The Russian Language Day at the United Nations is observed on June 6, the birthday of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. Pushkin was a Russian poet, novelist, dramatist, and short-story writer; he has often been considered his country’s greatest poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.
Pushkin lived for just 37 years at the very beginning of the 19th century. He was a charismatic free spirit, known for his wit and love of beauty, and is often called the father of modern Russian literature. Pushkin shaped the language of Russian writing and created brilliant works. His poetry is difficult to translate, partly because it’s deeply rooted in the Russian mindset but it’s still well worth exploring!
Fun fact: Pushkin’s poem I Still Recall the Wondrous Moment has been translated into 210 languages.
The Russian Language Day was established in 2010 as part of an initiative by the UN Department of Global Communications to create dedicated language days for each of the UN’s six official languages. The aim is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, while encouraging the equal use of all official languages across the Organization
- Check out this 2 min video by UN Russian Language Day 2025: Found in Translation to learn some uniquely untranslatable Russian words!
- D. Khvorostovsky performing I Loved You | Read the original, translation, listen to the poetry reading HERE