New ‘English law’ in Ukraine: Government to reimburse cinemas for showing English-language films

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved a bill designating English as a language for international communication. The legislation, bill No. 9432, formalizes English as one of the languages for international communication in Ukraine and requires English proficiency for certain jobs.

The bill also standardizes the use of English in state and local government operations, emergency response units, border crossing procedures, education, culture, transportation, healthcare, and other sectors.

It includes additional provisions for:

• Teaching English in kindergartens
• A 10% salary bonus for English-proficient civil servants
• Translating government websites into English
• Screening English-language films in theaters with Ukrainian subtitles.

At the same time, a stipulation in the new language law caps screenings in the original language (English) at 10%.

Lawmakers also backed amendment No. 336, establishing a program to compensate cinemas for lost revenue from ticket sales of English-language films. The program will be funded by the state budget, according to Parliament Member Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

According to a November 2023 language study conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, nearly 43% of Ukrainians surveyed considered their English skills to be at a beginner level, while around 30% reported having an intermediate level of English proficiency.

As reported earlier, since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the English language has become a crucial skill, and Ukrainians have been learning it in greater numbers.

Copy Editing: Terra Friedman King