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121
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TRANSLATING ENGLISH TO TURKISH
Working in a foreign country changed much of my thinking. Not until I was confronted with the language differences did I realize what the problems can be in transferring an idea to another person, who not only speaks another language but has been a part of a different culture. I could speak only English, to communicate with the Turks I had to have someone who knew both, English and Turkish. Naki was fluent in both, but some words in English were not in the Turkish language. To explain to Naki a new idea in English was not difficult, but when he tried to express the idea in Turkish, it proved to be a problem that often was not easily solved.
The Turkish language was not easy for me. Since most of those I worked with knew English, there was little incentive for me to learn Turkish. In 1923 Ataturk was successful in getting the Turks to change from the Arabic script to Latin letters, they continued to speak Turkish but when they wrote they used the Latin letters. If a foreigner learned the pronunciation it was possible to read a paper in Turkish and be understood by the Turks. I gave several speeches in Turkish. I would write my speech in English and Naki would translate, and write it in Turkish. I often got a good hand from the Turks, but I could only guess that Naki had written in Turkish what I meant to say. The Turks could have made arrangements to hang me and I would have given my consent.
Naki and Ishan Bey were very tolerant with me when I tried to express something in Turkish. I occasionally would be embarrassed when I make a statement or gave an answer, and find that it wasn't even related to the subject being discussed. I got along quite well on subjects of irrigation or farm equipment, but sometimes there would be a conversation on a subject that didn't even give me a clue as to what was being said. One day Naki and Ishan were discussing something very disturbing to Naki. I asked Ishan later what was upsetting Naki. His answer was, "Naki wants to marry a girl that his mother does not approve of, and in Turkey the mother's concent [sic] is important." My knowledge of Turkish did not include matters of matrimony. On another occasion, when we drove into a village we heard a very loud discussion from a couple at the entrance of the coffee house. I asked Naki what the fuss was about, and he said, "The wife is insisting that her husband marry another woman so she doesn't have to do all the work."
To make multiple hitches for several animals, required words such as, singletree, double tree, and eveners. I needed a clevis to attach the teams to the equipment, but
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Metzger Memories
