Translations and Other Language Solutions in Ukrainian Language

Learning vocabulary is usually the most difficult part of studying any language. This is because vocabulary recall requires repetition and frequent use, and Ukrainian vocabulary is no exception.

One of the most valuable reasons for learning Ukrainian is that it will allow you to get a little closer to Ukrainian culture and speak to Ukrainian people’s hearts, not their minds. Language has been very important and significant for Ukrainians ever since ancient times.

A person who is motivated to learn Ukrainian and does not have previous experience in language learning, and consistently studies one hour a day, will probably need 3.5 or 4 years to reach the intermediate level in Ukrainian.

The pronunciation of Ukrainian is also quite difficult for most European language speakers. Most consonants have palatalised and non-palatalised versions, which one should be able to differentiate, and the language has many sounds which do not exist in other languages, as well as a few letter combinations (consonant combinations in particular) that can be difficult to pronounce.

Lastly, Ukrainian writing is in Cyrillic. It is possibly the biggest challenge when learning to write in Ukrainian.

The Foreign Service Institute in the USA classifies Ukrainian as a difficult language, which takes up 1100 studying hours for the learner (in optimal situations). That is almost two times more than the learning time for Dutch and two times less than Chinese.

Studies in Ukrainian universities are considered to be high-level studies.

The state is quite welcoming to foreign students. Universities provide tens of study programs and scholarships for potential students from abroad.

Education in Ukraine is popular among students from African and Asian countries, for example, Libya, Bangladesh, India, China, Nigeria, Egypt, Jordan, etc. Study program variety and relatively low study costs in Ukraine appeal to students who want to get an education in medicine or engineering abroad.

Education institutes offer four different learning languages: Ukrainian, Russian, English, and French (for study programs in medicine).

It is possible to understand Polish, Czech, Belarussian, and other Slavic languages if one has learned Ukrainian as they are quite similar.

On 16 July  2019, the law to ensure the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language was passed. The law stated that all foreign entrepreneurs planning to expand their business within Ukrainian territories should ensure the availability of all legal documents, product information, websites, and other business-related documents in Ukrainian.

Ukrainian entrepreneurs usually speak fluent Russian, Polish and English, therefore it is possible to arrange business meetings in these languages. But in any case, every Ukrainian person would highly appreciate it if their business partner respected their native language and traditions and knew at least a few polite phrases in Ukrainian.

The Ukrainian population in Latvia increased rapidly after the Second World War when thousands of Ukrainians were sent to work in the Latvian SSR, and it is considered an ethnic minority formed through recent migration. The number of Ukrainians decreased almost by half after Latvia regained its independence.

In 1897 there were thousands Ukrainian soldiers and Riga Polytechnic Institute students living in Latvia. The rest of them moved here during Soviet times. At the moment, there are 62 thousand Ukrainians living in Latvia. It is the youngest ethnic minority in terms of age. In terms of education level, Ukrainians are second in the country (after Jewish people); they start strong families and adapt to new social environments quite easily – there are fewer unemployed people among Ukrainians than any other ethnic minority group. Ukrainians are characterised by their loyalty to authority, cordiality, sense of responsibility and discipline. These resolutions are based on research conducted by Днiпро, Ukrainian Society of Culture and Education, within the framework of the Ukrainians in Latvia conference with the funding of the Latvian Society Integration Foundation. 452 Ukrainian minority representatives from Rīga, Ventspils, Liepāja, Rēzekne, Tukums, and Rīga district participated in the survey.

Most of the Ukrainian community lives in Rīga. There is a Ukrainian high school in the capital city whose graduates fluently speak Ukrainian and Latvian. Latvian Ukrainians are the second biggest community after Latvian Jews, but their level of naturalisation is the lowest. Most Latvian Ukrainians live in mixed Ukrainian and Russian families.

Interest in Latvian Ukrainian culture is promoted by the Latvian Ukrainian Union public organisations and the Днiпро cultural society (named after the biggest river in Ukraine). The Ukrainian children’s choir is also named Днiпро. Ukrainian culture centres are located in Ventspils, Rēzekne, Liepāja, Daugavpils, and Vangaži.

Compared to other ethnic minorities in Latvia, Ukrainians have the lowest naturalisation level. Even though surveys suggest that half of Ukrainians practically support integration, most of them think that it hasn’t even started. Integration structures are formalised, separated from the needs and interests of the Ukrainian ethnic minority.

The Ukrainian ethnic minority has a special place in Latvia’s multinational society. It was formed after the Second World War, during the sovietisation of the Baltics. Therefore it can be considered a minority formed through migration, unlike other ethnic minorities that have historically lived in Latvian territories, for example, Belarusians, Poles, Germans, and Jews.

The Ukrainian ethnic minority is going through the integration process very slowly. The most important measurement in this situation – the level of naturalisation – is the lowest compared to other minorities.

Most Ukrainians consider the knowledge of the official language to be the most important requirement for integration. Even though Ukrainians have considerably improved their Latvian skills since 1993, only 11% speak it fluently. Free Latvian lessons, organised by Ukrainian culture and education associations and schools, could be used as an effective method by trying to relate it to the native language environment and Ukrainian culture.

Considering the recent political situation in Ukraine, Latvia has been a huge support to Ukraine and its citizens.

With the help of the Ministry of Defence and Elmārs Pļaviņš, chief chaplain of the Latvian National Armed Forces, Latvia has transported more than 400 tonnes of humanitarian aid to citizens of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014. By 18 January 2021, 21 humanitarian aid shipments had already been delivered.

On 20 January 2021, the Latvian National Armed Forces handed over 7 vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strengthen military medical skills.

Since 2014, a total of 75 victims of the conflict in Ukraine (Ukrainian soldiers, political prisoners freed by Russia, and their family members) have been admitted to Latvia for treatment within the framework of the state support program. They have received medical help, and physical and psychological rehabilitation in the amount of 181 000 EUR.

Excellent cooperation has also been established in the field of education.

In 2020, 65 Ukrainian students studied remotely in the European Union Studies – Internal and Foreign Policy study program at the University of Latvia in the area of young professionals in order to strengthen great management capacity. More than 150 Ukrainian students have graduated from the program since 2015.

In 2020, studies continued in the Online Intensive Programme in European Law and Economics at the Riga Graduate School of Law. Seven Ukrainian students graduated from the school in 2020. In total, 54 Ukrainian professionals have graduated from the programs at the Riga Graduate School of Law since 2014.