Ukrainian is an East Slavic language originating in Kievan Rus, a federation of East Slavic tribes that emerged in the 9th century and used Old East Slavic as its language. One of the branches into which this language evolved was Ruthenian, considered the direct ancestor of Ukrainian and also called Old Ukrainian. The Ukrainian language has approximately 45 million speakers, of which some 37 million are native speakers. These figures place Ukrainian in 26th place in the ranking of the world’s most widely spoken languages. The language is regulated by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

But the question is: what role does it play in the world of translation and interpreting?

UKRAINIAN IN THE WORLD

To begin with, Ukraine is a member of several international organisations: the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe (COE) and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). In addition, it is also part of GUAM, the regional agreement it is part of along with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, which was created to combat Russian influence in the region. In all these organisations, the existence of Ukrainian translators and interpreters is more than necessary for their proper functioning and for full communication between all their members.

UKRAINIAN AND TOURISM

It should also be mentioned that interpretation is not only essential in the political sphere. Ukraine is one of the largest countries in the European Union and has many tourist attractions, including nature reserves, unique cathedrals and churches, skiing and the beautiful Black Sea coastline. In fact, tourism has been an important source of income for the country. It is therefore not surprising that everyone travelling to Ukraine would like to have the help of professional Ukrainian interpreters to help them connect with their culture and explore more fully all the treasures it has to offer.

ECONOMY

On the other hand, although Ukraine is not among the world’s top exporting countries, its foreign trade is not to be underestimated. It is ranked 52nd in the ranking of countries that export the most products worldwide. Among these products, the most prominent are maize, sunflower oil, cotton, petroleum, chemicals, and machinery and transport equipment, among others. The main destinations are Russia, Poland, Turkey and Italy. On the other hand, the main products imported are natural gas, oil and nuclear fuel, mainly from Russia. In all these processes, professional translations in this language are essential to build bridges between all the countries involved in these international operations.

It is also worth noting that Ukraine is becoming one of the most popular destinations for new business ventures. This is due to its progressive rapprochement with Europe and the creation of various reforms aimed at turning the country into a free economy. Ukraine also has the third largest reserves of unconventional hydrocarbons in Europe, and its arable land is one third of the total productive land in the European Union. For reasons such as these, many companies and entrepreneurs have decided to start their businesses in the country, for which the role of translators is essential.