Life · 2 July 2017 · 10 min read

Interview with Meriç Aydonat

Greetings!

In this blog post we'll talk about translations of TED and TEDx talks.

I'm Orkun, a Senior Member of the TEDxBahcesehirUniversity team, and I also do subtitles and translations of TED and TEDx talks on the Amara platform. When it comes to Turkish translation, the first name that comes to mind is Meriç Aydonat. In this post we share our interview with her. We should also mention that she is the Turkish language coordinator for TED conferences. She will even go further and talk about her personal views on translation. Without taking any more of your time, here is our interview with Meriç Aydonat:

Let's start with a classic question: who is Meriç Aydonat? What does she do and what does she enjoy?

-Above all, I would describe myself as a citizen of the world; over the past ten years I've lived in seven different cities in three different countries because of my education and career. As you get to know different cultures, you see that no person and no country is superior or inferior to another, just different, and that our differences make our planet beautiful. That's why I've learned to accept any experience without finding it strange. And of course, as a side effect, to get by with the fewest possible belongings...

Apart from that, wherever it is, I love spending time at home. I cook, I read a lot of books, and I watch and translate lots of TED Talks.

How did you start translating TED videos?

-I started watching TED Talks 7-8 years ago, and while watching I thought how nice it would be if I could translate them into Turkish: I could introduce these great ideas to people who don't know English, and also help them learn English. Luckily, TED had just launched its translation project at that time, so I became one of the first translators. I was understanding the talks better and spending my free time benefiting others in my own way, so the more I translated, the more I wanted to translate.

Many people start something but not everyone keeps (or manages to keep) going; what is your motivation for translating?

-There are still such beautiful, such interesting talks that the problem is not motivation but finding time to translate them. One of the things TED does best is catching the agenda really well; they immediately publish a talk about whatever topics are being discussed at the time. For example, while topics like the refugee crisis, Brexit and gender-neutral toilets were being discussed, they immediately published talks about them. Since I love following the news, translating a talk that is on the agenda at the time and interests me is a pleasure for me.

Probably one of the most anticipated questions: what was the most 'challenging' video you've translated?

-"Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak" That talk was both challenging and great fun. In this talk Forsyth uses several words that have no exact equivalent in Turkish. While translating, I had to make up some of them and borrow others from words coined before me in our literature. In humorous talks like this, translating the wordplay of one language into another can sometimes be challenging. I think the key is not to stick one hundred percent to the original, and when necessary to turn to idioms from our beautiful Turkish, or to expressions that don't have an exact dictionary equivalent but that everyone will understand.

Mark Forsyth | What's a snollygoster? | A short lesson in political speak:####

We won't ask for the easiest one, but which video gave you the most, perhaps changed you, made you see life differently?

-Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different? My favorite TED Talk. It allowed me to reinforce the moving experiences I mentioned at the beginning. Its point is that even if something seems strange to you, it's not because it's absurd or weird, but simply because you're not used to it, and that thing is actually perfectly consistent within its own logic and history. I think it's an important lesson to remember in order to respect other people's ways of life and ideas.

Weird, or just different? | Derek Sivers

What advice do you have for those who want to start doing this kind of translation?

-Start with topics that interest you. You'll translate with pleasure, and since you're familiar with the topic you'll know the terms better and translate more fluently. For example, because of my profession, the first talk I translated was

George Dyson on the birth of the computer.

George Dyson | The birth of the computer

What kind of person would you be if you had never started translating?

-I'd definitely know less, because I've translated talks on so many different topics that I've gained knowledge and opinions on many subjects.

Apart from the video content, have these translations given you anything, and do they still?

-Thanks to my translations I've met many different and wonderful people, from inside TED, from translators in other languages, and from our Turkish translators. Even though the paths we take in life are different, it's very nice to meet people who share a common interest. Sometimes we write to each other about the topic of a talk or share another source related to it. Going beyond translation to discuss the topics and understand them more deeply adds another dimension to what I gain from translating.

Which talk affected you the most, or made you sad?

-Pawan Sinha on how brains learn to see

Besides giving the chance to learn how part of our brain works, this talk is very sad because it reminds us that thousands of children who could gain sight with a simple operation go on living with a disability as great as blindness because of a lack of means.

Pawan Sinha on how brains learn to see:

What do you think about the videos you've translated?

-Although I can't say I love every video I've translated or agree with everything said in all of them, I think every minute I've spent translating has enriched me because it introduced me to different perspectives. I hope those who watch my translations feel the same.

Translating surely helps you understand and internalize the content, the talk and the story better; do you feel something is missing in meaning in videos you haven't translated?

-Of course, since I spend more time on the talks I translate and think about how to render them into Turkish as accurately and fluently as possible, those talks sink deeper into my mind. But I think watching a talk carefully is enough to understand and appreciate it.

How do you feel when you see someone -who doesn't know English- somewhere watching a video you translated into Turkish?

-Sometimes I get messages from people who follow my translations, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Sometimes they thank me, sometimes they ask me to translate another talk, and sometimes they make corrections. Seeing that someone benefits from the work I produce is an incredible source of joy and pride.

Or what do you think about the people you never see, but whom you help understand the videos even though they don't know English? Do you think this is a contribution to the world?

-If I contribute something to people I don't know and never see, if I can help them do something differently in their lives or look at a topic from another angle, how happy I am.

How does translating affect the other work you do, if at all?

-Being so immersed in TED Talks has definitely broadened my horizons. It helps me see different points in my work. And of course, it also gives me many topics to talk about with my colleagues outside of work.

You must be in touch with other translators like you; what do you do together? Are there workshops and similar activities?

-Yes, I'm constantly in touch with many friends who translate into Turkish and other languages, and I've taken part in many events organized by TED. Seeing what's done in other languages and trying it in the Turkish community has contributed a lot to the quality of our translations and our workflow. I also share some of the methods we've tried in our community with other language communities, and it's very nice to see them trying our methods.

Is speaking and understanding a language well enough to translate?

-I think the key to translation is not understanding the language of the talk; if you know a foreign language at an advanced level, you won't have trouble understanding it anyway. What matters in translation is conveying it fluently in the language you're translating into. For that, being able to speak that language isn't enough, even if it's your mother tongue. Mastering the language and knowing the rules of expression and spelling is the main condition for translating well. And of course, the only way to improve yourself in this is to read lots and lots of books.

Do you plan to keep translating forever, or is there a peak at which you'll stop?

-I have no intention of giving up this hobby I love so much yet.

Finally, which TED videos do you think are absolute must-watches?

-I recommend all the talks by Hans Rosling, whom we recently lost, to everyone for a better understanding of how the world works. Using statistics, he explains where different societies stand by measures of development, why, and in which direction they are heading. It's definitely very instructive and makes us look at "underdeveloped" countries from another dimension.

The best stats you've ever seen | Hans Rosling

How not to be ignorant about the world | Hans and Ola Rosling

And which TEDx videos?

-From the TEDx talks, the one I constantly remind myself of is

Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great career

Why you will fail to have a great career | Larry Smith | TEDxUW

I love Emin Çapa's TEDx talks; he explains the state of our country and what we need to focus on to improve it extremely clearly. I wish we would listen. Among this year's TEDxBahçeşehirUniversity talks, Zeynep Selvili Çarmıklı's talk The Cruelest Voice is also worth noting.

Why There is no Buoyancy of Water in Turkish Baths? | Emin Çapa | TEDxIstanbul

The Cruelest Voice! | Zeynep Selvili Çarmıklı | TEDxBahcesehirUniversity

Well, thank you for the time you've given us :) Is there anything you'd like to say to the readers?

-If you know what TED Talks are, if you attend TEDx events, if you follow the news from different sources at home and abroad, you are very lucky, and you should know it. A large part of the world's population doesn't have access to the information you have, because of language or lack of access. That's why a great duty falls on those of us who have these opportunities. Sharing the access to knowledge we have, without acting superior or arrogant, listening to and respecting the person in front of us, is our duty to our beautiful world and to humanity. If you also lend a hand and help more people access the collective knowledge humanity has produced, you will have done your part in creating a fairer and more beautiful world. I say don't miss this opportunity.