We probably all know a few words of Turkish. For example, when we order a kebab, b\u00f6rek or lahmacun. But did you know that yogurt, kiosk and tulip also ended up in our vocabulary via Turkish? There are quite a few things that not everyone knows about Turkish culture and that should be taken into account, especially when translating. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve compiled ten fascinating facts on the subject in this blog post. Let\u2019s go! (\u0130\u015fte ba\u015fl\u0131yoruz!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t be serious!\u201d you might think. But there are indeed many similarities between these two languages. This is because Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk based his 1928 language reform on the German language. The Arabic alphabet was replaced by Latin letters. And although there are \u00fc sounds in other languages as well, he adopted the \u00fc umlaut as a letter specifically from the German alphabet. Bastian Sick gives this beautiful example: \u201cG\u00fcl\u00fcm, g\u00fcl y\u00fcz\u00fcn\u00fc g\u00fcld\u00fcr\u00fcr\u00fcm senin.\u201d In English: \u201cMy rose, I can make your rosy face smile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A quick quiz for you: what do you think these Turkish words mean? M\u00fczik, kokteyl, mayonez and mikser? Of course, they mean: music, cocktail, mayonnaise and mixer. Turkish comes from the Turkic language family and not from the Indo-European languages, and therefore different rules apply than when learning languages like English or German. But despite the many differences, there are also many similarities. For instance, the populations of both countries: Turkey has about 84 million inhabitants, Germany 83 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkey has been one of the most popular vacation destinations for Germans for many years. At the same time, the country is also a very attractive proposition for many companies looking to expand internationally and enter a new market. It is true that the economy has been plagued by price fluctuations and uncertainties, some of which have been considerable, for a number of years. At the same time, however, there are also good conditions for foreign companies, low labor costs, an employer-friendly environment, modern facilities and an ever-improving infrastructure. However, it is always advisable to cooperate with partners who know their way around between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean \u2013 not only in terms of the country and its people, but also its politics, culture and language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We already mentioned the kebab above. But did you know that it was not invented in Turkey, but in Berlin in 1972? Or did you know that the Turks are tea \u2018world champions\u2019? 96 percent of Turks drink at least one cup a day. In addition, coffee beans first came to Europe via Istanbul. And even Santa Claus is a Turk: he was born in Patara, in southwestern Turkey. More fun facts: Turkey is the largest producer of hazelnuts, with almost half the country consisting of agricultural land. Not only that: In Turkey, each person eats about three times their own body weight in bread every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkish is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with about 70 to 80 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey, but is also spoken in Iraq, Syria, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, North Cyprus, Greece, the Caucasus, and other parts of Europe and Central Asia. Cyprus has requested that the European Union include Turkish as an official language, even though Turkey is not a member state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkish is an \u201cagglutinative\u201d language. This means that the words stick together. Grammatical functions such as person, time, or case are indicated by the addition of affixes, but the noun does not change. Example: Evdeyiz. This is not just a word, but effectively a whole sentence. Ev means \u201chouse,\u201d and added to this comes the first suffix \u201cde.\u201d This ending represents the locative case and indicates where something is located. The final suffix \u201cyiz\u201d indicates the first person plural. So the phrase \u201cEv-de-yiz\u201d means \u201cWe are at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why does German have \u201cder Mond\u201d (the moon) but \u201cdie Sonne\u201d (the sun)? You can happily forget about that problem in Turkish, because there is no \u201cder, die, das,\u201d no articles and no genus. The pronoun \u201co\u201d is used for \u201che, she, it\u201d \u2013 and it can even be left out. In Turkish, the person is indicated by the ending of the verb. Personal pronouns are only necessary when you want to emphasize them, for example: Top oynuyor (He plays ball) compared with O top oynuyor (He plays ball). Oh, and if you use numbers, the plural is also omitted, since it is clear from the number that several tomatoes or balls are meant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are more than 5,000 French loanwords in Turkish and also many borrowings from Arabic and Persian. These are historically linked to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the Turkish Republic. Here are a few examples: Cousin is \u201ckuzen,\u201d wallet is \u201cportmone\u201d (from portemonnaie) and hairdresser is \u201ckuaf\u00f6r\u201d (from coiffeur). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grammar can sometimes be quite tricky for people learning a new language. Now picture the scene: In Turkish, there is even another past tense for situations that are not based on your own experience: \u201cIt\u2019s said that\u2026\u201d. Here\u2019s an example: \u201cMy mother\u2019s uncle apparently made a big mess of Christmas.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Turkish, it is considered rude to address someone by their first name when you meet them \u2013 especially if he or she is older. Instead, you need to combine the name with a form of address. For example, teyze (aunt) or amca (uncle). If you don\u2019t know the person\u2019s name, it is best to address them as hanimefendi (Ms.) or beyefendi (Mr.). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkish is full of beautiful terms that are a joy to read and listen to for the first time. One nice example is \u201c\u015faka maka\u201d (pronounced \u201cshackamacka\u201d), which means \u201cjoking aside.\u201d When it comes to the term \u201cfl\u00f6rt,\u201d you can probably guess: this really does mean \u201cflirt.\u201d And \u201cs\u00fcrpriz\u201d is the Turkish translation for \u2013 surprise, surprise: well, it\u2019s \u201csurprise,\u201d actually! Of course, they also like their tongue twisters. Here\u2019s an example: Bir berber bir berbere gel berber beraber Berberistan\u2019da bir berber d\u00fckkan\u0131 a\u00e7al\u0131m demi\u015f. (One barber said to another barber: \u201cCome, barber, let\u2019s open a barbershop together in Barberistan.\u201d) <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you planning to launch your business in Turkey? Would you like to have your website or a specialist article translated into Turkish? Then put your trust in an experienced language expert<\/a> who knows the characteristics and peculiarities of this country and its language inside out. ACT Translations works with native Turkish speakers and translators who will gladly take on your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just give us a call!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.act-translations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/fakten-tuerkische-sprache-und-kultur-1.webp\" "\\"\\"")
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