The paper studies several aspects of the impact of English upon the Latvian language during the last 15 years. Independence brought the necessary legal framework for sustaining Latvian in the new conditions. Use of the language in administrative and legal functions was renewed. From mid-90ies integration into the European Union called for further development of terminology, developing of serious translation and interpretation capacity. Media openness brought numerous new concepts and terms mainly from English. As a result of political and linguistic reorientation of Latvia English has become the main direct, indirect and intermediary contact language of Latvian, contributing not only to its word stock by means of loans but also affecting language system, structure and conventions. Thus apart from traditional loans, one sees semantic loans, change of meaning, ousting of earlier borrowings, spreading of less usual word formation patterns, enhanced use of idiom transformation and wordplay elements. Translation is viewed as a major vehicle of change of Latvian.