Category:

Nick Nasev

South-east European culture

Balkans

The eggs are dyed for Easter!

By Nick Nasev

April 10, 2026

min read

🥚 The eggs are dyed! Orthodox Easter is on its way!

This year's batch turned out perfect, the complete opposite of the disappointment last year, so I'm chuffed 😄

Now I'll admit I'm not at all religious, but if there's one tradition that I do religiously, then it's dyeing eggs in April/May in time for Orthodox Christian Easter.

🥚 Eggs represent 'new life', whereas the dying process for me symbolises independence, which in itself represented a new life for me the first time I dyed eggs back in... [checks notes]... OK, it was long time ago, but I explained it all here in this post, which also goes into details of Serbia's Dolly Parton.

🎉 I'd like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Orthodox Easter to anyone who is celebrating!

Oh, and if you call it "Greek Easter", then I'll sick my mother on to you! She'll give you a telling-off so severe you'd wish you were never alive 😄

🥚 Среќен Велигден!
🥚 Честит Великден!
🥚 Срећан Ускрс!
🥚 Καλό Πάσχα!
🥚 Paște fericit!
🥚 С Пасхой!
🥚 З Великднем!
🥚 Gëzuar Pashkët!

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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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?

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 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.

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

August 11, 2026

min read

2001: A Balkan Odyssey. Part 3 "Where's Biljana"

It's time to find Biljana. But before that, why does it seem that everyone in Macedonia knows each other? And why war-lead ethnic unity is addictive as Macedonia's opium.

August 9, 2026

min read

RIP Džansever

Džansever Dalipova, star of Macedonian Roma and Turkish Arabesque music, has died aged 59.

August 7, 2026

min read

Vibeάρω!

A bit of fun in the sun with one of this year’s viral summer songs in Greece – Vibeάρω (I Vibe)

August 3, 2026

min read

Wartime witch hunts

How binary discourses in war societies where everything is black and white creates the environment to brutally attack anyone who questions this

July 22, 2026

min read

Olivera Katarina (1940–2026)

The only woman the great Salvador Dalí knelt for. The glory, mystique and controversy surrounding this celebrated Yugoslav and Serbian actress and singer.

July 21, 2026

min read

I found the actual Ken Lee!!!

This has had me laughing all day. If you know, you know!

July 18, 2026

min read

How Bulgaria soared and sunk at the World Cup in the 1990s

The World Cup grand finale is on this weekend. Let's remember how Bulgaria did well in 1994 but failed in 1998. And what happened to 1994 star Lechkov?

July 4, 2026

min read

What's the latest with Honeyland star Atidje Muratova?

Good news: she's still looking after her bees.

July 3, 2026

min read

Tales from ethnic radio (the end)

Going from fax to internet... and into armed ethnic conflict. And how war hits harder when you actually have to deal with its brutal consequences.

June 30, 2026

min read

Vlado Janevski (1960-2026)

One of Macedonia's biggest pop stars has gone to his starry sky far away

June 27, 2026

min read

Keeping up with the Zogus, Albania’s royal family

Three generations of a family that mostly never had a throne, a country... or much in the way of restraint. And how does an Australian woman get involved in all this? Show us the drama!

June 23, 2026

min read

The king who became prime minister, muscular arms and other tales of the Bulgarian royals

A family history of exile, a tsar's comeback as a 21st-century prime minister, and how it all ends with his daughter trending for her muscular arms. Welcome to the stage, the Bulgarian Royal Family.

June 15, 2026

min read

Two marches, one city, twenty years of broken promises

A government-backed parade, a tolerated Pride, and the fiction of democratic balance and the "traditional family" in the Balkans.

June 14, 2026

min read

Donald Trump's birthday? Ha! It's also Ceca's!

Move over the Donald! There's someone else grander who has her birthday today too. But the similarities don't end there...

June 8, 2026

min read

Big Bulgarian wedding – no! Big Bulgarian graduation ball – da!

Why the tradition for big weddings in Bulgaria is no longer the case... and why graduation balls and festivities have taken their place.

May 26, 2026

min read

How the 1972 hajj brought smallpox to Yugoslavia... and how the country successfuly dealt with it

Socialist Yugoslavia always treated the Hajj and the participation of its citizens with care – they could come back with concepts that could bring the system down. But a Hajji in 1972 brought back something far more dangerous – a killer virus.

May 21, 2026

min read

Is Ricky Martin Montenegrin?

Who needs real evidence? Where the Balkan thing for bread and circuses, and claiming everyone and anyone as they're own, collide. Plus, I reveal Lady Gaga's alleged Balkan roots!

May 15, 2026

min read

Why there's no turbo folk/chalga at Eurovision

Disposable, easy pop with a local flavour and pleasing to the eye. You'd think turbo folk/chalga would be ideal for Eurovision, but you won't be seeing it on the big stage. How come...?

May 13, 2026

min read

Why Croatia's 2026 Eurovision song is problematic

Croatia's dark ethnic ballad entry for Eurovision 2026 has gained many fans across Europe. But the song is problematic in some aspects...

May 6, 2026

min read

"Don't take my picture then!" Arif Heralić and Alija Sirotanović – two socialist Yugoslav icons as one.

Did you know the most recognisable face of socialist Yugoslavia after Tito was of a Roma furnace worker from Bosnia? But many ex-Yugoslavs think it's another Bosnian. Here are their stories...

May 1, 2026

min read

May Day in socialist Yugoslavia

Who's up for a picnic? It's time for bean soup. How Tito's Yugoslavia celebrated the "holiday of labour" and what changed over time and what didn't. Oh, and there's that time I got punched.

April 27, 2026

min read

Video killed the red star in 1980s Bulgaria and Romania

How video casettes illegally smuggled from the west caused Bulgarians and Romanians to question their communist system in the 1980s. And how are James Bond movies treated in Bulgaria...

April 23, 2026

min read

Princes Amongst Men is back!

The book that launched my career as a Balkans sensitivity and authenticity reader is back, updated and bigger than ever!

April 22, 2026

min read

22 April – Lenin's birthday

So Lenin was one of the world's most prominent revolutionaries, but his legacy lasts by way of... first names and spring cleaning? All is explained here.

April 18, 2026

min read

"The buying and selling of votes is a crime" in Bulgaria

The aspects of Bulgarian elections that no-one else talks about. And what does Chalga have to say about it? All aboard the 'Bulgarian train'. Toot, toot!

April 10, 2026

min read

The eggs are dyed for Easter!

Yes, it's that time of year again, and I'm glad to say that the eggs turned out great this year.

April 8, 2026

min read

8 April – International Romani Day

Today is International Romani Day. Note, not 'Gypsy'. Why this is not the most appropriate term, and how ethnic labels can be complicated.

April 7, 2026

min read

Vale Yanka Rupkina!

Famous Bulgarian folk singer and member of the world-famous Trio Bulgarka, Yanka Rupkina, has died. Here is her extraordinary life.

April 4, 2026

min read

Lazarus Saturday – the Balkan debutante ball, and Palm Sunday – the Balkan flower festival

The weekend before Easter in Balkan Orthodox Christian societies sees major celebrations for the coming of spring, steeped in pagan origins.

April 2, 2026

min read

Tales from ethnic radio (part 2)

How I transitioned from listener to being listened. But first, let's bring in some music. 1990s Macedonian Turbofolk anyone? And what was the (surprising) word we couldn't mention?

March 23, 2026

min read

Tales from ethnic radio (part 1)

50 years ago today started the service I loathed as a child... but became my ticket to my future. The crazy yet wonderful world of ethnic, and particularly "Yugoslav", radio in Adelaide, Australia.

January 30, 2026

min read

Kostadinka Palazova, the voice of Bojmija, Macedonia (1939–2026)

Legendary Macedonian folk singer Kostadinka Palazova has passed away. Her life has been dedicated to keeping the songs of her birthplace alive in the face of official bans, ethnic cleansing and life in exile.

January 2, 2026

min read

When coins matter: stotinki and sixpence for Christmas

Big issue of the day – what coin do you use for your lucky-coin Christmas tradition? It matters to many in the Balkans AND Australia

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?

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!

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 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 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

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.

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.

August 10, 2026

min read

If they don’t understand, they’ll just ask

But will they? Why having public-facing text optimised from the onset is better than expecting members of the public will simply ask if they don't understand something.

July 27, 2026

min read

Anchor clients and the power of reminders

What are anchor clients and how I was able to regain one thanks to sound advice on using reminders

July 22, 2026

min read

What's the obvious sign of a lazy translation from English into any other language?

Translation is supposed to convey info from one language to another, but if you just use the words only tweaked from the source language, then you're doing a disservice.

July 15, 2026

min read

Oldtimers, dancings and packets ... but are they English words?

Welcome to the crazy world of "false friends" and "pseudo-anglicisms"... they look like English words but they're not

June 29, 2026

min read

The most important question for a certified translation of a personal document not in Latin script?

It's the simplest of things that can cause the most trouble. And when it comes to certified translations, getting this right is crucial!

May 20, 2026

min read

Two years as a Chartered Linguist!

Two years ago I attained the highest qualification for translators, Chartered Linguist. And I'm the only one in the UK for the languages I work from.

May 14, 2026

min read

If you know another language then you cannot be a bigot! Is this true?

Is there any truth that knowing another language eliminates any chance of you being a bigot?

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...

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!

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 🇧🇴 …

August 13, 2026

min read

On the An Englishman in the Balkans podcast

I'm the guest on the latest episode

July 15, 2026

min read

Oldtimers, dancings and packets ... but are they English words?

Welcome to the crazy world of "false friends" and "pseudo-anglicisms"... they look like English words but they're not

May 22, 2026

min read

Muphry's Law strikes again!

Have you heard of Muphry's Law? No, it's not Murphy's Law, and if you thought that it was, then that's Muphry's Law. Confusing? Well, time to clear it up...

May 14, 2026

min read

If you know another language then you cannot be a bigot! Is this true?

Is there any truth that knowing another language eliminates any chance of you being a bigot?

February 21, 2026

min read

International Mother Language Day: "you're confusing him"

To show why mother languages matter, here's my story how educators in Australia tried stopping my parents speaking to me in my mother language.

February 9, 2026

min read

Careful, someone might hear you!

Think you can say vile things about the people around you because hardly anyone speaks your language? Think again! Because when you least suspect it, there'll be someone who does understand...

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?

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...

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 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 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?

August 21, 2023

min read

Smoker’s remorse… or how false friends can be deeply expressive

🟰 Words that look the same or similar in two languages but have two, at times radically, different meanings are called “false friends”.

May 30, 2023

min read

The personal touch

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👨🏻‍💻

February 4, 2026

min read

World Cancer Day: cancer scare!

Even after being cured of cancer and remission is over, there's still the threat of it coming back for around go. What to do with a new cancer scare?

February 3, 2025

min read

Cancer and gallows humour: Thank you for the flowers 💐; I hope they die before I do!

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?

September 15, 2024

min read

15 years cancer-free!!!

And I know because of an annual procedure a work colleague advised me to do...

June 14, 2024

min read

It's Men's Health Week... and I'm 15 years cancer-free!!!

The story of how I found out by chance that I no longer had cancer