Yaroslav Harchun was a Ukrainian-born Canadian with a distinguished career in journalism, academia, and translation. Born on March 23, 1944, in Dubno, Ukraine, he grew up under the shadow of Soviet repression, which profoundly influenced his political views and life choices. He pursued higher education at Ivan Franko National University in Lviv, earning a Master's degree in French and Spanish Philology in 1965.
His early career in Ukraine involved teaching languages and managing a regional office for the Soviet Foreign Tourism Company, Intourist. However, his desire to escape the Soviet regime led him to emigrate to Argentina in 1974, leveraging his wife's Argentinian nationality. There, he worked in banking while remaining actively engaged in Ukrainian literary circles, publishing articles, poetry, and short stories in various Ukrainian diaspora publications.
In 1975, Harchun moved to Canada, where he continued his academic pursuits, studying Slavic Linguistics at Harvard University and later at the University of Ottawa, where he earned a Ph.D. in Slavic Studies in 1987. Concurrently, he lectured on Slavic languages and worked as a political commentator and reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich.
Harchun’s broadcasting career flourished in Canada, where he joined Radio Canada International in 1981, eventually becoming an announcer-producer for the Ukrainian Section. Over two decades at RCI, he played a significant role in shaping Ukrainian-language programming. His linguistic expertise, encompassing English, French, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian, also made him a sought-after translator and interpreter, working for the Canadian government and international organizations like the IMF and Australia’s War Crimes Investigation Unit.
Throughout his career, Harchun has been a prolific writer and translator, contributing scholarly articles and literary translations to various academic and cultural publications. His deep connection to Ukrainian culture and politics, coupled with his broad international experience, positioned him as a knowledgeable and influential figure in the fields of media and Slavic studies.
Yaroslav Harchun died at his home in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on August 14, 2006.
HARCHUN, Yaroslav. Suddenly, on August 14, 2006. Born in Dubno, Ukraine, in 1944. A gifted linguist, he studied Spanish and French philology at the University of Lviv, graduating in 1965. After working for Intourist and as a French teacher, he emigrated in 1974, first to Argentina, and subsequently, to Canada. He lived in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal and obtained a PhD in Ukrainian linguistics from the University of Ottawa. In 1983, he began working as an announcer-producer for the Ukrainian section of Radio Canada International, where he remained until 2003. He also served as an interpreter for Canadian and Ukrainian government delegations and was a published writer and poet. He is survived by his wife, Zonia Keywan, and their children, Simon and Julia, a daughter, Gabriela Ivanna, of Ottawa, his brother, Ivan, and sister, Svitlana of Kyiv, Ukraine, their children and other relatives in Ukraine and the USA. Visitation will be on Friday, August 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. followed by a prayer service (Panakhyda) at Collins Clarke MacGillivray White Funeral Home, 5610 Sherbrooke St. W. (corner Marcil), 514-483-1870.
Published in Montreal Gazette from Aug. 23 to Aug. 24, 2006