Question by olive1: I am studying Russian. Would it be more beneficial to study abroad in Latvia or Estonia?
I am majoring in Russian and want to study abroad to increase my language skills. However, my university only offers programs in Latvia and Estonia. Of the two, which would be more beneficial for developing Russian language skills?
Answers and Views:
Answer by bakaak
Out of Estonia and Latvia, I’d say Latvia is the better choice, since it has a larger population and therefore a larger Russian-speaking population, especially if you stick to the capital city Riga.
However, overall I’d say that neither of these countries is good for your purposes for several reasons:
1) Both countries have a painful past of Soviet occupation (and before that of Russian invasions etc), so people are understandably somewhat reluctant about Russia and that includes the language. Some people consider speaking Russian to be a remnant of the occupation, so they’d rather not do it.
2) Both Estonia and Latvia are trying to re-identify themselves as European countries (as opposed to “former USSR”) and therefore English language skills are increasingly more important. When people find out you’re from another country, they want to practice their English and they’ll address you in English, not Russian.
3) Many younger people in those countries don’t even speak Russian. I’m a 22 year old Estonian and my Russian is very weak, basically consisting of asking for directions and discussing pies (haha don’t ask, my Russian teacher was obsessed with pies for some reason).
4) Since I don’t speak Russian, this last point might not be 100% accurate, but I’ve heard that the Russian spoken in Estonia (and probably in Latvia as well) is somewhat different from the Russian spoken in Russia. I’ve heard Estonian Russians saying that when they go to St. Petersburg, Moscow etc, the locals there can immediately identify that they’re not from Russia (although they speak it fluently as it is still their 1st language). So maybe if you learn Russian in Estonia or Latvia, you’ll be stuck with some kind of specific dialect of Russian which might not be of too much help elsewhere.
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Wendy Siu says
If you decide to study in Riga, don't study at Russian Language School of Baltic International Academy. I paid for lessons there and then they told me they had no group for me but wouldn't refund my money. I had to contact my credit card company to get my money back. I don't think Latvia is really an immersion environment because the signs are in Latvian and especially in the Old Town and touristy areas people speak English so it is very difficult to practice Russian. I was also told that in Russia the Ukrainian accent is much more common than the Baltic Russian accent.
AlNash says
Both are the same in your circumstances. Try to find out who will be your teachers in each program. A native Russian linguist is probably the best choice.
Latvia is said to be cheaper for living. Estonia is only 4-6 hours ride away from St-Petersburg, the second largest city of Russia.
Kerry says
I'm studying in Russia right now, and recently went on a holiday and spent a few days in Riga, Latvia. Most of the older generation definitely spoke Russian, and they seemed very happy to converse in Russian with me. The younger generation mostly spoke somewhat broken English, I'm not too sure about their Russian though, as the preferred to speak to me in English.
If you do choose to study in Riga, I;m sure you would enjoy it, as people in that country are incredibly friendly and helpful. This is of course, compared to Moscow.
All the best deciding!
Amber Marie says
I am learning Russian as well, and I have to agree with the first answer. Do you actually need to study abroad to obtain credits for graduation? If not, I suggest that you just come over to do a language program, Kuban State University has a good one and there are several others. This is considered more as independent language training (though they do offer exchanges) which would allow you to just go on a student VISA to study for a certain period, they range from 2 weeks to 10 months and are open all year. So you could go independently to just study. But if you do need the credits for graduation, I suggest that you talk to someone at the study abroad office, I know that at my school if there is not something already set up they will find a program for you.