Translations and Other Language Solutions in Lithuanian Language

WHERE AND HOW MANY PEOPLE SPEAK LITHUANIAN?

Lithuanian is the official language in Lithuania, spoken by more than 85% of the country’s population as a native language and 90% of the country’s population speak Lithuanian fluently.

Lithuanian is also used outside of its borders. A significant number of Lithuanian speakers live in Poland, where Lithuanian is included in the local education programme.

Since the 19th century, the rise of emigration has caused residents of foreign countries to identify with the language as well. As a result, communes of Lithuanian speakers have formed in many foreign countries, including the USA, the UK and Norway.

The total number of language users in the world could be about 4 million. For approximately 2.4 million of the population, Lithuanian is a native language. In addition to Lithuanian diasporas in the neighbouring countries, from the 19th to the 21st century, Lithuanians have also emigrated to other continents.

The USA holds the largest part of the Lithuanian diaspora; it is estimated that approximately 600,000 Lithuanians live in the USA. Lithuanian emigration to the United States began in the 19th century and was suspended during the Soviet occupation when travel and emigration were severely restricted. Chicago is called the capital of Lithuanians in the USA. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, approximately 200,000 Lithuanians have emigrated to the United States.

Approximately 60,000 Lithuanians live in Canada.

Lithuanian communities in Mexico and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Uruguay and Venezuela) formed before the Second World War, starting at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. At present, there is no more flow of emigrants to these destinations, as the economic conditions are not better than in Lithuania. Currently, there could be approximately 230,000 Lithuanians in these countries.

At the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century, Lithuanian communities formed in South Africa, consisting mainly of Jews.

Lithuanian communities in the regions of the former Soviet Union formed during the Soviet occupation; the number of Lithuanians in Siberia and Central Asia rapidly increased when a large number of Lithuanians were forcibly deported to these territories. After that, however, most of them came back to Lithuania. Later, many Lithuanians were transferred to work in other territories of the Soviet Union; some of them did not return to Lithuania after the restoration of independence. About 86,000 Lithuanians currently live in Russia.

Lithuanian communities in North-western Europe (the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland) are very new and began to form after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 1990; this emigration increased after Lithuania became part of the European Union in 2004.

The highest Lithuanian concentration per capita in Western Europe may be in the Republic of Ireland; approximately 45,000 Lithuanians (about half of whom are registered) make up more than 1% of Ireland’s total population.

About 47,000 Lithuanians live in Norway and it has quickly become the second biggest ethnic minority in the country, accounting for 0.85% of the total Norwegian population and 4.81% of all foreign residents in Norway. There are about 3,500 Lithuanians in Iceland, accounting for 1% of the total population.

The Lithuanian diaspora in Germany began to form after the Second World War.

In 1950, they founded a Lithuanian high school in Diepholz, which was a private school for the children of Lithuanian refugees.

For decades, the Lithuanian high school was the only full-time high school outside the Eastern Bloc that offered courses in Lithuanian history, language and culture. In 1954, the Lithuanian community bought the Rennhof Manor with its twelve-acre park in the town of Lampertheim-Heitenfeld. The school was relocated there and still exists – https://www.gimnazija.de/en. The school is currently called the 16th of February Gymnasium.

Lithuanian communities also exist in Australia. However, due to the great distance from Europe, emigration there was negligible

LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE IN BUSINESS

At present, about 27,000 Lithuanians live in Latvia, which makes up the fifth-largest minority group in Latvia. Regardless of nationality, approximately five thousand citizens of the Republic of Lithuania permanently live in Latvia.

Most Lithuanians live in Riga and near the Lithuanian border – in Liepāja and Liepāja region, Bauska Municipality, Saldus Municipality, Jelgava and Jelgava Municipality, Dobele Municipality, Daugavpils and Daugavpils Municipality.

The first Lithuanians settled in the territory of modern Latvia in the 7 ─ 12 centuries.

With the manufacturing development, from the beginning of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century, the immigration of Lithuanians to Latvia increased significantly. Lithuanians went to Riga, Liepāja, Bauska, Jelgava and Ventspils in search of work and education. Many Lithuanians worked at the Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca Fēnikss, the rubber manufacturer Provodnik, sawmills, laundry spinning mills, breweries, furniture workshops, tram depots, ports and other places. After the declaration of the sovereign states of Lithuania and Latvia in 1918, some Lithuanians returned to Lithuania.

To be closer to Lithuania, in the 1960s and 1970s, many former political prisoners and exiled Lithuanians who were not allowed by the Lithuanian Soviet authorities to return to their homeland, settled in Latvia (Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepāja, Riga, their surroundings and elsewhere). From 1988 to 1995 Latvian Lithuanians actively participated in the activities of the Popular Front of Latvia.

Latvia and Lithuania are connected by close cooperation, common interests in the Baltic Sea region and strategic partnership with the European Union and NATO.

At many levels, there is frequent and active political dialogue between the nations.

Effective practical collaboration has been developed between national parliaments, sectoral ministries, municipalities, and non-governmental organisations.

The shared historical background of Latvia and Lithuania as well as the close personal ties between the citizens foster non-governmental cooperation, enable the execution of cross-border projects, and encourage cooperation in a variety of areas such as culture, education, tourism, and other fields.

Lithuania is one of Latvia’s most important trading partners, and the two nations have steady economic connections.

Education cooperation between Latvia and Lithuania is based on the tripartite cooperation agreements between the Baltic states as well as within the framework of educational programmes and projects of the Baltic-Nordic countries, Baltic Sea region countries, the Council of Europe, and the EU.

There is an active exchange of students, doctoral students, lecturers, and researchers based on the inter-ministerial agreement on the exchange of students, researchers, and teaching personnel. Cooperation agreements have been signed by Latvian higher education institutions with Vilnius University, Klaipeda University, Vytautas Magnus University, Mikolas Romeris University, Kaunas Medical University, Vilnius University of Law, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, etc.

Riga Lithuanian High School has been operating in Riga since 1991 – https://www.rlvs.lv.

The Latvian National Opera actively collaborates with the Lithuanian National Opera, exchanging artists and conductors.

The art museums, national libraries, and archives of the two nations work closely together. The Latvian National Art Museum maintains a successful collaboration with the Lithuanian National Art Museum in Vilnius.

Lithuanian is offered as an elective course and as part of undergraduate studies in various Latvian universities.

Additional information about studies at Riga Stradins University can be read here, and at the University of Latvia here.

The Embassy of Lithuania in Latvia, which is based in Riga, assists Lithuanian citizens in Latvia – https://lv.mfa.lt.