donors and donators

I just got reminded today of one item from my list (admittedly after a decent break from posting).  I donate.  You donate.  They (we hope) donate.  But all of us donors, not donators.  I can't explain it, it's just the way it is.

Republic of of the Serbs

This has been hashed over many times by others, but again today a sign close to Sarajevo violated my sense of the English language.  How to translate Republika Srpska into English?  The Serb Republic is the most literal translation except that sounds too much like the Republic of Serbia.  Maybe that's the best one despite the confusion since I think that's kind of what the creators intended.  The worst one is the official RS government translation as listed on the sign because of the implicit double "of".  So it seems that most institutions leave it as "Republika Srpska" in English, yet another dimension of the unknowable Balkans.

While I'm on topics political, I'm fascinated how the Dayton Agreement acknowledged "entities" which is diplomatic speak for "that which we can not name", i.e. what isn't a state but isn't anything else we've ever seen before, either.  What exactly they are is both irrelevant (the important is that we're fighting over what they are) and yet the main point at the same time.  I wouldn't wish them on any other countries, though.

research

research functions differently than "istraživanje".  While it is a noun, i.e. you can "do research", you can't call the final result a research or "researches".  You can have a "research report" or "research results" or an "[academic] paper".

medicaments

Yes, this word exists.  No we hardly ever use it.  Medicines is perfectly fine

jedinstven

= unique in the sense that there is only one like it
= unified in the sense that it is integrated i.e. part of one whole

relations(hips)

countries have relations, you can study international relations.  But to my ear when you say that people have relations it sounds a bit like THAT kind of relations.  Relationships is safer and better to my ear.

Prepositionally

This text is written in English. (read period).  Not on English.  And not "on the English language".  Here's one where English is simple and to the point.  Just start with in.  And you translate "into English", "into Bosnian", etc.