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The Republic of Lithuania is a country defined as being part of Northern Europe. Situated along the south-eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, Lithuania shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of the Kaliningrad Oblast are to the southwest. Lithuania is a member of NATO and of the European Union. Its population is 3.4 million. The largest city and capital is Vilnius.

Between 1940 and 1945 Lithuania was occupied by both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, albeit at different times. When World War II was near its end in 1944 and the Nazis retreated, Lithuania was again merged into the Soviet Union. Forty-six years of Soviet occupation ended with the advent of perestroika and glasnost in the late 1980’s. Lithuania, led by Sąjūdis, an anti-communist and anti-Soviet independence movement, proclaimed its renewed independence in 1990. Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to do so, though Soviet forces unsuccessfully tried to suppress this secession. The Red Army attacked the Vilnius TV Tower on the night of January 13, 1991, an act that resulted in the death of 13 Lithuanian civilians. The last Red Army troops left Lithuania on August 31, 1993 — even earlier than they departed from East Germany. Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to achieve its renewed independence from the USSR.

On February 4, 1991, Iceland became the first country to recognize Lithuanian independence. Sweden was the first to open an embassy in the country. The United States of America had never recognized the Soviet claim to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Lithuania joined the United Nations in 1991 and in the same year it became a member of the World Trade Organization. Since 1988, Lithuania has sought closer ties with the West, and so in 1994, it became the first of the Baltic states to apply for NATO membership (joining in 2004). In May 2004, Lithuania joined the European Union.

Present-day Lithuania has one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Lithuania became a full member of the Schengen Agreement in 2007. In 2009 Lithuania will celebrate the millennium of its name.
Since Lithuania declared independence in 1990, it has maintained strong democratic traditions. The Lithuanian head of state is the President, elected directly for a five-year term and allowed to serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. The post of President is partly ceremonial: the main policy functions include foreign affairs and national security policy also the military commander-in-chief. The President, with the approval of the parliamentary body, the Seimas, also appoints the Prime Minister and on the latter's nomination, appoints the rest of the cabinet, as well as a number of other top civil servants and the judges for all courts.

The Judges of the Constitutional Court (Konstitucinis Teismas) serve nine-year terms and are appointed by the President (three judges), the Chairman of the Seimas (three judges) and the Chairman of the Supreme Court (three judges). The unicameral Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has 141 members who are elected to four-year terms. 71 of the members of this legislative body are elected in single constituencies, and the other 70 are elected in a nationwide vote by proportional representation. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be represented in the Seimas.

The Lithuanian landscape has been smoothed by glaciers. The highest areas are the moraines in the western uplands and eastern highlands, none of which are taller than 300 metres (1,000 ft) above sea level, with the maximum elevation being Aukštojas Hill at 950 feet. The terrain features numerous lakes, Lake Vištytis for example, and wetlands; a mixed forest zone covers 30% of the country.

The climate lies between maritime and continental, with wet, moderate winters and summers.

The country boasts a well developed modern infrastructure of railways, airports and four-lane highways. According to officially published figures, EU membership fuelled a booming economy, increased outsourcing into the country, and boosted the tourism sector. The litas, the national currency, has been pegged to the Euro since 2002 at the rate of EUR 1.00 = LTL 3.5.

There is gradual but consistent shift towards a knowledge-based economy with special emphasis on biotechnology (industrial and diagnostic), because of the presence of major biotech producers and laser equipment manufacturers in the Baltic countries. Klaipėda is the only port in Lithuania and is vital to its economy.

Like other countries in the region (Estonia, Latvia) Lithuania also has a flat tax rate rather than a progressive scheme. Lithuanian income levels still lag behind the rest of the older EU members, with per capita GDP in 2007 at 60% of the EU average. Lower wages may have been a factor that in 2004 influenced the trend of emigration to wealthier EU countries, something that has been made legally possible as a result of accession to the European Union. In 2006 income tax was reduced to 27% and a reduction to 24% was made in October of 2007. These income tax reductions are starting to make an impact with some emigrants gradually beginning to come back.

The population of Lithuania stands at 3.4 million, 85% of whom are ethnic Lithuanians who speak the Lithuanian language which is the official language of the country. Several sizable minorities exist, such as Poles (6%), Russians (5%), and Belarusian (1%).

The Poles are concentrated in southeast Lithuania (the Vilnius region). Russians are mostly in two cities. They constitute sizeable minorities in Vilnius and Klaipėda and a majority in the town of Visaginas.
Most Lithuanian schools teach English as a first foreign language, but students may also study German, or, in some schools, French. Schools where Russian and Polish are the primary languages of education exist in the areas populated by these minorities.

Lithuania has strong Catholic traditions: about 80% of Lithuanians belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. The Church has been the majority denomination since the Christianisation of Lithuania in the end of fourteenth century. Some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime and, after independence was regained, against socialism and liberalism. Church attendance has increased since the end of the Soviet occupation and the country has so far maintained a fairly high level of religious practice.

In the 16th century, Lutheranism started to spread from neighbouring Livonia and East Prussia. In the first half of 20th century the Lutheran Protestant church had around 200 thousand members, about 10% of the total population, although Lutheranism has declined since 1945. Small Protestant communities are dispersed throughout the northern and western parts of the country. Various Protestant churches have established missions in Lithuania since 1990.

Total Language Solutions translates all types of material in all types of software into or out of Lithuanian.

Translation projects undertaken include web site content, sales and marketing material, documentation requirements for engineering and manufacturing into and out of Lithuanian.

Total Language Solutions are translation specialists in DTP, print ready and electronic forms of material, integrating text and diagrams and more besides into and out of Lithuanian.

Total Language Solutions are translation experts in the relevance of text, drawings, colours and layout presentation and localisation to meet consumer expectations and norms, without causing offence.

Price Tariff For Total Language Solutions

Our language translation prices are from the translation service to or from English and is based on price per 1,000 words (pro rata).