If only Madonna would have learnt and spoken <a href ="http://www.langocity.com/learn-bulgarian-course-one.html">Bulgarian</a>, the radio station would have been spared.

I'm still LAUGHING MY ASS OFF (LMAO)at a headline in the Bulgarian press a couple of years ago that was written for english readers about gangsters "blowing off" a bus instead of blowing up a bus... now that's great grammer eh?

"Hey Batko I burnt my lips trying to blow off the number 20 bus!!!"

If any Bulgarain laughs at my pathetic attempts to speak some Bulgarian (ummm the only time I use it is to pick up girls), I remind them of this dumbass attempt to translate Bulgarian into the queens [...]

Read the full comment ENGLISH.

Dear julie t, and others, noone laughs at someone (being foreigner) for speaking genuinely well Bulgarian, in fact I've been amazed how some foreigners speak better then I do, please don't excuse yourselves for not being among them, it is not I who spread hatred here, it is only you. Language learning most often require good and expenisive teaching, I am very much sure most of you cannot or are not desiring to afford such. That certainly is not mine or other Bulgarians problem - when you learn it for free on your own, it is jokable indeed. Besides there [...]

Read the full comment is nothing wrong in this expression of feelings: laughter and saying that it sounds 'sweet', I have been told many times I speak 'cute' English as a foreigner and I never complained of it. I dont think we Bulgarian have discovered the hot water - sweet or cute, what's the diference - foreigners (for example English) not only talk rubbish but sometimes are very inventive, tallanted and interesting to listen, of course they make mistakes.

And one more thing: I never pretended for speaking English perfectly, I only said that I know the history and lexicology of English language professionally, I do not know what a perfect speaking of English is having in mind only words without frazes in English are about 1 million, however I believe perfect English is something written in the CV because in my experience HR are seeking for 'perfect English speakers', however when they did initiate an interview with me some 2 time in English they ususually regretfully turn to Bulagairan very quickly and I believe this is due to their 'perfect English'.

As for my irony with Russian language I think I have the right to joke with my own country and especially with the second language I like most after English, thought I generally do not understand Russian language (culture) and Russian politics as reflecting each other.

And yes, I do not use spell checker, this is a forum, and I just love making mistakes in forums and chat rums. I know people get irritated for some reason :))))))

Yes Epami, I am drunk on life;)

Valeri - with the greatest of respect, are you drunk ?

Epami,
are you the "manners police"?
(just in case those "in Europe" get confused: "manners police" isn't a real thing;)))
... besides, how do you know that Ru isn't Mexican? Or Chinese?

You are still around... hey, "ked se niema co se koha, to se koha co se ma" - I love that one;) I have no idea why I am posting it, but it's good.

P.S. don't correct my spelling, because I'll reach across the WWW and smack you on the head!
;))) [...]

Read the full comment

Valeri - some parts of English are more of a "world language" than others. Not everybody will understand "the service sucks" (sucking is what a vacuum cleaner does, to most of us, so maybe the service was really quite good), and maybe calling another poster "stupid" isn't such a good idea. In Europe it's quite a strong term to use.

Hope this is helpful

Ru:

"You wrote: "Are you stupid?""

It's just a question. You said: "I guess you must be very proud of those 7 million people that do not give a damn about you and your country, just taking adventage...."Honestly a smart person would say that? Only an idiot can be "proud" of how many people visit his country - (like the Australian is the tourism tread). It's just a fact.



"You'd better re-read what I have written. Quote me if you please."Here: "(if it wishes [...]

Read the full comment to be)" from below. Sorry but this seems to be the standard phrase with westerners these days.

The problem is that despite the bad service they keep coming back - look at the numbers:

2006 - 7 499 117

2007 - 7 725 747

2008 - 8 532 972

http://www.nsi.bg/SocialActivities_e/Tourism_e.htm

2009 will go down but purely due to the economic situation all over - not bad service. The service sucked in 2006 too... This is the message - you treat them like crap, they'll bring their friends next year!

Just don't come back if you get bad service and you'll make them stop and think.

@Valeri:

You wrote: "Are you stupid?"

I find that hardly a respectable way of "conversating" with anyone. We are sharing opinions here right? No need to get so "emotional" or so personal, that seems to me a rather poor "attempt" to prove yourself right.

---

You wrote: "I am just pointing it out to you, because you somehow implied that we are not part of the world."

I have not written anything that would have implied that. That is an [...]

Read the full comment assumption from your side. You'd better re-read what I have written. Quote me if you please.

---

About the tourists, I agree that there are too many tourists of a "type" that does not contribute too much (if anything at all) to Bulgaria and it's people (except for a bit of low-paid employment and cash-flow).

Nowadays IN GENERAL service in BG is of poor quality, organisation is bad, huge resorts are build (like Sunny Beach) etc. So, only "poor" (financialy and of interest) tourists come to visit.

The problem is, that in order to attract tourists that care and come to see all the beautiful things in Bulgaria, the way tourism is "managed" (as far as that is the case anyway) has to be changed. A lot of hotel owners and business people in tourism in Bulgaria want to urn quick as much as possible and without making too much of an effort. And if next year their guests won't come back, they think "well, that's something we will figure out next year, let's now 'cash-in' as much as possible ..."

---

Bulgaria has everything it needs to attract different tourists then those mentioned urlier. Tourists that are keen on history / culture, extreme sports, nature, etc. In general tourists interested in that kind of vacations respect the country and have more money to spend. So, you need less tourists, and gain more respect and a better image.

But, that means patience, very hard work and in the beginning little profit. That requires a "change of mentality" in the tourism industry. There are many countries in Western Europe that have made stupid mistakes in the past. Countries like for Spain, that turned its coast lines into "endless" commercially exploited stips. If things don't change, Bulgaria will undergo the same, and people that care and show respect, will just go somewhere else and only the poor "consumers" might still come.

Atleast, that is how I see it.

---

My apologies for going "off-topic" out here. Maybe going back to the origional topic (the Madonna "situation") would be more appreciated?

Ru:

"..I guess you must be very proud of those 7 million people that do not give a damn about you and your country, just taking adventage. Realy something to be proud of"

Why would I be proud of that? It has nothing to do with me. Why would I expect them to give a damn about BG? Are you stupid? They come for their own reasons, I am just pointing it out to you, because you somehow implied that we are not part of the world. "the World" is all over [...]

Read the full comment BG, and we are all over "the world" so what you said is just your own personal attitude.

"..If you want to make sure people visit BG, you have to "SERVE" their needs and they will thank you for it with positive behaviour, lots of smiles, spending all their money and comming back again and again.."

Actually I don't want to see that. I think we have too many tourists coming over.

Ru:

"Ah, and what other countries do wrong (like you point out to France) do not relieve you and your own country of it's own responsibility to do your job right, right? :)"

I never said that. All I did is point out that what we are doing isn't uncommon in the EU, unless of course you think that France isn't part of the world;)

This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained

@Valeri:

Ah, and what other countries do wrong (like you point out to France) do not relieve you and your own country of it's own responsibility to do your job right, right? :)

@Valeri:
--------
How do you get to the idea I hold a grudge against Bulgaria? And even using words as "hatred"?

@Valeri:

And, what does the info you write change? Ok, 7 million visiters. They come for a cheap vacations, hardly ever leaving the resorts. Business comes because of the rediculously low salaries. I guess you must be very proud of those 7 million people that do not give a damn about you and your country, just taking adventage. Realy something to be proud of!

Besides that, it's about time more translations are available. That is defenitly an improvement over the last couple of years.

But, you make it [...]

Read the full comment sound like the visiters should be "thankful" for that.

That's the world "up-side-down".

If you want to make sure people visit BG, you have to "SERVE" their needs and they will thank you for it with positive behaviour, lots of smiles, spending all their money and comming back again and again.

So, to me - improving service is nothing but NORMAL and essential for survival of a service industry.

This is what I found on French broadcasting law and I am sure there's better source out there:

""... in addition the United States continuous to be concern that broadcasts of American music are limited by radio station quotas (40 percent of songs on almost all French private and public radio stations must be Francophone) which has been in effect since 1997."

Get this: Darik radio couldn't exist in France (a core EU country) because all of their songs are in English language!

Aren't they lucky they are [...]

Read the full comment in a free country, that Darik radio....
http://books.google.com/books?id=nPVSgakEx5MC&pg=PA223&dq=french+law+on+foreign+broadcasting#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Ru:

"..English is a "world language". Bulgarian isn't. Bulgaria is part of the world (if it wishes to be), so maybe "opening-up" to the world and keeping the world "in mind" would be more benefitial then expecting / demanding that the world will "adjust" itself to suit Bulgaria's "wishes"..."



And that's a very typical and very rude attitude of some foreigners and some Bulgarians who have a grudge against their country - "if Bulgaria wants to be part of the world".

Bulgaria is part [...]

Read the full comment of the world - obviously - every possible European, American, Asian and any world bank or business has operations in BG and we get almost 7 million visitors every year - close to the total number of residents.

Hell - in the summer some our theaters (not movie) have ticker tape with English translation below. Along the sea coast we have whole radio stations broadcasting in French, English German and others, with zero translation - all for the benefit of folks from other countries.

Almost everyone under 30 speaks passable English - in fact I am willing to bet that higher % of young people speak English in Sofia, than in LA (USA). (there are whole sections of that city, where you can't ask for a glass of water if you only speak English).

That particular law may be outdated (not sure if other EU countries don't have some forms of it - I know that in France one never hears untranslated bits on TV) - but BG is dealing with so many changes and the transition has been so dramatic, that a little perspective helps before you jump and show your hatred on a Bulgarian forum.

.

Personaly I think that the law this (origional) topic speaks about is outdated (I guess a left-over from the Communistic time) and counter productive. As some people mentioned here, English is a "world language". Bulgarian isn't. Bulgaria is part of the world (if it wishes to be), so maybe "opening-up" to the world and keeping the world "in mind" would be more benefitial then expecting / demanding that the world will "adjust" itself to suit Bulgaria's "wishes".

If this kind of silly laws and the whole fuss around it keep going on in BG, foreign artists [...]

Read the full comment might stop feeling welcome and deside rather to skip BG with a next tour.

---

Anyway ... this whole story (and some of the comments) are so damn typical for what goes on in BG on a daily basis. But, that's a different discussion :)

Julie,
we love having you here, I am sure.

Valeri it was said very "tongue in cheek" meaning funny but with a lot of truth in it! (I know this will cause a rumpus) it's not so much the quantity as the quality.
Just because we have the same passport were mostly born in the same country & speak the same language does not make us all great friends. It does not even mean we have to like each other, we just happen to have ended up in the same village/town/region. It is like this all over Bulgaria. I prefer to choose my friends for their personnality [...]

Read the full comment not the language they speak. So I would prefer to stay here even with all the oldies. :-)

P/S.
Not sure you meant it that way, but I am amused by the idea that you'd probably have more British neighbors in BG than in the UK;)

Julie:

"...besides that would leave me surrounded by foreigners and if I had wanted that I would have stayed in England! ;-) "


That's actually very funny Julie.

Valerie, thank you for explaining the FYROMto me. I hope we do not lose too many 'oldies' in the winter or there will be hardly anyone left in this village, and besides that would leave me surrounded by foreigners and if I had wanted that I would have stayed in England! ;-)
Have a good day :-)

Julie, FYROM -tsi (my misspell) are people from the Formal Yugoslav Republic of Makedonia - (the ones that build statues of Alexander the Great and pretend to be his heirs - quite silly actually;)

On the rudeness topic:
You have to understand that older people are the product of their time. (just like older folks in the US still act as if they are in the Depression).
In the pre-1989 years, strangers were suspect for many reasons, but I think mostly because they were suspected in being informants, so gradually the country [...]

Read the full comment adapted
this attitude where you were indifferent to strangers, (careful) but really close to your personal circle, as a way of compensating for the human need of social emotions.
Asking a strangers too many questions and acting with familiarity, became rude.
In the West is the opposite - you people are much nicer to strangers, but often distant to your own family.

I am hoping for the Ukrainians to force the Russians (by stealing) to stop the gas again next winter, and kill off a few more pensioners;)))
Then we'll move forward ;)

Hi Valerie keep up the good threads how (old are you) (do you have a sexy body) (are you hot) if so, say yes and give me your number forget the rest.

To Tasmaniarose. The woman you are talking about is artistic most woman love to take there clothes off to an audiance. She should not need to speak Bulgarian or any other dialect you are full of crap and to be honest you envy her. Are you a woman? or a transvestite.

Valerie, "There is a lot of hate here (I suspect many of the BG haters are little Greeks and FROM-tsi)" I'm sorry but I don't know what 'FROM-tsi' means? so I cannot comment on that. I never said I expect anyone to look me or my son in the eye when we speak, though I do think a simply reply or even to be acknowledged when offering to a greeting isn't asking too much is it? Ignoring someone when they speak is very rude wherever you come from and there is no excuse for it. The people in my village [...]

Read the full comment have been really very,very good with us, I can honestly say I have never experienced the 'lack of eye contact' it doesn't seem to be something the people of this village need to do! I think to be honest it was purely because my son was 'new' in the village and there are not many youngsters here unfortunately, possibly that was why there was some reluctance to speak? He already had a much better grasp of the language and still does! (apparently he was taught by friend from Sofia and the 'dialect' may be a little different?) Maybe had he been seen with myself or his father then people would have realised who he was and that may or may not have changed their responses, but honestly he's not attention starved LOL :-) and all experiences have been good. I think Valerie that we and many others can all agree, that if westerners or anyone else didn't have anything good to say about this country and the people in it, then they should not live here. A little bit of criticism can be constructive but too much is destructive.

What a bunch of queers and fags some people are. Keep taking it off girl lets see what you got never mind these primitive Bulgarian old farts let the young soon to be westernised have there say. I have just heard that a group are to copy the sex pistols and perform in Varna will they be banned ? what is freedom for but to express ones opinion and take all your clothes off.( Bulgarians get a life )

BTW Julie,
about your son and being ignored:
I think you should've taken the time to dig a little, before labeling people "rude".

Older folk in BG consider making eye contact with a foreigner very rude.
Them being aware that he is different, makes them too eager not to appear as if they consider him a spectacle.
In their mind, ignoring him was being polite.

That's decades of isolation speaking here, that not even your attention starved son can overcome in a day;)

Julie I think you missed Supernova's point entirely.
She is right. There is a lot of hate here (I suspect many of the BG haters are little Greeks and FROM-tsi), but still - there are many westerners who have incredibly malignant attitude towards the country.
They did bring Commies and NAZI's and all the rest of the baggage they happen to carry into this stupid story.
Like they say: "the facts are what you need to justify your feelings"

After 11 years these idiots in government still find new ways to amaze me...
I think Vassil Petrov is the only Bulgarian artist who could manage a full sentence in English without a mistake.
GOV.BG wake up to the real world... We know your new PM no speeka da inglish, Madonna fans do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usWDvSvZSA8

supernova, what a ray of pure sunshine and happiness you are! "Who was teaching the bulgarians to hate foreigners? If you dislike the country or its citizens, just leave.We don't need your stupidity here."...It would appear from your heated comments that you didn't need anyone to teach you to hate foreigners it seems to radiate from within you. NO ONE said they 'hate' Bulgarians (if you had taken the time to read the texts properly you would not have got your facts wrong)what people are saying is, we don't understand WHY we have to be given a hard time for [...]

Read the full comment not being fluent in YOUR language even though we try, just as you're not fluent in OUR language even though you try. Also please remember that your schools have been teaching English for years now, 99.9% of the Foreigners start to speak or at least try to speak a little of your language from their first visit here, so you have had several years advantage of being taught our language! I wonder if you might be one of those people who want every modern improvement for yourself and your family but don't want to have anything to do with the rest of the world that are supplying you with these new things...they come from outside Bulgaria. People come here because your country is beautiful and is a nice place to live in, unfortunately some of the people here want the money, the extra business, the grants and the improvements but not to have foreigners live here, the bad news is my friend YOU CANNOT HAVE IT ALL WAYS. You also wrote "The point is clear - BG radios must translate the words, like they do it in all other countries and some of you are so stupid not to understand the post" Surely the people in Darik radio know to do this if they feel it necessary, obviously they didn't. I do not know for certain that 'all other coutries' have it translated and if you know for certain what 'all other countries' do then you're a very wise person, maybe you should tell the radio station where they're going wrong! And by the way, "some of you are so stupid not to understand the post" should read as 'some of you are too stupid to understand the post' to be grammatically correct :-)

...and, incidentally, Julie, good for your son for persevering!

No, Julie! You are one of the most literate! I had in mind "lilyfly" of course, but even ex-pats seem to take no trouble when writing.

Well I am amazed of such genuine response. I think that she does not have to learn any Bulgarian or be forced to. It is up to her really and the respect she feels toward her fans in any country. As to Media, they just want to create a buzz.

Toronto

How much stupidity I see in some posts here. The point is clear - BG radios must translate the words, like they do it in all other countries and some of you are so stupid not to understand the post, because YOU the native English speakers cannot even speak your own language without mistakes. And all this mumbling about communists and nazis shows ignorance in every word. Who was teaching the bulgarians to hate foreigners? If you dislike the country or its citizens, just leave. We don't need your stupidity here.

I'm a Bulgarian Turk, and I can tell you that majority of Bulgarians are way a head of their political leaders when it comes to openness. There is a hidden fear in the minds of Bulgarian leaders, when ever some well known person sends a message in their own native language they become very defensive.In the other hand I do agree that any person working or living in any other country he/she should make the minimum effort to learn the language. I've visited many English speaking countries, people who have their mother tong as an English they are the most [...]

Read the full comment ignorant people when comes to learning foreign language.Since English is spoken by many people around the world they thing there is no need for them to waist their time. But, in the same token the English speaking countries spend a lot of mony for English as a second language programs for the new comers.I just want to make another point here, 7 to 8% of the Bulgarian population are of Turkish extraction and many of the older Turks do not speak Bulgarian and also do not speak proper Turkish. It almost seems like a deliberate policy. Bulgarian officials are also very fearful of educated Turks. Ether way you are damn.

Well, I may as well get one last (?) piece in here. Sonia it was and is only right that people try to speak the language of the coun try they choose to live in, though as you'll agree a degree of encouragement is needed not ridicule, especially as Tom said this language is apparently going the same way as the Irish and Welsh languages so you would think people would encourage new speakers? Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if the government decided to help those that came to live here (and by doing so help the economy so [...]

Read the full comment much) that they would help with the teaching of the language for those that wanted it, one teacher to a town wouldn't cost a lot of money but the attention and good will that small gesture would produce would be immense. And I think given the amount of money Madonna will make from her concerts maybe spending two minutes to learn a 5 second phrase 'parrot fashion' shouldn't be too much to expect it might even be seen as she's giving it her 'personal touch' but since she didn't have to, she obviously decided to spend two minutes doing other more important things! I hope someone from the radio station is looking into the advert's mentioned and hopefully can use them in their defence against this fine. As for myself I will continue to try and speak Bulgarian no matter how badly! & if people don't like it then I will simply say to them what we get told time and time again 'preva derch' or you need to get an interpreter!
Sonia..."Just one more thing: I am shocked at the style, vulgarity and generally low level of grammar and spelling shown in so many of these comments." That'll probably be me?!! Just ask Lilyfly she said I was illiterate I'm sure she said that and did not mean illigitimate! ;-) One quick last point my son (who's 22 over 6ft and quite broad) came out here for a long stay holiday and some of the old folk in the village -usually the men sitting outside the shops would just ignore him when he spoke, not one to be ignored he started to stand in front of the very people who were point blank ignoring him and would cheerfully say 'dobre den/zdrasti' whatever the greeting was repeatedly and he WOULD NOT MOVE out of the way until he was acknowledged albeit very begrudgingly, now the people who were so very rude before are now happy to speak and wave to him whenever he goes near! As they say "there's nowt so queer as folk!!....For any Bulgarians that just means that "people are strange!"

At the end (?) of this exchange of comments and insults.... I feel I should apologise for having suggested that "long term residents" would do well to try to learn some Bulgarian. Congratulations to Nell and others for having made the effort. I am saddened to read of the experiences of others who have been laughed at. Personally, this has never happened to me as people - all round the country - seem delighted that I have made the effort, not always grammatically correct.
Just one more thing: I am shocked at the style, vulgarity and generally low [...]

Read the full comment level of grammar and spelling shown in so many of these comments.

No wonder Bulgaria is slipping economically. Such stupid laws. Bulgaria, embrace diversity and join civilization.

Tasmaniarose, I don't agree with you.
You are sounding a bit like a little jealous kid.

WOW, I've been reading the Echo for years now and not once have I seen so much debate on an issue like this and have so many interested points of view. I think the exchanges that were shared are great and I'm also sure that any Bulgarian that have read it are either getting upset or have already began to realize that English is necessary to learn in this world now.
While the exchage got a little off point with the Madonna fine, it was still great to see so many people sharing there personal stories about living [...]

Read the full comment in BG. I have had the same experience and I've learned to deal with it.
Bulgarians are affraid to speak the English they know because they know they can't speak it perfectly. They are not willing to go out on a limb per say, while English speaking individuals will try to speak BG and get laughed at, it's not right but this is their country, if they choose to live in the 18th century then let them, it's so obvious that this country is it's own obstacle to moving forward in the world. Forget the Govt, they are still communist, have been and always will be, it's just the way it is here.
B

i would NEVER learn a language in which; not once but twice, and thrice in which bulgaria choose to side with the NAZI's. The history of BG shows extreme discrimination. And how during the communist era, children were taught to hate foreigners! Even today this exists in the 21st century. Of thracians, slavs, and bulgars from asia; the slavs and trakians seems most imcompetent that probably destroyed BG chances in history. The bulgars from asia were well cultured, athletic, academic, and open-minded with success in the blood.

now if it was a spanish or latin american musician; they still would have said the same in spanish lingua; whatever country they come they should utter that tongue. And if the broadcasters want to translate it is their respective discretion! Moreover, the tongue the advertisement used was a universal international business language; it wasn't complex. This shows and further expands the idiotic mentality of the bulgarians. They forget quite easily how they are surrounded by numerous borders! However, some countries don't have borders.

Herx:

"What an embarrassment for BG. This makes Bulgarians look like a tiny, massively insecure nation with a chip on its shoulder."

I am sick of idiots labeling every sensational headline "embarrassment for Bulgaria"!

That only reflects your personal view of BG and it speaks of you only. Countries are too large and complex to be collectively praised or embarrassed. The only "mocking and derision" comes from the people who hate the country already - foreign racist and native пишман българи included.

Besides, don't [...]

Read the full comment you have medias in your countries? Don't you know how they blow things out of proportion? No one's asking her to speak Bulgarian, but for the station to translate her words, like they do in every European country.

Tom has a point about the Irish language (Gaelic as some of us still call it). This is also true about the Gaelic-speaking parts of north-west Scotland, though less true of Wales, where there has been a massive revival in use of the Celtic language (which we call Cymraeg.)

I agree that Madonna should have at least made the effort to speak a few words of Bulgarian - it's not that difficult ! I just hope she never comes to Wales, where it is a political imperative to speak a few words of Welsh in greeting. [...]

Read the full comment
(Clue: "croeso i bawb" means 'welcome everybody'.)

Yes Julie and what about the coffee add (Jacobs I think) that has a jingle ONLY in english....??!

What an embarrassment for BG. This makes Bulgarians look like a tiny, massively insecure nation with a chip on its shoulder. Bulgarian is not an international language. It is unreasonable to think that a international megastar would record separate messages in the language of every single country where she will tour. Having Madonna speak, in her own language, gives the fans a chance to her real voice, speaking.

The BG law is nonsensical and just moronic from the linguistic, international relations and marketing perspectives.

Bulgaria only invites mocking derision with such a [...]

Read the full comment stupid law. This is the kind of law uneducated peasants would pass, not well educated people in tune with the international economy.

I do think Madonna should have contributed some Bulgarian for her add, she to was making enough money to make some effort.It would seem a bit harsh that a radio station would be fined in this age. However I would like to remind all bulgarians of what happned to the Irish language and the way it is now almost extinct as it was consumed by english over the last 50 years due to industry trade and tourism. As a frequent travler to BG from Ireland I do try and learn some BG and appreciate its culture and heritage,these can so [...]

Read the full comment easily slip away by trying to cater for the outside world.

Entering this apparently all-female debate with some trepidation, I can only record my own experience in Sofia on EU work.

The hotel I was in spoke excellent English (the Europa) - near the terrible Hotel Pliska - and the staff in the nearby Kamenitza beer bar were pretty good in English too.

In contrast, in the city centre very few seemed to speak English, though people were very helpful generally. In the Ministry building, NOBODY spoke English. However, I have a reasonable knowledge of Russian, so I used it. And EVERYBODY understood [...]

Read the full comment and spoke Russian. So I got along fine, and have many happy memories of Sofia.

Good point, Julie. And why is it that on cable TV, so many of the ads are in Romanian? I've even heard Hungarian ads. Or is it okay for cable to have different standards than the radio?

This thought just came to me..."According to chapter 12 article 1 of the Radio and Television Act, all advertisement in foreign languages are forbidden" I'm sure I have seen AND heard on TV the McDonalds advert and the theme 'song' the catchy little snippet that we all know IS DEFINATELY in English, it may be in the background with a Bulgarian over voicing the ad' but I'm sure it's there... can anyone tell me why it's allowed when it's IN ENGLISH & IT'S AN ADVERT' surely thats no different from Madonna?
If I'm wrong about the little 'catch [...]

Read the full comment phrase' then I'm sure SOMEONE will be only too eager to tell me!!

Lilyfly, I am not illiterate (which you obviously cannot spell so I suggest you use a spell checker if you need it),you wrote 7 times in succession correcting or at least attempting to excuse your last attempt at poor grammer and just so you know blaming the keyboard is not an excuse. I went to bed as I was bored by the amount of waffle you had contributed by that time. But I read your contributions this morning and frankly I was surprised by your very aggressive tone. By writing this "This one was probably passed in order to prevent [...]

Read the full comment Russian from being used in ads?. I doubt, Bulgarian government is usually so obliged to the Russian that if they could they'd make a law to ban any other language but not Russian lol" Are you saying that Bulgarian government are still communist at heart? That they would give preference to Russia over all other countries? Do the Bulgarian government favour the Russians? Are they 'obliged' as you say they are to the Russians? Do the people of this country still want to be 'run' by Russia?! I do not think so but it appears you do. And this "i knew two Englishwomen who were perfectly speaking Bulgarian after some 7 years living here, but lets face it, they were communicative and nice" Are you saying only communicative & nice people can speak Bulgarian? So if we do not speak Bulgarian does that REALLY make us uncommunicative and not nice people as you imply? I DO NOT AGREE? Surely you're not implying that? The English language is not half French as you say it is, I think now you're just being silly. I never said I was an expert though I do have considerably more and better experience of the language than you do Lilyfly. And lastly, please take this as a well meant comment, do yourself a favour and do not try to get into a discussion in a language that you're obviously not fluent enough in to carry on a conversation without mistakes - therefor getting into a discussion in fluent English is WELL BEYOND your capabilities, so please stop doing it,it makes you look very foolish. Or put down the rakia bottle first ;-)
P.S. OFFICIAL STATISTICS ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONTAINS IN EXCESS OF 1,000,000 WORDS. BULGARIAN LANGUAGE CONTAINS APPROX' 60,000 (according to Google)hmmm... now which would be the most comprehensive, evolved, diverse & concise language??? which is why it's taught as a second language around the world as is French,German & Spanish but notice NOT Bulgarian.

I've lived in Bulgaria for 12 years now and spent many hours formally studying Bulgarian. Although many Bulgarians are appreciative of those who try and speak Bulgarian, I find that they aren't used to hearing Bulgarian spoken by non-natives, so they often aren't very accommodating. Of course, we native English speakers are very use to hearing our language slaughtered by foreign speakers and so we are much more willing to be polite and let them speak while we try and understand. My favorite laugh here in Bulgaria has always been to hear Bulgarians talk about how they speak "perfect English" [...]

Read the full comment (as obviously Lilyfly seems to think she does). Non-native speakers speaking perfect English without having lived for many years in an English-speaking country? Not a chance. The Dutch and Scandinavians have worked for years at teaching English to a very high standard and yet, there are blogs dedicated to the many mistakes they make in English.

English is a very difficult language to learn to speak properly and I've only ever heard two or three Bulgarians come even close in all my years of living here. But that doesn't mean they should stop trying. As someone else pointed out in an earlier comment, they need to learn English better if they are ever to compete well on the world stage. And the point of foreign language is not speaking it "perfectly," it is about communicating. So long as you are getting your point across, you are being successful in another language.

The real problem with Bulgarian is that it is a dying language spoken by an ever-shrinking population. How many books were written in Bulgarian last year--or in the last 10 years? Read the papers, their ability to write well in their own language is sadly lacking. If Bulgarian is going to flourish, it must be used more and used effectively. Where are the children's books written in Bulgarian (rather than translated from English)? I've noticed that Bulgarian children rarely read; I can only assume this is partly because there is so little to actually read in Bulgarian.

The problem is that rather than taking a hard look at the facts and working towards solutions, Bulgarians always choose to cling to their pride and arrogance. "Our language is wonderful," they boast, while they themselves speak it poorly and write it almost illiterately. "Our education system is the best in the world," they claim, while they graduate students who have paid for their grades and attended school drunk. "We are the smartest people in the world," they shout, while living in a country falling apart around their ears from years of mismanagement. It is unfortunate for future Bulgarians that reality is so far removed from their parent's own view of themselves.

i also have been laughed/smiled at for speaking Bg, and in Sofia is impossible to speak Bg, no-one gives a chance or the leeway and immediately speaks english to you-not perfect english of course, but we have to accept that!! thats no reason though to stop trying and learning - i've found the same elsewhere also, and i smile when they speak english now!!
if you work outside Sofia, as i did, you have to speak Bg - some people understand me and some people appear not to, dont know why. what irritates me most is when they [...]

Read the full comment smile after i know i've spoken good Bg. actually they dont speak "good Bg" but colloquial/regional and we sound "sweet".
keep trying though, i believe its hugely important and has personal satifaction.

I couldn't agree more with Mats remark.Even though for the last 20 years Bulgaria has functioning democracy, the government officials still have this inferiority complex when comes to language issues. They think that, if they allow advertisement in different languages in radio or TV stations they will open the Pandora's box and the Turkish language will be widely used for advertisement or for other announcements. In my view is absurd. I think, it is time for Bulgarian government officials to trust their citizens judgment and leave behind this idea of formation of pure homogeneity nation.

Expat, Julie - its good to know I'm not the only one. I've entirely given up learning Bulgarian because every time I make a mistake EVERY Bulgarian - even my girlfriend - laughs their asses off at me. Forget that whenever they make mistakes in English I either accept it because I understand the meaning or gently correct them if they ask me to. Then they say 'you've been here 7 years how come you don't speak the language?'.

Oh and this law is designed so that they can't advertise in Turkish.

steve " This one was probably passed in order to prevent Russian from being used in ads?". I doubt, Bulgarian government is usually so obliged to the Russian that if they could they'd make a law to ban any other language but not Russian lol

i knew two Englishwomen who were perfectly speaking Bulgarian after some 7 years living here, but lets face it, they were communicative and nice

it is not the point why or if the government is right in this case, the pont is the government SHOULD have much bigger issues to deal with, not the Madonna ad

simply*

in* words*, sorry keyboard

n fact the word in Bulgarianfrom English are the so called "world lexis" and they are derived from Latin, and Latin is not a predecessor of English to my knowledge but to French, in fact English is half French in historical frames, so please dont show yourslef an expert in linguistcs: siply you are not

Julie, I cannot have a discussion with someone illiterate, if you need examples open a dictionary and hae it for yourself, saying English is older sounds like a joke, we were writing in Bulgarian when you havent even dreamt to write in English, regrethfully

Julie, don't lose any sleep waiting for a reply, she won't be able to answer your question.
I agree with you, this fine is crazy, Bulgaria needs to join the 21th century and soon before it completely falls apart.

Lilyfly, as I have already asked you, please give me examples of Bulgarian words that are in the English language...well they are according to you! I do know that my language is 'older' than yours by quite some time margin, I also know that it has encompassed words from other countries and cultures as has your language though to a greater degree. The origins of a country's language was not the main topic for discussion, the point raised and views expressed were about WHY is it acceptable for the government to ban someone from 'speaking' in another language-all 22 words? [...]

Read the full comment What harm is it doing? Or do you agree with the policy of the government Lilylfy? You have not yet given an opinion about the topic raised do you think they were right in fining the radio station for the broadcast? I do not. But that is merely my opinion.

Julie, you are 100% RIGHT, people in Bulgaria would rather laugh at you then try to encourge you to learn Bulgarian. I'm lucky, I work for an American Company so our staff must know English but I have to survive here as well and it's not easy. I've learned some Bulgarian and if I don't pronounce it just perfectly, they will critisize you and then not help you so I don't feel guilty at all for not knowing Bulgarian, I have a Bulgarian girlfriend that speaks perfect English so I'm good but for the record, I would love to learn [...]

Read the full comment Bulgarian and speak it well, it may take time but I'm willing to try. As for this radio thing, it's a typical Bulgarian reaction to anything that is not in the norm. Everything here is about control, if you have it, GREAT! If you don't, your screwed.
Now don't send me all kinds of hate mail people, I love your Country, I love the people as well but I think we all can agree that we all have to be tolerant of one another.
See at the show!
NO FINE, NO FINE, NO FINE

Just another silly Bulgarian law coming to light. This one was probably passed in order to prevent Russian from being used in ads? I don't know..... I can only laugh whenever someone tells me "it is forbidden." How long is this country going to be mired in socialist ways? Think of how this law is being enforced. Your taxes are paying for some government people to presumably be sitting in their offices, each of them listening to a different media outlet in order that they might discover something "forbidden." What a wonderful use of leva.

in fact, most scholars agree that English is so much popular because it is a flexible language and borrows anytime anywhere it finds a good word about something

yeah, u missed a lot, just take a notebook on English language history and then think about it again (of what u said)

Lilyfly you said 'Julie T, if you knew English language well you would have known most word in it r nt English at all, in fact, they r borrowed from all the word, so Engkish has a few Bulgarian words either' PLEASE DO TELL ME WHAT WORDS ARE IN MY NATIVE LANGUAGE THAT ARE BULGARIAN! OR HAVE I MISSED SOMETHING THROUGHOUT MY SCHOOL,COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY YEARS?

words* world* English* sorry, keyboard trouble

rebelrobbie, are you less priminive than Bulgarians...r u sure? Julie T, if you knew English language well you would have known most word in it r nt English at all, in fact, they r borrowed from all the word, so Engkish has a few Bulgarian words either

Sonia, I have to agree to a point with what you say, though another point of view is this. Madonna is not a long term resident, so surely she does not HAVE to speak in Bulgarian? WHY should she be classed as unfit for public broadcast because her native language is English?...WHY is it that she can sing in English (her concerts bring in a lot of money the government are more than happy to take)but she cannot be allowed to speak for 10 seconds on BG radio, even you cannot justify that surely! How much music is in the [...]

Read the full comment English language that you hear every day?? The government are happy to take the revenue from the radio stations and don't ban them from playing songs sung in English!! Yes more foreigners speaking Bulgarian may/may not be a good idea, personaly I think it's best if more people are able to speak in a common language and lets face it English IS more, much more widely spoken than Bulgarian. And whether you, me or anyone else likes it or not, Bulgarian will NEVER be the main spoken language in the world. From my experience, Bulgarian is a very difficult language to learn, and it's very disheartening when you hear words/phrases spoken and you try (very hard) to repeat what you hear and the person your speaking to looks at you as though your simple, instead of encouraging people who want to learn the language and intergrate in Bulgarian society,you're made to feel VERY foolish for even trying, and with absolutely no inclination to help you with your pronounciation or to even TRY to understand what you're saying, trust me you get to the point as have many of us, that you just think 'whats the point in trying'?

Many Bulgarians pride themselves being progressive and open minded but as we see the action of their government officials regarding the Madonnas talking English in the Darik Radio shows how backward are the ruling circles are in Bulgaria.
It is hard to understand how Bulgaria was accepted to be a full member of the European community

Just one small point, Julie T.: what a shame - even a disgrace - that so many of the "long term residents" in Bulgaria have made so little effort to learn some Bulgarian....

Madonna is a celebration of life, joy and love. She does not look young, she is young, hot and sexy!

Look, if you don't speak English then you probably wouldn't be going to the Madonna concert anyway! Granted she is an obnoxious old hag but in her defense English is the language she speaks in, sings in and is the choice of for many, many millions of people (as is well known English is the main language of MANY countries whereas Bulgarian is spoken as the main language of one small country) So many people in BG are fluent in English and they are probably going to be the younger generation, the very people who choose to listen to and [...]

Read the full comment go to concerts by Madonna or many other foreigner celebrities who probably speak English as opposed to Bulgarian. Not fair to punish the radio station that was only bringing news of an event to people just because the celebrity doesn't speak your language, what about the number of tourists and long term residents who would happily go to see Madonna, surely they desereve the chance to find out when she's here? And anyway...how many words in daily life are actually Bulgarian and NOT from anonther country's vocabulary?? I bet you have many many words that are now widely used that are English because there simply isn't a BG alternative.

English is a foreign language...yeah, this primitive country has agreed to become a member of European Union where English ist most common language...this shows that this outdated national Bulgarian law is against EU law which is not allowed!

tasmaniarose, do you think a third finger is her private parts? lol well, may be she makes sex with women with her third finger but still i doubt it is "private part"

So the Turish news in Turish is ok then...??!! Advertising is a form of communication and so is deliver the news!!

No wonder Bulgaria is slipping economically. Such stupid laws. Bulgaria, embrace diversity and join civilization.

WHAT A VULGAR,primitive woman!

She is MUCH TOO STUPID to learn foregn languages!

The ONLY thing she can do is to show
her private parts to the whole world!