English in latvia
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Today, 27.22% of the Latvian population speaks English. Latvia's tumultuous linguistic history has influenced the Latvian people to take pride in their language. Latvia's language policy works to ensure the preservation of the Latvian language. This language policy has prevented significant languages, like English, from depleting the historic Latvian language. There is a fear that if English will take on the role that Russian played during the Soviet occupation due to its role as an increasingly powerful lingua franca. After the fall of Russia in Latvia, there was what linguist Z. Cunska calls a "lexical lacunae that English would have filled once the iron curtain left" - leaving Latvian to die (Cunska 2015). Latvia has somewhat resisted the influence of western culture due to this. After However, through new methods of globalization, such as prevalence in higher education, technology, popular culture, and media, English has established a presence for itself in Latvia. 

Education

In Latvia, English is not a mandatory subject for children to learn as it is in other European countries. Latvia's education law stresses the importances of teaching young students Latvian. In school, learning a second language is mandatory. Many students chose to learn English; however, many other languages are also offered. There are many dual immersion school that specialize in teaching English to students at a young age as well by teaching primarily in English. The following links are the websites of these English speaking schools. 
At the university level in Latvia, all students must be proficient in English through certification (IELTS, TOEFL, or other) or a university mandated exam. Many universities offer classes in different languages such as Latvian, English, and Russian. 

united states embassy in latvia
  • The United States recognized Latvia as a new nation on July 28th, 1922.
  • Latvian and American relations were strengthened during the interwar period (1922-1929) and agreements between the countries were created. These interactions contributed to economic, trade, and cultural relations formed between America and Latvia.
  • In June 1940, the Baltic States were occupied by the USSR and the U.S. Embassy condemned this occupation on behalf of Latvia and the other Baltic States. 
  • U.S. President George H.W. Bush publicly recognized the restoration of Latvian independence and the U.S.' support of the reestablished country.

British embassy in latvia

The British Embassy in Latvia was established in 1991 with the restoration of Latvia. Its mission statement says "We work in Latvia to implement policy on Europe and contribute to the prosperity, growth, and competitiveness. We are partners in managing security issues and provide support to British Nationals." The British Embassy in Latvia works to maintain relations between the countries and promote the state of Britain within Latvia.

british council in latvia

The British Council works to create cultural relations and educational opportunities in Latvia. They have done a lot to increase the usage and state of english in Latvia. On there website they provide information on educational opportunities to learn English in Latvia and strengthens the role of education in Latvia. There are links to help Latvians learn English and study abroad in the UK as well.

Popular culture
In the European televised singing competition, Eurovision, Latvia performed English songs for their audience. Both Latvian singers, Laura Rizzotto and Marie N, performed their winning original songs in English. 
The video to the left is a Latvian advertisement for the American brand of soda, Sprite. The advertisement uses music with English lyrics to sell the product. The use of English music in this commercial portrays an exhilierating idea of the "wild and free" West to better sell Sprite in Latvia. 
The popular children's cartoon Spongebob Squarepants has been dubbed for Latvian children to enjoy. While the cartoon has been dubbed with Latvian, the show still maintains English in the written text present in its title card sequence that starts each episode.

Streets of latvia

English is widely spoken in the city centers, such as Riga, in Latvia. While their street signs remain in Latvian, many tourist attractions appear to utilize English to communicate. In the city, many people under the age of 30 have some capacity to speak English while people over the age of 30 will speak Russian as a second language.