Current issues
06.09.2022.
The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest institution of academic education in Finland, an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki typically ranks among the top 100. The University of Helsinki seeks solutions for global challenges and creates new ways of thinking for the best of humanity.
The Faculty of Arts of the University of Helsinki (http://www.helsinki.fi/hum/) is Finland’s oldest and largest department of education and research in the field of science in terms of structure and subject selection. It is also an important international research, educational and cultural community. The Faculty of Arts studies and teaches languages and literature spoken in Europe and other parts of the world, with almost 40 languages. In addition, we are developing the general theory of linguistics, translation science and literary research.
Faculty of Arts is looking for UNIVERSITY LECTURER IN BALTIC LANGUAGES for an open-ended employment relationship as of 1 January 2023 or by agreement. The position is filled on a six-month probationary period. The assignment is located in the Department of Languages. Read more
09.08.2022.
Joy, enthusiasm, the desire to listen, read and search for words – these are some of the feelings you’ll enjoy if you play the Latvian Language Agency’s new game “Find the words!”. At the start of the game, the players must choose a suitable level of difficulty (easy or hard). The game is easier when the word you are looking for is visible on the screen and more difficult when the word is 
spoken, and the player is only given its first letter.
The words are divided into 30 topics, and the game seeks to improve the skills one may have acquired after playing the LVA’s Pictorial Dictionary. The player’s task is to find seven words that correspond to each topic. It is estimated that there are more than 100 000 words in the Latvian language. We invite you to learn your first 400 words by playing the game “Find the words!”. Best of luck! Read more
09.07.2022.
The purpose of the LVA’s methodical school “PUPA” is to provide methodological support to diaspora teachers of the Latvian language. The topic of the August 25 seminar is “An effective approach to Latvian language lessons: key aspects”.
Zoom link here.
In the 2022/2023 academic year, the methodology school “Pupa” invites diaspora teachers to use this opportunity to improve their knowledge, gain and actively share their experience in monthly webinars. Attendees will be able to meet methodologists from the LVA, various experts, and their fellow colleagues – other diaspora teachers. The seminars will also highlight the latest LVA news.
There will be a total of ten 2–hour Zoom webinars, and they will be held from 18.00 to 20.00 Latvian time. In the 1st semester of the academic year, the seminars will be held on Thursday evenings:
on August 25,
on September 22,
on October 27,
on November 24,
and on December 15.
Read more
09.06.2022.
Everyone knows that the national flower of Latvia is the pipe, but the LVA is happy to have cultivated a different flower – one made of letters. Listen carefully, look for the correct letters and help the little bee pollinate the flower!
The game “Find the Letters!” is suitable for children of preschool and primary school age. Read more
09.06.2022.
The program is intended for students without prior knowledge of the Latvian language. Its aim is to help them acquire the basic language skills that are necessary for everyday communication in and outside the classroom.
The program is intended for three age groups: grades 1–3, grades 4–6, grades 7–12, and it is designed for one school year (two hours a week or seventy study hours in one school year). The program includes references and instructions on how to use the learning materials developed by the LVA.
You can access the program here. Read more
27.04.2022.
Read more
27.02.2022.
We call on every resident of Latvia who wants to provide assistance to Ukrainians to register at palidziukrainai.lv
The people of Ukraine who come to Latvia fleeing the Russian war in Ukraine, are kindly asked to register at: palidziukrainai.lv to apply for support!
Information on the entry, stay, accommodation and job opportunities in Latvia is available on the website.
Single helpline +371 27380380
#SlavaUkraine Read more
06.10.2021.
For the fifth year now, the Latvian Language Agency has been offering diaspora children the opportunity to learn Latvian through distance learning classes. These Latvian language courses for diaspora students are free of charge. They are financed by the LVA from the Ministry’s of Education and Science budget program “State Language Policy and Administration”.
We urge everyone to apply for the vacant seats in the existing learning groups.
If you find a group that suits your child’s age, language skills, and schedule and want to apply, please write to LVA’s educationalist Linda Krastiņa by e-mail linda_krastina@inbox.lv Read more
06.10.2021.
The mind games “Hard nuts for Latvians all around the world” have become a long-awaited annual tradition, so we are pleased to announce 
that applications for this year’s tournament start on October 4. Registration link: https://www.cietierieksti.com/pages/registracija.
Last year, 50 teams from 22 countries took part in the tournament, and the winners were “Cep4” (Belgium), “Pohjoismaa” (Finland), and “Salento Sievas” (Italy). Here’s some feedback from the teams: “We are happy to be able to participate in this project! We look forward to all rounds and creative challenges. We can’t wait for the next game!”; “Our family loves Hard nuts.”; “I really like participating in this quiz game, it’s very exciting.”; “Thank you for the lovely time we spent learning interesting facts about Latvia!”
We hope to see the old teams return and anticipate the formation of new ones – young people of the diaspora, families, friends, choir and dance groups, and everyone else interested whose home country is outside Latvia, gather together in teams and join the tournament! We remind everyone that the questions in the quiz are appropriate for both young people and adults – curious, adventurous, and fun-loving Latvians around the world. Read more
30.09.2021.
This 16th edition of the collection of popular scientific articles covers a wide range of issues related to various linguistic areas and how they function. The book will surely prove useful to both people who are interested in specific language issues and advice (how to use certain lexemes, grammatical forms, or punctuation marks correctly) and to people who prefer philosophical or historical reflections on the nature and role of language in society as a whole and our individual lives.
In total, the collection contains 12 popular scientific articles on topical issues about Latvian language practice, and these articles are grouped in several sections. One section is devoted to the relationship between language, society, and power, another – to language and speech, the third – to language and norms. The collection is supplemented by an analysis by the linguist Sanda Rapa, poet Kārlis Vērdiņš and philosopher Māris Kulis who examined certain words submitted to the Latvian Language Agency during its campaign “My most Latvian word”. The collection also includes a section on language consultations, a section on current events by the Terminology Commission of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Latvian Language Expert Commission of the State Language Center, a bibliography of the latest publications on the topic of language, as well as a humor column. Read more
