New Russian Tool Scans Texts for Anglicisms – for Free
Russia has introduced a free service called iNet Scan that automatically checks texts and flags English loanwords if they appear.
The developer behind the tool, digital agency iNet, created it amid tighter rules on the use of foreign words in public communications. To avoid inadvertently violating the law, businesses and media outlets now need to verify that their content complies with the updated requirements.
The new text-checking tool is likely to find demand: companies that violate the rules can face fines from regulators such as the Federal Antimonopoly Service and Rospotrebnadzor of up to 500,000 rubles (about $6,600).
Why Additional Checks Matter
In March, Russia updated its requirements for the use of foreign words in materials aimed at a broad audience. Under the law protecting the Russian language, consumer-facing information must be presented in Russian and, if needed, duplicated in the languages of Russia’s peoples or in foreign languages. The law does not fully ban foreign words, but it requires that the primary text be in Russian. Foreign equivalents can be added as supplementary. However, if a foreign word is a registered trademark or the official name of a company listed in the national corporate registry, it can be used without restriction.
The changes apply to signage, labels, navigation signs, in-store text, as well as websites and other online resources. As a result, businesses and media organizations need a fast way to check whether a text contains wording that could raise compliance issues. Manual review of articles and content takes time and resources, slowing publication cycles. The new digital tool, iNet Scan, automates these checks against federal laws No. 53-FZ and No. 168-FZ on protecting the state language – and does so at no cost.
Catching “Risk Words”
So how does it work? Instead of requiring users to search through dictionaries, the service lets them upload a text and receive a report. The system highlights words that may pose a compliance risk. It automatically scans for foreign terms, including Anglicisms and other borrowings. That means problematic phrases can be identified before a news story or advertisement goes live. Once users receive the report, they can quickly revise flagged wording to align with legal requirements. In practice, the tool can help content producers avoid penalties and reduce compliance risks.
Adoption Likely to Grow
The launch of such a service is significant for Russia’s IT sector: automated assistants that can verify both linguistic and legal compliance are in high demand. The product has broad potential applications – from retail and e-commerce to media, hospitality, and public events – essentially anywhere large volumes of text are published. If the tool proves effective, it could become a standard solution for marketing and corporate use, with its adoption expanding across industries.
