Croatian has the word "odnosno" with the same meaning and usage as the German word. It is a very useful word meaning which is approximated by the English "respectively". But as noted in the article, the English word cannot be used to mean "and/or". English is the poorer for it. Maybe we should adopt the usage of "resp" in English.

I wonder if the Croatian usage is a calque from the German?

"others" == "other things"; what is the problem there?

It makes me wonder what mistakes are typical of English-speakers writing in other languages.

Not exactly in the same vein, and not just English-speakers, but this amused me.

It makes me wonder what mistakes are typical of English-speakers writing in other languages.

In most European languages, I suspect that a typical mistake is to use present participles as gerunds, possessives instead of demonstratives, and maybe other habits we picked up from the Insular Celts.

It makes me wonder what mistakes are typical of English-speakers writing in other languages.

Joy Burrough wrote a book - Righting English that's gone Dutch (ISBN 90 57 97008 2) - on how the Dutch make their own English. The second edition of this book will be published this year.

I was watching this "teach yourself Spanish" instructional DVD, and in the midst of a blandly whimsical "fun" presentation, the host gets all serious and says, "Be absolutely certain to put a tilde on the n when spelling the word "años."

The host's sudden gravity immediately sent my non-Spanish-speaking self to Larousse's.

I wonder how many tourists and students blithely inform the authorities in Spanish-speaking countries that they are at least 21 assholes.

"Be absolutely certain to put a tilde on the n when spelling the word "años."

Amazon lists Garcia Marquez's magnum opus as Cien Anos de Soledad.

What a sad book that would be...