Education has been a central priority for each of the Baltic States historically and especially since they regained independence. It is critical to each country's transition from a half-century of Soviet occupation and pervasive impact of Soviet policy, ideology, and command economy.

Paper looks mostly inside the post-soviet nation (example of Estonia with some comparison to other post-soviet countries) during transition times (approximately 1987-2005). This was transition from socialist system to capitalist in economy, from totalitarism to democracy in political arena, from isolation inside USSR to membership in NATO and EU in international arena with exceptionally quick development in IT sphere 

Research question: What were the main influences on educational transformations and reforms during transition period and how these influential were translated into educational practices.  The paper draws out the spectrum of outer influences and their “destiny” in this specific (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) post-soviet educational space. 

In current paper, having in mind its comparative character, the “translation” metaphor is used as focus of analysis. In the field of education there are permanent changes alongside with backups and marginalisation. Many processes and meanings what created those changes can be explored as translations of practices, theories or ideals existing “outside”. These might be adequate translations, but there might be real or intended mis-translations too. As part of critical discussion on transformations in education we can see how horizons of educational thinking and construction of system has changed and – how ideals from 1987-1991 have changed or vanished, partly because of  “mis-translations”.

Translation of "outer" ideas, conceptions, etc into language, models, ideals and movements has changed the educational reality in all post-soviet  countries.

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