What does “region” mean to you? 🌍
A few days ago I posted on my blog and on other social media platforms about how in Australia “regional” means "anywhere outside the five largest cities".
The comments were fascinating. For instance, colleagues of mine pointed out that in Russia “regional” has a very similar meaning to that in Australia.
That conversation reminded me of something totally unexpected that happened during my recent sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.
I was looking for somewhere to have dinner and checked an online map to see what was in the region (geddit?!) around my hotel.
And then I blinked... twice!
Just a two-minute walk away... was a Balkan restaurant. Yes, there's a Balkan restaurant in the heart of East Africa!
Of course I had to go check it out!
Inside it was unmistakably Balkan:
🍽️ a Bosnian chef
🔥 proper skara (OK, no ajvar to go with it – boo! – but the rest was perfect)
🥃 rakija on the menu
🖼️ even a giant photo of Yugoslav President Tito with Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta!
And the name of the restaurant?
Region.
Why “Region”?
Because region/regija/регион – literally "region" in Serbian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Croatian, Slovenian and Macedonian – is a common euphemism for "ex-Yugoslavia" and, less so, the wider Balkans.
So when someone speaking these languages says something is happening “in the region”, they’re usually referring to the ex-Yugoslav space.
To make sure that "region" gets translated in a way that your audience will understand, then talk to me. I'll be glad to help you regionalise your text for you! All you need to do first is email me at info@nicknasev.com.
.%20A%20day%20of%20campaigning%20%E2%99%80%20%E2%80%A6%20or%20a%20day%20to%20buy%20flowers%20%F0%9F%92%90.jpg)
