The Ukrainian parliament adopts a law that officially establishes the status of English as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine, according to lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak on Telegram.
The law defines the categories of job positions for which candidates must speak English. It regulates the use of the English language in the work of authorities and the fields of education, culture, and other public spheres.
The law passed with 236 lawmakers in support and three voting against the measure.
It also included the amendment, which provides budget support for cinemas showing English-language films in the original language. 226 lawmakers voted in support of it.
The draft law was first passed in November 2023. It initially had a controversial amendment that wanted to stop the common practice of dubbing foreign films into the Ukrainian language, but it was eventually excluded.
This amendment received public criticism from Ukrainians, who created a petition against it. They claimed that this law would lead to a decrease in the popularity of the Ukrainian language and the number of viewers in cinemas. They also argued that this decision could increase “piracy” rates in Ukraine, especially through Russian pirate sites, if the content is not translated into Ukrainian. A petition creator wrote that dubbing “has long become a separate cultural phenomenon and part of the cultural heritage” in Ukraine.
Over 29,000 people signed the petition, which was excluded from the final version of the law on the use of the English language in Ukraine.
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