Disputes have flared up on Latvian Twitter. The topic is old – the requirement for job hiring. But there are new nuances.
“We have not yet rid ourselves of the dominance of the Russian language in public space, but knowledge of Hindi and English is already in demand. For whom is this labor market actually being created? For whom is this country intended? What are you, traitors, doing to Latvia?” writes a concerned patriot, Dace Lindberga.
She cites an announcement from the official website of the State Employment Agency. It states that a certain LLC is looking for a bicycle mechanic. Among the requirements is knowledge of Hindi and English for communication with clients.
Such unusual requirements for Latvia are explained by the fact that among the clients of the LLC there are many foreign students and interns who use these languages in daily communication. “Their knowledge increases work efficiency and reduces the risk of errors,” the announcement states.
In response to the post, commentators were unanimously outraged:
– Hindi for communication with clients in Latvia? Do you understand what that means? We have another “minority.” A cold occupation. Without tanks...
– There are similar vacancies related to the Chinese language.
– There is no doubt that this was done intentionally to demonstrate the “acute need” for Indian migrants in Latvia. Latvians do not know how to repair bicycles and communicate with customers. For this, Latvia needs Indians.
And as is customary in the course of disputes, they forgot about the Indians and returned to a more familiar topic – the Russian language:
– Here are the consequences of tolerance towards the Russian language!
– If only you understood how foolish you look. 90% of children cannot form a single sentence without English, and you still scream, like a forgotten watering can, about a bygone stage — the Russian language. Even Russians often use English in conversation with each other or formulate their thoughts in “English.”
– Because decades of tolerance towards the Russian language have led to a situation where other foreign languages are being introduced with the same calmness! If the use of the Russian language were limited, it would demonstrate a position that Latvians are not going to get carried away with foreign languages!
Mēs vēl neesam tikuši vaļā no krievu valodas dominances publiskajā telpā un darba intervijās, bet jau tiek pieprasītas hindi un angļu valodas zināšanas. Kam patiesībā tiek veidots šis darba tirgus? Kam ir paredzēta šī valsts? Ko jūs, nodevēji, darāt ar Latviju? pic.twitter.com/iDb6mmQyXL
— Dace Lindberga (@lindberga22) January 29, 2026
For reference: Hindi (हिन्दी) is an Indo-Aryan language, the official language of India (along with English), using the Devanagari script. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world (5th place), spoken in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Fiji. The number of speakers is around half a billion.
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