When to Speak Russian in Eastern Europe
Tuesday January 15, 2008
One of the most popular Eastern European languages to learn is Russian. And, indeed, knowledge of Russian language can be extremely useful. However, it can be insulting to locals to assume that Russian is known, tolerated, or spoken outside of Russia - citizens of nations that suffered from Russification policies during the last century may feel very strongly about speaking their own language or another, neutral, language, like English. Before traveling to Eastern Europe, know when it is appropriate to speak or not speak Russian. Instead, try picking up a few words of the local language and using them when you need to communicate.
Comments
Hi Kerry,
Just a note on your post about speaking Russian - it is worth mentioning that in Central Europe (Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic) more locals speak German as a second language than Russian. Where as in Romania, a common second language is Italian, since the languages are common.
Greets from Hungary,
Monika
Thanks for pointing this out, Monika! This is great information to have for travelers to Central Europe.
Hi Kerry,
There is nothing mentioned about Bulgaria in the article, so, I thought it would be helpful to give advice to visitors in my country…It is not considered rude or inappropriate ti use Russian language. On the contrary, still a good percentage of people here understand and are willing to speak Russian more than English or any other Western language. English is more popular among younger generation because Russian is no longer widely studied at schools.
Good luck!
Thanks so much for contributing this piece of information, George. It’s sometimes difficult to determine if what’s acceptable in one country may be acceptable in another - navigating expectations is one way of paying respect to the culture. May we all travel with the least amount of offense to the people we subject to our foreign clumsiness.