The changing perception of the Ukrainian language

Has there been a more omnipresent topic in the media in the last year than Ukraine? I hardly think so. However, it is not news about the country or about life in Ukraine that has garnered so much attention. Rather, it’s the terrible, destructive invasion of Ukraine that has caused such a stir. This in turn has awakened global interest in all things Ukrainian: the designers, musicians, writers, athletes ... and, last but not least, the language itself.

The veil of ignorance ...

Two decades ago, most people thought that Ukraine was part of Russia or, at best, a small country somewhere in Eastern Europe. Today, that perception has clearly changed. 
It is similar with the Ukrainian language. I have been asked countless times if Ukrainian is a dialect of the Russian language. The answer is: of course not!
And even though the country and its independent roots are no longer in question, the Ukrainian language still often needs clarification. Why is that? Is it perhaps because its use was banned over 130 times?! I won’t go into the details of the Russification process of Ukraine, but it is important to note that it has a history going back 300 years. Its primary aim was to wipe out the Ukrainian language and to change its perception both from within and on the outside. Unfortunately, and as proven by how frequently the language question is asked, this campaign was successful in both cases.

... has fallen

The year 2022, however, tells a different story. According to Duolingo – the popular language learning app – interest in Ukrainian in 2022 in Germany alone increased by 1,651% compared to the previous year, making it the fastest-growing language in the country!

What’s more, an ever-increasing number of blue-and-yellow flags are being flown in everyday life in Germany, as well as in other countries around the world, as an ode to the Ukrainian-speaking people and their homeland. I’ve also noticed Ukrainian showing up more and more in the language options on Netflix, for example.
This development has had an impact on our industry too. Who, if not language service providers, are first in demand when a ‘new’ language needs to be established on the market. We are the first port of call when it comes to subtitling news or translating warning notifications, job portals, books by contemporary Ukrainian authors into German and, of course, children’s books for the younger refugees into Ukrainian.

The situation of freelancers who work in the target language Ukrainian has also changed. Some of them have been unreachable for a long time due to their location within the country itself or having to seek refuge elsewhere. Others are only sporadically available due to the destroyed infrastructure and can no longer work to the usual extent. Nevertheless, the will to cope with everyday life remains intact. Our translators and proofreaders continue to work even from air-raid shelters. Considering the general conditions of work in a war-torn country, this increased demand for their services is a sign of changing times.

A wake-up call

The world is currently seeing Ukraine through different eyes, with the language also being viewed in a new light by Ukrainians, who now think of it as a mark of their identity despite being fairly fluent in at least one other language. That said, it’s an undeniable fact that 300 years of oppression can take a long time to come to terms with and make up for. The war was a wake-up call for the Ukrainian people to get to know their own culture better and to introduce it, and their language, to the world. The ball has been set rolling ...

In March 2022, the General Assembly of EFNIL – European Federation of National Institutions for Language – granted Ukraine membership in the EU Language Federation. Not only has the presence of this language increased globally, but the world is now ready to embrace Ukrainian into the fold as a valuable equal. It’s an extremely important and extraordinary development that offers this beautiful and diverse Slavic language the platform it truly deserves.