy Sausage? Or take a ride on the "Bulgarian Train"

August 22, 2023

min read

Oldtajmer, evergrin, rekorder, golman… the world of Balkan pseudo-anglicisms

Did you hear about the man who collects “old-timers”? 👴🏽 Or that Frank Sinatra has many “evergreens”? 🌲

March 22, 2023

min read

Ramadan or Ramazan?

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts today, but how do you call the month? A case of local vs global of different circumstances

March 8, 2023

min read

International Women’s Day (IWD). A day of campaigning ♀ … or a day to buy flowers 💐

🪃 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.

March 6, 2023

min read

Hugging and cheek-kissing in southeast Europe. The does and don’ts

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?

February 1, 2023

min read

Out today! Elixir, In the Valley at the End of Time

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.

July 27, 2025

min read

Da or 'ta? When you get things right by accident

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.

May 17, 2025

min read

Eurovision: not serving kant!

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.

May 10, 2025

min read

Do we really need self-service counters in 'Pirate', me mateys?

Ahoy, me hearties! What may appear as a community service actually serves to undermine the supposed primary purpose of such language provision.

February 7, 2025

min read

Child interpreters. Why are we getting them to do an adult's job?

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?

November 22, 2024

min read

Hindi/Urdu and Balkan languages... the links between them

There are words that are the same in Hindi and Urdu as in Croatian and Romanian?! How can this be? Find out here...

September 6, 2024

min read

"Can you identify the text here?"

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.

August 23, 2023

min read

Five common myths about raising bilingual children

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.

December 17, 2025

min read

The Tale of Silyan: how subtitles can make or break a film

A classic case of how poor subtitles can fail a film. 'Good enough' is never good enough.

November 24, 2025

min read

Translation tip: what's with the scare marks?

It's the little things that can cause the biggest misunderstandings. Which one is very common in Balkan translations? Find out ere

August 18, 2025

min read

Let me fix this for you...

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...

July 14, 2025

min read

"Can we have the translation in a positive tone?"

Why such requests are unethical and potentially dangerous for patients

June 15, 2025

min read

Can you tell me the way to Dzordza Vasingtona St.?

Belgrade has new street signs with awkward translations... and people are laughing. Find out why translating street names is not a good idea.

June 5, 2025

min read

How the first Macedonian-English dictionary in Australia was formed

The fascinating story of how the first Macedonian-English dictionary in Australia was formed, and what went in and what went out.

May 9, 2025

min read

Leo, Leon or Lav?

A new pope comes with a new name. But which is the correct one in languages other than English?

April 27, 2025

min read

"Filled up 50 years, entered my 51st year and now in my sixth decade"

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!

April 15, 2025

min read

"Vegetative electron microscopy"... a digital fossil

Welcome to the murky world of AI contamination and GIGO

April 10, 2025

min read

Can I do Hungarian?

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...

February 10, 2025

min read

You know Latin, right?

February 10, 2025

min read

February marks my professional translation career anniversary

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

February 7, 2025

min read

Child interpreters. Why are we getting them to do an adult's job?

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?

January 30, 2025

min read

How to pass off as a native English speaker when writing?

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...

January 8, 2025

min read

Subtitling is easy, right?

Some notes on how subtitling is not simply plonking words on a screen

December 17, 2024

min read

My new personalised stamp!

To add to that professional touch, I can have your documents stamped with my personalised round stamp.

December 4, 2024

min read

Professor, Doctor, Docent, Magister... let's get into academic titles!

Some societies take them very seriously, some not so much. Find out more here...

November 29, 2024

min read

Serbo-Croatian? Yes, I still work from it.

3 decades have passed since it officially ceased to exist but I still get requests to translate from Serbo-Croatian. How come?

November 24, 2024

min read

I'm now a full member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists of the UK!

Yet another accreditation...

November 22, 2024

min read

Hindi/Urdu and Balkan languages... the links between them

There are words that are the same in Hindi and Urdu as in Croatian and Romanian?! How can this be? Find out here...

October 23, 2024

min read

Can the "world's most accurate translator" do Australian English?

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!

October 15, 2024

min read

The time US military officials used a computer to predict the outcome of the Vietnam War...

A cautionary tale about how human behaviour overrides data

September 29, 2024

min read

International Translation Day and the Dragomans

How the Ottoman Empire granted its translators and interpreters, the Dragomans, with respect and status.

August 21, 2024

min read

Meyk lov - not vor

Why you shouldn't trust automated translation on LinkedIn or anywhere else. And are the Macedonians being targeted?

June 26, 2023

min read

Any place, any time…

👍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.

April 26, 2023

min read

English language translation tips: use of long forms of country names

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 🇧🇴 …

December 26, 2025

min read

SBS is 50!

Australia's unique multicultural broadcaster, SBS, turned 50 in 2025. Here's an insight into what SBS was like in the 1980s and how it enriched Australia, all of its people... and me.

August 22, 2025

min read

Up for a crazy coupon? How Bulgarians say they want to party...

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

August 20, 2025

min read

A company by any other name than Nik?

Oil, banking, jewelry, optics, radio broadcasting, hard spirits... Nik does it all! But do I really?

August 11, 2025

min read

Dua Lipa and her "pasosh"

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?

July 27, 2025

min read

Da or 'ta? When you get things right by accident

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.

July 3, 2025

min read

Are you into BCSM?

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...

May 10, 2025

min read

Do we really need self-service counters in 'Pirate', me mateys?

Ahoy, me hearties! What may appear as a community service actually serves to undermine the supposed primary purpose of such language provision.

February 20, 2025

min read

What's my 'mother language'?

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...

January 8, 2025

min read

Subtitling is easy, right?

Some notes on how subtitling is not simply plonking words on a screen

November 19, 2024

min read

Indian and Australian English... the links between them

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...

October 15, 2024

min read

The time US military officials used a computer to predict the outcome of the Vietnam War...

A cautionary tale about how human behaviour overrides data

October 14, 2024

min read

"Merci" is how you say "thank you" in which language?

It may come as a surprise but it's not just in French...

September 6, 2024

min read

"Can you identify the text here?"

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.

October 23, 2023

min read

You know that time when Madonna was interviewed by a Hungarian tabloid? Or when translation goes hilariously bad…

We all know how some translations can be so bad that they’re unintentionally hilarious, like the viral examples from Engrish.com...

September 14, 2023

min read

Working in IT? What do you call yourself? An IT-ian, a Hitechist…?

Working in IT? 👩🏻‍💻 Would you call yourself an IT-ian, Hitechist or Startupist?

August 28, 2023

min read

Watch out for the killer squirrels! It’s “silly season”… or is that “cucumber season”?

Watch out for the killer squirrels! 🐿️ We’re very much in “silly season” right now in the UK 🤪

August 26, 2023

min read

Tina Turner… Australian cultural icon!

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…

August 24, 2023

min read

You do Montenegrin and Bosnian, right?

Two more language directions have been added to my Institute of Translation and Interpreting profile

August 23, 2023

min read

Generic or specific? The issue stopping the free-trade agreement between the EU and Australia

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?