Language accessibility for Ukrainian refugees in Hungary

Abstract

The study examines the possibilities of language accessibility for Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Hungary as a result of the Russo–Ukrainian war, focusing on the two towns of Nyíregyháza and Kisvárda. The research combines linguistic landscape analysis and semi-structured interviews to explore how the Ukrainian language appears in the communication interfaces of official institutions, the service sector, and businesses. The aim of the study was to explore the role of language accessibility in the everyday administrative tasks and social integration of refugees. The results show that the visual representation of Ukrainian is minimal, while its presence in spoken communication is significantly stronger. This is partly due to the presence of employees from Transcarpathia, who assist with interpreting in many institutions, especially in healthcare. The research highlights that the linguistic landscape does not fully reflect actual communication practices, as more dynamic multilingualism is observed in everyday interactions. Local initiatives play an important role in facilitating integration, including Hungarian language courses, opportunities for Ukrainian mother-tongue education, bilingual cultural events and support from civil organisations. Although the visual use of the Ukrainian language is less common among businesses, there is a need for website translation, and as a result of the research, Ukrainian versions of several websites have been created. The study emphasises the importance of multilingual information, especially for services most frequently used by refugees, and makes recommendations for further integration of the Ukrainian language into formal and informal communication contexts.