Words could cost you dear in Latvia
Published: 10 December, 2008, 10:50
Edited: 25 July, 2010, 04:19
Latvia is preparing to double the so-called “language fine” for using a non-state language in the workplace. Offenders caught speaking a foreign tongue in any office or business will soon have to pay the equivalent of $100.
While the rules would appear to be aimed at reducing the use of Russian in Latvia, they could in theory be used against people using English, French, German or any other foreign language.
Amendments to the legislation were passed on December 9 with final voting on the bill scheduled for later this month.
At the moment, language violators can escape with just a warning. But when the new regulations come into force, a fine will be the only option.
The current fine of 25 lats ($50) is rising to 50 lats ($100)
Meanwhile, the penalty for speaking a non-state language without proper translation at public events is rising from 100 to 200 lats ($200 to $400).
The Latvian Employers Confederation and the country's Human Rights Bureau oppose the amendments. They say the new rules will result in imposing penalties, for example, on people giving human rights advice in Russian.
Only two languages – Latvian and Livonian – are recognised as state languages.
According to the 2000 census, 94 per cent of the Latvian population can speak Russian. Almost 40 per cent consider Russian their native tongue.
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To my shame I speak only English as a language and can speak no other. The very thought of a government banning the speaking of different languages in a private business with threats of fines... Imagine the noise from the EU and US if Russia did anything like this? The Latvian government obviously have an enormous chip on their shoulder. I wonder how they expect foreign embassies to operate if they all must speak Latvian. I would expect the best option for the Russian speaking Latvians is civil disobedience.
They forgot to mention that over 40 percent of education in Latvia is in russian and russians continue to have strikes and demonstration for russian language in Latvia. Why should Latvians have to learn russian? Most russians don't want to learn Latvian language and have no respect to Latvian culture, why do they expect Latvians to respect them. My hats off to Latvians for this solid decision
Latvia has suffered the Russificiation policy of the Soviet period in which Baltic people were forced to learn Russian. Latvia is doing what it can to perserve its language. I also learned in this article that Latvia considers Livonian also as an official language, which as a language is even more endangered. We have laws protecting endangered species, so should also their be laws protecting endangered cultures. I am glad that Latvia protects the indigenous Livonian language. I also support protecting the indigenous native American cultures. The question is why Russians have lived in Latvia since the illegal soviet invasion 50 years ago haven't even bothered to learn the Latvian language? When my father emmigrated from Estonia (Livonia) to America, he learned English. When my mother emmigrated from Cuba to America, she learned English.