Languages of the Former Yugoslavia

The Languages of the Former Yugoslavia

By Lauren Nemec

With a collective population of over 23 million (greater than that of Australia), the countries of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are becoming very attractive to exporters and investors, as they advance toward full EU membership and enjoy increasing stability and prosperity.

Languages of Yugoslavia

Though the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has ceased to exist, the ramifications of the tumultuous changes that occurred throughout the region in decades past continue even today. One aspect that continues to be a controversial and touchy subject in the region is the language. Today, many people find it difficult to understand the differences between Serbo-Croatian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, etc.

While the differences between the languages are usually not significant enough to prevent basic understanding between speakers, they can create the potential for significant challenges for a company translating documents targeting this region. If you are interested in selling into these markets, it is important to understand the language complexities of the region.

Serbo-Croatian

For many years, "Serbo-Croatian" was the standard, official language used in the former Yugoslavia. However, some would say it was more of a "pseudo language" that was created by communists to smooth over nationalistic feelings in the region. The term "Serbo-Croatian" is not widely used today; it is sometimes used as an umbrella term to represent a similar family of languages. It is not considered a language, since there are now official, standard and separate languages and many people in the region would find the term to be politically incorrect or offensive.

Serbia and Croatia

Serbian is understood in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia. Croatian is understood in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. Spoken Serbian and Croatian are virtually interchangeable, meaning Serbs and Croats understand each other. However, due to ethnic tensions between the two groups, and because a translation done in Serbian would be obvious to a Croat (and vice versa) a document targeted for both regions should be done in both languages. The same can be said for Bosnian. Though it can be understood in Serbia and Croatia, a Bosnian translation should be used only for the Bosnian market.

Croats are wary of any foreign influence on Croatian. They tend to be protective and purist regarding their language. As a result, Croatian, unlike Serbian, tends not to use loan words or foreign words, but will instead create its own words. For example, the English word "computer" in Serbian would be "kompjuter" - a phonetic spelling of the English word. Instead of borrowing the foreign term, the Croatians have coined the term "računalo".

Case Study

A company in the telecommunications industry had a document translated from English into Croatian. The translator came back with a question regarding treatment of the English word "router". In his words, "Croatian terminology in [the telecommunications field] is still under development and far from being standardized." The translator presented the customer with a choice of three Croatian terms for the word "router": router, ruter, and usmjernik, representing the foreign term, the phonetically adapted term, and the new Croatian word, respectively.

In this case, the most appropriate term would have been "usmjernik", as it gives proper meaning while also representing the spirit of the Croatian language. As this case study illustrates, languages in the former Yugoslavia are constantly evolving, presenting us with new challenges in selecting the most appropriate terminology.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is made up of three ethnic groups- Muslim, Croatian, and Serbian. The Muslim group of Bosnia (known as Bosniaks) calls their language Bosnian. However, the Croatian and Serbian groups of Bosnia speak Croatian and Serbian, respectively. All three languages are Bosnia and Herzegovina's official languages. So what is the best language for a document for this market? It depends exactly what is being translated, but unless a client has a very specific target market within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the best bet is Bosnian.

Montenegro

Montenegrins speak one of the newest languages in the world - Montenegrin - which was made the official language of Montenegro in 2007 and standardized in July 2009. Before it was an official language, Montenegrin was considered to be a heavy dialect of Serbian. In fact, most citizens speak Serbian, which used to be the official language. Whether or not "Montenegrin" would become an official language of Montenegro was a very controversial issue in the country for years and it continues to be a hot topic.

Like other languages in the region, Montenegrin is continuously changing. In fact, two new letters were just accepted into its alphabet in July 2009! Until the next census, it may remain unclear whether or not the majority will shift from Serbian speakers to Montenegrin speakers. Translations into Montenegrin can certainly be done and would please speakers and supporters of the new language, but translations into Serbian may also be a good bet for Montenegro.

Macedonia

The primary official language of the Republic of Macedonia is Macedonian. Macedonian is the most widely spoken language in the country, though many other languages are also spoken. Macedonian is sufficient for translation destined for this region. However, the rapidly increasing Albanian population in Macedonia could lead to an increasing need for Albanian-language documents in the future.

Slovenia

Translations for Slovenia should be done in the official language of Slovenian. Macedonians and Slovenians who were educated during the period of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will be able to understand both Serbian and Croatian, but others educated after the mid-1980's will not. Therefore, Croatian and Serbian translations will not work for these countries.