Good evening
GreetingsДобър вечер
Dobar vecher DOH-bar VEH-cher
On language
Two languages, one job that's the same as engineering.
Born Bulgarian. Irish citizen since summer 2025. C2-certified in both English and Bulgarian. Interpretation with TRANSLIT and translation.ie since 2023 — taking what one person means and giving another person what they meant. The same job as writing code, but the runtime is a stranger in a clinic.
Two scripts
Bulgarian (Cyrillic)
Здравейте
zdrah-VEY-teh · "Hello"
English
Hello
/həˈloʊ/ · greeting
The path
Two countries, three chapters
From Bulgaria, to Ireland, to the interpretation booth.
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01 · 2003 – 2015
Bulgaria
First language, first decade
Born and raised in Bulgaria. Bulgarian as the language of family, school, and everyday life — Cyrillic, the rhythm of Slavic verbs, the famous head-shake for 'yes'.
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02 · 2015 →
Ireland
Second language, second passport
Moved to Ireland in 2015. English from scratch through primary, into the Leaving Cert, then a Computer Science degree at UL. Bilingual switching becomes a reflex, not a choice. Naturalised Irish citizen in summer 2025 — eleven years after arriving.
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03 · 2023 →
TRANSLIT · translation.ie
Interpretation, as a craft
Professional interpreter with TRANSLIT since February 2023 and with translation.ie since 2024 — Bulgarian ↔ English in medical, social-service and government settings. Where translation stops being a school skill and becomes a job with stakes.
The proof
C2 in both
Verified at the highest CEFR level in each language.
Certified
Certificate of Language Ability - C2
Language Certification
May 2026
Certified
EFSET English Certificate 76/100 (C2 Proficient)
EF SET
February 2023
Native
Bulgarian
From birth
The language of family, food, and complicated grammar.
Interpretation moment
Medical interpretation · TRANSLIT
"Tell her it'll be alright."
A consultant's instruction to me, mid-appointment, looking at the patient rather than at me. That sentence isn't translatable — the comfort lives in tone, in timing, in the small Bulgarian endearments the consultant would never use. My job that day was to find the closest Bulgarian version a stranger from Sofia would believe. We landed on it together.
Languages: BG ↔ EN Setting: clinical Lesson: tone > words
Thirty phrases
A starter Bulgarian phrasebook.
Useful phrases I'd actually teach someone on their first trip — with Cyrillic, Latin transliteration, and a phonetic guide for English speakers.
Good morning
GreetingsДобро утро
Dobro utro DOH-broh OO-troh
Goodbye
GreetingsДовиждане
Dovizhdane do-VEEZH-dah-neh
Casual is "Chao" (Чао) — same as Italian "ciao".
Hello
GreetingsЗдравейте
Zdraveyte zdrah-VEY-teh
Formal greeting. Informal singular is "Здравей" (zdrah-VEY).
How are you?
GreetingsКак сте?
Kak ste? kahk steh
Formal. Informal "Как си?" (Kak si?) — used with friends.
Please
GreetingsМоля
Molya MOH-lyah
Also means "you're welcome" in response to thanks.
Thank you
GreetingsБлагодаря
Blagodarya bla-go-dar-YAH
A shorter, casual "thanks" is "Mersi" (мерси) — borrowed from French and widely used.
A glass of water, please
RestaurantЧаша вода, моля
Chasha voda, molya CHA-shah voh-DAH, MOH-lyah
A table for two, please
RestaurantМаса за двама, моля
Masa za dvama, molya MAH-sah zah DVAH-mah, MOH-lyah
Cheers!
RestaurantНаздраве!
Nazdrave! nahz-DRAH-veh
Literally "to health". Used for toasting and after someone sneezes.
Could I get a coffee, please?
RestaurantЕдно кафе, моля
Edno kafe, molya ED-noh kah-FEH, MOH-lyah
Bulgarian coffee culture is strong — espresso is the default.
Could I see the menu?
RestaurantМоже ли менюто?
Mozhe li menyuto? MOH-zheh lee men-YOO-toh
The bill, please
RestaurantСметката, моля
Smetkata, molya SMET-kah-tah, MOH-lyah
This is delicious
RestaurantТова е много вкусно
Tova e mnogo vkusno toh-VAH eh MNOH-goh VKOOS-noh
The airport
DirectionsЛетището
Letishteto leh-TEESH-teh-toh
The hospital
DirectionsБолницата
Bolnitsata BOHL-nee-tsah-tah
The train station
DirectionsЖп гарата
Zhp garata zhuh-puh GAH-rah-tah
"Жп" stands for железопътен — railway.
Where is the bathroom?
DirectionsКъде е тоалетната?
Kade e toaletnata? KUH-deh eh toh-ah-LET-nah-tah
How much does it cost?
EverydayКолко струва?
Kolko struva? KOHL-koh STROO-vah
I don't understand
EverydayНе разбирам
Ne razbiram neh rahz-BEE-ram
I'm from Ireland
EverydayОт Ирландия съм
Ot Irlandiya sam ot eer-LAHN-dee-yah suhm
Sorry / Excuse me
EverydayИзвинете
Izvinete eez-vee-NEH-teh
What's your name?
EverydayКак се казвате?
Kak se kazvate? kahk seh kahz-VAH-teh
Formal. Informal is "Как се казваш?" (Kak se kazvash?).
Yes / No
EverydayДа / Не
Da / Ne dah / neh
Famous gotcha — Bulgarians traditionally shake their head for "yes" and nod for "no". Younger urban Bulgarians have started doing the international version, so context matters.
A glass / A bottle
Wine & foodЧаша / Бутилка
Chasha / Butilka CHAH-shah / boo-TEEL-kah
Red wine / White wine
Wine & foodЧервено вино / Бяло вино
Cherveno vino / Byalo vino cher-VEH-noh VEE-noh / BYAH-loh VEE-noh
Bulgaria has a deep wine tradition — Melnik, Mavrud, and Rubin are notable indigenous reds.
This pairs well with...
Wine & foodТова върви добре с...
Tova varvi dobre s... toh-VAH vuhr-VEE doh-BREH suh
What do you recommend?
Wine & foodКакво препоръчвате?
Kakvo preporachvate? kahk-VOH preh-poh-RUHCH-vah-teh
Call the police
EmergencyИзвикайте полицията
Izvikayte politsiyata eez-vee-KAI-teh poh-LEE-tsee-yah-tah
Bulgarian emergency number is 112.
Help!
EmergencyПомощ!
Pomosht! poh-MOSHT
I am allergic to...
EmergencyАлергичен съм към...
Alergichen sam kam... ah-ler-GEE-chen suhm kuhm
Use "Алергична" (alergichna) if you are female. Useful at restaurants for nuts, gluten, shellfish.
I need an ambulance
EmergencyИмам нужда от линейка
Imam nuzhda ot lineyka EE-mam NOOZH-dah ot lee-NEY-kah
There's a fire
EmergencyИма пожар
Ima pozhar EE-mah poh-ZHAR
No phrases in this category.
What it taught me
Translation isn't word-for-word. Half the work of interpreting is figuring out what someone actually meant — given their culture, their stress level, the unspoken thing they're hoping you'll catch — and then handing that to the listener in a form their mind will accept.
Software engineering does the same job between people and machines. The requirement says one thing. The user wanted something subtly different. A good engineer is a translator with a compiler.
A good engineer is a translator with a compiler.