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Nick Nasev

@nicknasev.bsky.social
318 followers 180 following 1.4K posts

Chartered Linguist Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin into English Translator Australian English Expert Let's talk about Balkan and Aussie stuff! nicknasev.com

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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Off to Turkmenistan!
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It’s arrived! Socialist Hotels, the latest coffee table book by Fuel featuring fabulous socialist-era architecture and design. I actually stayed at the Hotel Cosmos the first time I was in Chișinău, Moldova. #socialisthotels
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
30 September is International Translation Day. This year's theme is linguistic diversity and language rights Time to say this again... Greece must officially recognise its minority languages: Aromanian, Albanian (Arvanite), Macedonian, Bulgarian (Pomak), Turkish, Romani, Ladino, Tsakonian!
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Slovenian avant-garde music group Laibach is performing in London tonight. I’ll be there! After somewhat surprisingly appearing at the AVNOJ Fest in Jajce last year, where the band apologised to Tito, now Laibach is claiming it's always been a 'pop act'.
nicknasev.com
Laibach in London!
Laibach is performing in London again and I'll be there! Who is Laibach, why the band was enemy number 1 in socialist Yugoslavia, and why the group claims now to be a 'pop act'
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The sad irony: bus manufacturer VDL Van Hool is looking for workers in the Macedonian city of Kochani... which no longer has bus services. Perhaps there will be work for the more than 60 former employees of Kochani's recently bankrupt bus company Avto Atom
radiokocani.mk
ВДЛ Ван Хоол доаѓа во Кочани – во сабота на платото кај Т-Мобиле – можности за вработување
Вработи се во ВДЛ Ван Хоол – со или без работно искуство!Дојди во сабота, 3-ти октомври, од 10 до 14 часот на нашиот штанд во Кочани кај платото кај Т-Мобиле.Ќе ти помогнеме да аплицираш и ќе имаш мож...
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Memorabilia from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics (the best games ever in my very biased opinion 😆). A Sarajevo Olympics official guide in mint condition and a Vučko mascot doll, though I've never seen him in this brown colour before (usually he was black) #sarajevo #yugoslavia #olympics
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We know how well AI uses good writing to present and convince people what can be unfactual information to be true. But what about the opposite effect? How not using idiomatic language in translation can lose the credibility of what is being presented...
nicknasev.com
Is 'good enough' really good enough in translation?
We know how well AI uses good writing to present and convince people what can be unfactual information to be true. But what about the opposite effect? How not using idiomatic language in translation c...
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Seeing it's Sunday morning... How about an Orthodox (-ish) Christian church devoted to the worship of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane?
en.wikipedia.org
St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church - Wikipedia
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Now this is a book I want to read...
publishing.hardiegrant.com
Peter Daicos: My family's journey by Peter Daicos | Hardie Grant Publishing
Peter's two sons have followed in their father's footsteps and joined Collingwood, with Josh drafted in 2016 and Nick in 2021, both joining the club under the Father/Son rule. Both sons were in the Premiership team of 2023, and are considered stars at the Collingwood Football Club.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
26 September is European Day of Languages (EDL), an initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission to promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism This year’s motto: Languages unite! It highlights the unique role languages play in bringing people together and building bridges.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Partisan memorial, Zrnovci, Macedonia
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Thameswater is evil. I've had two surveyors out and both stated no meter can be installed. That entitles me to a lower rate, but Thameswater has used deception and lies to avoid doing so. Going to the Consumer Council for Water has been a joke too. That means Thameswater gets away with this!
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
For years now, whenever the distinctive intro to Dnevnik, the main news broadcast on Serbia's government TV station RTS, appears on my parents' TV, my mother will wryly say: the Aleksandar Vučić Show is about to begin.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So Trump is also an ironmonger and hardware dealer… Bitola, Macedonia, September 2018
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Avto Atom, the sole bus company of the Macedonian city of Kochani, ceased operations yesterday, ending over 6 decades of bus transport to and from the city. Kochani's bus station will also close, leaving the city with hardly any public transport connections. A sad day for the region!
faktor.mk
Кочани остана без редовен автобуски превоз, Авто-Атом престана со работа
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Seriously considering a seachange, treechange or e-change... How the Shakespearean title for a popular TV series sporned the terms for a number of related migration processes in Australia.
australianenglishwithnick.substack.com
Seachange, treechange or e-change?
How the Shakespearean title for a popular TV series sporned the terms for a number of related internal migration processes in Australia.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, September 2019. While I was there, I met a Bulgarian woman working as an architect. I asked her why is she in Tanzania. Her answer – to get as far away from the Balkans as possible
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Today's my 25th Londoniversary! Never did I think 25 years ago I'd still be in London, but here we are.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Observation made 12 years ago on my first full day ever in Tirana, Albania Women in hijab – none; car accidents – three; halal pizzerias – one; museums and galleries – none (all closed for renovations); official cavalcade – one; full cafes – too many to count (does anyone work in this city?)
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
No tourists here! 7 years ago in New Zanzibar, built by the East Germans and Chinese as part of the revolutionary government's (ultimately unsuccessful) plan to make Zanzibar a 'new socialist city' with housing for all. A bit of the Eastern bloc in the tropics.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Had to capture a glimpse of the abandoned GDR-era SEZ recreation complex with in Berlin before it gets knocked down for apartments
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Still in shock about the mysterious death of Giorgos Mazonakis, one of the biggest pop stars in Greece in the 1990s
youtu.be
Γιώργος Μαζωνάκης - Παλιόπαιδο Θα Γίνω - Official Video Clip
YouTube video by Cobalt Music
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts on Friday evening. I'm with my Jewish in-laws and we're eating! To everyone celebrating this holiday, wishing you a Shana Tova Umetuka! 🍯 שנה טובה ומתוקה
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Berlin is in election mode. I wonder if Steffen Krach knows what his surname means in Russian or Bulgarian? OK, I'll let you know... It means: collapse, ruin, crash, failure
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Just in the building of our accommodation in Berlin: there are two other residents with Bulgarian surnames, I heard one DHL delivery shout he'll be back at 4 pm in Bosnian, and a car parked outside has Tetovo, Macedonia car plates.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
In Berlin for Rosh HaShanah (Jewish New Year) with the inlaws. I was wondering why so many men in leather are on the flight – of course, they were on their way to Europe's biggest gay leather event also happening this weekend. Pure coincidence.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Israeli elections on 27 October AND Serbian elections now announced for 25 October! That's far too much for our household to deal with!
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
35 years of Macedonian independence today. The Macedonian independence movement had its own song… written on the other side of the world where you’d least suspect it. Goes to show big things can happen anywhere and unnoticed. This is like a virtual London-style blue plaque…
nicknasev.substack.com
“The Pearl of the Balkans”: How Big Things Can Come From The Most Mundane of Places
How the anthem for an independence movement has humble origins from a suburban kitchen on the other side of the world, unknown to those who live there
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Just saw someone post that "if people travelled more, there'd be less wars as it's easier to attack something you don't know" I firmly disagree! Most wars, murders, violence, etc. are done at people well known to the attackers. And travel doesn't automatically make people more open-minded.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Australia, New Zealand... same thing, right? Say that and Aussies and Kiwis go mad! But if you look at how similar our flags are, you'd think otherwise. Do the flags get mixed up? Well, as what happened last week at Australian Flag Day (there is such a day?), they do! #Australia #NewZealand
rnz.co.nz
Australia marks Flag Day by flying New Zealand's flag
It's not uncommon to see the New Zealand and Australian flags mixed up at events in other countries, but it seems Aussies can have trouble telling them apart too.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
So by chance I found out that some of my blogposts are being referenced on Reddit. I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried about that.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
How do you actually bribe a doctor in Bulgaria? Not just money, but there are also chocolates and flowers. Who says romance is dead? And what life do you have when you're deemed an enemy of the people at age 2? The final instalment of 2001: A Balkan Odyssey is up...
nicknasev.substack.com
2001: A Balkan Odyssey. The final part: “Bribing the doctor”
The odyssey ends with the final mission – bribing the doctor to make sure my auntie has her operation done properly.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Who else can say this? - I've bought items and had tea exactly where this Uzbek pop video was filmed. And if you're in Tashkent, do go to Human House!
youtube.com
Chayxana Ansambli - Natasha | Чайхана Ансамбили - Наташа
YouTube video by RizaNovaUZ
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It's mind-blowing for me to see Andrei Gyurov, the former caretaker Prime Minister of Bulgaria, announce his bid for the Bulgarian presidency in front of the building that used to be the police station where my grandfather worked in... and later arrested, jailed and tortured.
toppresa.com
СКАНДАЛ В ГОЦЕ ДЕЛЧЕВ! Гюров и Кандев откриха кампанията си върху костите на жертвите на Народната милиция и парите от първата финансова пирамида - ТопПреса
Пълен политически фарс, гарниран с цинизъм и тотално историческо безпаметство, беляза старта на предизборната кампания на Андрей Гюров и бившия полицай Георги Кандев в родния им Гоце Делчев. За това а...
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
In the outskirts of Skopje, Macedonia, with an armed conflict within earshot, you can’t help but question who or what is normal... Part 4 of 2001: A Balkan Odyssey
nicknasev.com
2001: A Balkan Odyssey. Part 4 “You’re still normal”
In the outskirts of Skopje, Macedonia, with an armed conflict within earshot, you can’t help but question what is normal.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Public holidays are called "bank holidays" in the UK. What about in Australia? Well, usually "public holidays"... but there's a twist
australianenglishwithnick.substack.com
“Bank holidays” or “public holidays” in Australia? Why not both?
What’s it called in Australia: a bank holiday or a public holiday? Well, it’s complicated. And how about this – there’s a part of Australia where businesses and schools close... for a horse race.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
So this has nothing to do with Yugoslavia. It's the name of an international student accommodation brand
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
So now I know the English equivalent of the Macedonian term талкач is "flaneur". Фала @ailievskazavrsnik.bsky.social!
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
AHA or ANA? Have you eaten at a PECTOPAH? And then there was the Russian racing yacht BETEP. When the Cyrillic alphabet gets to play tricks in the minds of those who know the Latin alphabet...
nicknasev.com
AHA or ANA?
How the Cyrillic alphabet can play tricks on people who only know the Latin alphabet
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
How two names: a faux-Scandinavian one for a bedding item, and that of a city in the UK, became everyday Australian terms, and how Aussies and foreigners alike find them surprising, even comical, upon discovery.
australianenglishwithnick.substack.com
You can find the Doonas in Manchester
How two names: a faux-Scandinavian one for a bedding item, and that of a city in the UK, became everyday Australian terms, and how Aussies and foreigners alike find them surprising upon discovery.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Vale Johnny Young! Legend! Young Talent Time was the most prominent Aussie TV show at the time to star young people of non-English-speaking background: Tina Arena, Vince Del Tito, Joey Perrone... That visibility mattered! Johnny knew as he was an immigrant himself (born in the Netherlands)
abc.net.au
Young Talent Time host Johnny Young dies
Young Talent Time host Johnny Young has died aged 79 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I'm on the latest episode of the An Englishman in the Balkans podcast
nicknasev.com
On the An Englishman in the Balkans podcast
I'm the guest on the latest episode
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Seeing the solar eclipse is upon us, let's go back to the 2000 when Yugoslav superstar Lepa Brena released her own song in time for the then solar eclipse #solareclipse #eclipse #yugoslavia
youtube.com
Lepa Brena - Pomračenje sunca (Official Video 2000)
YouTube video by Lepa Brena
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Finally, Biljana’s whereabouts are revealed! But before that, a hair-raising and loud ride through the Pirin mountains and entering into a country at war where everyone’s behaving unusually nice. Part 3 of 2001: A Balkan Odyssey…
nicknasev.substack.com
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.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
A response I've been getting a lot lately: If members of the general public don't understanding something, whether it be in a survey or legal jargon, they'll just ask for clarification. But will they?
nicknasev.com
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.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
RIP Džansever! Rahmet na dusha
youtube.com
KO SAVO LIL tekst muzik Cansever arannger by Gardıjan Jasar
YouTube video by CANSEVER DALİPOVA
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Yes, 'receival' is a word... in Australia
nicknasev.com
Australian English: receival
Yes, it's a word. How this old-fashioned and seemingly pompous English word is, surprisingly, still very much alive and in use in Australia.
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
My brush with Vice's London office... Vice contacted me twice to translate footage from protests in Kosovo. I asked in what language is the footage? Their response: "We suspect it's all in Serbian" Needless to say, none of it was. This article explains a lot...
piratewires.com
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Friday fun with one of this year’s viral summer songs in Greece – Vibeάρω (I Vibe), featuring the cult pop-icon herself, the queen of Epirote dimotika song, Efi Thodi.
youtube.com
RJay x Έφη Θώδη – Vibeάρω | Official Music Video (4K)
YouTube video by Heaven Music
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Nick Nasev @nicknasev.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I'm seeing Cory Doctorow and many other parents claiming their children use "that's so AI" as a pejorative to dismiss anything distasteful or ugly. Reminds me of this AI-related slang from my niece last year... So much for the kids being all enthusiastic for AI
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