✨ Durov’s Deep Dive into Ukrainian Language
posted 2 May 2024
Pavel Durov, creator of Telegram, has been actively learning Ukrainian, a language closely connected to his maternal Ukrainian roots. He discussed this revelation with his audience following a survey that showed strong interest in Ukrainian as the next topic from the esteemed entrepreneur and coder.
Durov can comprehend over 95% of written Ukrainian and 85% of the spoken form, although he sometimes seeks advice from peers to grasp finer details. Despite his considerable fluency, he continues his language education through the DuoLingo app.
Furthermore, Durov shared insights from 2008, when he and his team significantly re-coded his former project (VK), incorporating a Ukrainian interface to provide a localized user experience. This initiative positioned Ukrainian as the second language on the site, following Russian.
Soon after we launched the Ukrainian version of VK in 2008, I went to Kyiv to celebrate. People in Kyiv were very welcoming, so over the years I would come back to make new friends who would then teach me new words and fun expressions,Durov commented.
He explained that his proficiency in Ukrainian has broadened his comprehension of other Slavic languages, such as Polish and Czech, and he now feels equipped to more fairly moderate content issues. Remarkably, although 70% of Ukrainians use Telegram, they constitute only 3% of its global audience.
Discover more about Durov’s journey, his projects, and his stand against the Russian government in our detailed article.
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