Romanian is a Romance language spoken by approximately 24 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova. As the only Romance language in Eastern Europe, Romanian occupies a unique linguistic position — it descends directly from Vulgar Latin brought by Roman colonists to the province of Dacia in the 2nd century CE, yet it has evolved in isolation from its Western Romance cousins, absorbing significant Slavic, Turkish, Greek, and Hungarian influence.
In Australia, approximately 12,000 people speak Romanian at home according to the 2021 Census. Romanian migration to Australia occurred primarily in two waves: post-World War II displaced persons and a larger wave following the fall of the Ceaușescu regime in 1989. Melbourne and Sydney host the largest Romanian communities, with smaller populations in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.
Romanian retains many features of Latin grammar that other Romance languages have lost, including a complex case system with five cases and a definite article that attaches to the end of nouns rather than preceding them. This postposed article system is unique among major Romance languages and creates distinctive grammatical patterns that translators must handle carefully.
The language uses the Latin alphabet supplemented with five special characters: Ă, Â, Î, Ș, and Ț. These diacritical marks are essential for correct spelling and meaning — omitting them can change the meaning of words entirely. Romanian underwent a significant orthographic reform in 1993 that standardised certain spellings, though some older community members may use pre-reform conventions.
For Australian service providers, Romanian language services are relevant across government, healthcare, aged care, and legal sectors. The established nature of the Romanian community means services span from aged care for elderly first-generation migrants to settlement support for newer arrivals. Romania's accession to the European Union in 2007 also brought skilled migration to Australia.