Why Study Russian?
Top 10 Reasons to Study Russian:
1) Russia is the world's largest country. Stretching across two continents, it is almost double the size of either the United States or China. Found within that huge land mass is a wide diversity of peoples, religions, climatic and geographic conditions.
2) There are an estimated 279 million speakers (native plus nonnative) of Russian. That puts Russian in fifth place on the list of languages spoken by the most people, trailing only Mandarin, English, Hindi, and Spanish. (Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1998).
3) Russian is one of 13 languages included on the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language List (along with Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Urdu). The State Department hosts Critical Language Program is focused on developing fluency and cultural competency in these languages in which there is a large demand but few individuals capable of meeting the security needs of our nation. Languages make it onto the Critical Language List based on factors such as economic and political stability, as well as for security interests.
4) Russia is currently engaged in a grand experiment in political, social, and economic transformation. How it fares will help determine the character of the 21st century not only for Russia but for the world as a whole.
5) While Russia is in economic crisis, its vast resources and highly educated population suggest that it is a country of great economic potential. Our nation will continue to need individuals who are trained in the Russian language and are familiar with its cultural aspects in order to continue our business ties.
6) Since the end of the Cold War, the number of people studying Russian in the US has declined. That may mean less competition in the job market for those who do study and master the language-- especially if the economic revitalization that some expect to see in Russia does in fact materialize.
7) Russia remains a nuclear superpower armed with thousands of weapons of mass destruction. For this reason alone, the character of the Russian government and its ability to exercise command and control over its nuclear arsenal is a primary concern (perhaps the primary concern) of US national security policy.
8) Companies in Memphis like FedEx and International Paper have direct business ties with Russia! There are also thousands of International companies working in Russia, including: Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Deutsche Bank, Boeing, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Ford, Toyota, Goldman Sachs, Goodyear, Honda, Intel, IKEA, Michelin, Landmark, LG, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Morgan Stanley, Nikin, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Pfizer international, Rolls-Royce, Schlumberger, Shell, Starbucks. Russia is also now a member of the World Trade Organization! This means that the international job market within Russia will increase.
9) The language is challenging, but beautiful. Once you have begun to speak even a few words, you will understand how fun and rewarding it can be to speak Russian!
10) There are so many historically and culturally fascinating people, events and places in Russia, like the Russian Ballet; Musical Composers like Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Rachmaninnov (to name a few!); Russian authors such as Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekov and Nabakov; Red Square and the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin and Joseph Stalin.
1) Russia is the world's largest country. Stretching across two continents, it is almost double the size of either the United States or China. Found within that huge land mass is a wide diversity of peoples, religions, climatic and geographic conditions.
2) There are an estimated 279 million speakers (native plus nonnative) of Russian. That puts Russian in fifth place on the list of languages spoken by the most people, trailing only Mandarin, English, Hindi, and Spanish. (Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1998).
3) Russian is one of 13 languages included on the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language List (along with Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Urdu). The State Department hosts Critical Language Program is focused on developing fluency and cultural competency in these languages in which there is a large demand but few individuals capable of meeting the security needs of our nation. Languages make it onto the Critical Language List based on factors such as economic and political stability, as well as for security interests.
4) Russia is currently engaged in a grand experiment in political, social, and economic transformation. How it fares will help determine the character of the 21st century not only for Russia but for the world as a whole.
5) While Russia is in economic crisis, its vast resources and highly educated population suggest that it is a country of great economic potential. Our nation will continue to need individuals who are trained in the Russian language and are familiar with its cultural aspects in order to continue our business ties.
6) Since the end of the Cold War, the number of people studying Russian in the US has declined. That may mean less competition in the job market for those who do study and master the language-- especially if the economic revitalization that some expect to see in Russia does in fact materialize.
7) Russia remains a nuclear superpower armed with thousands of weapons of mass destruction. For this reason alone, the character of the Russian government and its ability to exercise command and control over its nuclear arsenal is a primary concern (perhaps the primary concern) of US national security policy.
8) Companies in Memphis like FedEx and International Paper have direct business ties with Russia! There are also thousands of International companies working in Russia, including: Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Deutsche Bank, Boeing, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Ford, Toyota, Goldman Sachs, Goodyear, Honda, Intel, IKEA, Michelin, Landmark, LG, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Morgan Stanley, Nikin, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Pfizer international, Rolls-Royce, Schlumberger, Shell, Starbucks. Russia is also now a member of the World Trade Organization! This means that the international job market within Russia will increase.
9) The language is challenging, but beautiful. Once you have begun to speak even a few words, you will understand how fun and rewarding it can be to speak Russian!
10) There are so many historically and culturally fascinating people, events and places in Russia, like the Russian Ballet; Musical Composers like Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Rachmaninnov (to name a few!); Russian authors such as Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekov and Nabakov; Red Square and the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin and Joseph Stalin.