Macedonian Learning Community and Resource

Hi dear community, 

I find this topic super fun to discuss. Happy to hear your POV. 

Back in the early 2000s, as computers and the internet were just beginning to enter Macedonia, there was an effort, especially in schools, to introduce purely Macedonian terms for new technologies. For example, teachers encouraged students to use сметач for “computer,” which literally means “calculator.” However, this attempt to create local vocabulary didn’t catch up in daily conversation, especially among younger users who found these terms less intuitive than their English counterparts.

Soon enough, English terms started entering our everyday language, and we gradually stopped hearing words like сметач in favor of “компјутер” or even the Macedonianized апдејтиран and даунлодиран. 

Let’s discuss:

• Do you remember any other early Macedonian tech terms? Did you learn those because they are coming from English words?
• When discussing tech today, do you prefer English terms or Macedonianized versions, or would you like to see purely Macedonian alternatives?
• Is it the same in your language and culture? Did people just quit inventing new local words for global technologies or do they accept the English terms?
• What do you think is the best path forward?