A Scottish man came to our school and gave a lecture (comparing English and Turkish)

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Membro Sênior
<a href="/pt-br/translator/m%C3%BCjgan" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1409351">Müjgan <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 17.01.2019
Pending moderation

I wanted to tell this story because that man was brilliant! (Well, actually I'm new and I want to explore this site. That is another reason lol.)
I study English at school (I'm Turkish) and every month, a person that who is from another country come to our school and give a lecture. Last month, a Scottish man did it. His name was Steven. He said he's living in Turkey since 1999. Everybody suprised because -believe it or not- we never thought someone ''can'' want to live in Turkey. But seemed pretty happy. He had an Atatürk tattoo! (First presindent of Turkey)
Pass it, he was talking so nice. Everyone loved his accent. He spoke about English. You know, ''How can you improve it?'' ''Why is it important?'' And he said that we can translate some paragraphs or anything else. I thought about it. I watch films, I listen to music and I read books in English but I never thought that I can write something about them. I already write in Turkish so I can write in English too. So, I found that site. I'm new and I'm here to improve myself. Also I know a little bit French. Maybe I can do something about it.

But, I want to back to Steven. He compared English and Turkish. As we know, English is an international language so it's important to learn. And it's not that hard. While he living in Turkey, he said, he saw many people who are afraid of speaking in English. Sadly, that's true. In Turkey, we are afraid of doing wrong. So people don't speak, then, people don't learn. This is the biggest problem. He said that we don't need to be afraid. (Oh, he was talking so nice, I'm sure everyone agreed.)
Than he started to talk about how beautiful Turkish language is. We suprised again! Because Turkish is hard to learn and you know, we were tired of some people who say ''That's Arabic!'' when they hear something in Turkish. (Even Arabic and Turkish is not similar!) I don't know if it's normal but we were not get used to see a man that loves Turkish. (Because, as I said, it's hard to learn!) Anyway, he explanied why. Turkish has no sex discrimination. You know, in English they use ''She/He'' but in Turkish it is just ''O''. ''Waiter/Waitress'' is just ''Garson''. And also he said Turkish is good for literature. He said he thinks that Turkish is poetic.
Well, everyone thinks different. I just liked this man so much. He acted Hamlet for few minutes! He was so funny.

I don't know which category is this. I just wanted to start with this story and actually I don't know what do you guys write about (I don't know what should I write about) And in my English, there may be mistakes. This is my first so if you read this, please ignore my mistakes.

Moderador Polyglot Scot
<a href="/pt-br/translator/dionysius" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1182697">dionysius <div class="moderator_icon" title="Moderator" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 26.07.2013

I'm another Scot who is learning Turkish :) It's definitely a challenge but a fun one!

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

There are other languages not marking the grammatical gender, e.g. Basque, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Indonesian... I guess Turkish must be quite interesting, I found this example : "yatıştırılmamak", meaning, if I'm not mistaken, "not to be calmed" or something like that (yat-ış-tır-ıl-ma-mak !) :)

Membro Sênior
<a href="/pt-br/translator/m%C3%BCjgan" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1409351">Müjgan <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 17.01.2019

I hope you can do it easly!

Membro Sênior
<a href="/pt-br/translator/m%C3%BCjgan" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1409351">Müjgan <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 17.01.2019

Oh i couldn't know how can I translate that verb 😅

Editor
<a href="/pt-br/translator/anerneq" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1112972">Anerneq <div class="editor_icon" title="Revisore" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 10.05.2012

Thank you for sharing your story. Personally, I find it quite familiar, so I'm sure it's quite relatable. Sounds strange when a foreigner loves and wants to learn your native language: we've been raised with that language, so, whether we like it or not, we're forced to learn it. We have no choice. But foreigners do, so most people would think: "why would you want to study my language?". We've been forced to learn it, therefore we don't see anything special in it: we don't see it with an objective eye (even though taste is not always subjective, but objectively every single language has something to offer).
I want to give you a tip to you and whoever may be reading this: there are no difficult or easy languages. If you want to learn a new language, you need to have another mindset. We all are good at different things, but languages are NEVER difficult, just different. I heard many people claiming their languages was the most difficult, but, let's face it: this is highly subjective. Plus we all have difficulties on different things: you might, for instance, have an excellent pronunciation, but a very bad grammar. Remember that every language follows a logic: if you understand how natives think (which equals how they would spontaneously translate their thoughts into words), you've cracked the code.

Membro
<a href="/pt-br/translator/nil" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1379304">Nil </a>
Associou-se em: 19.04.2018

Welcome to our community! We know how you feel. We are all here to improve our foreign language skills, so you're gonna feel at home.
Curiously, garçom means waiter in my native Portuguese (probably a loan word from Turkish), but as in English, we have a female form for it: garçonete.

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

"Garson" comes from French ("garçon"), as several Turkish words (bulvar, kuaför, otobüs, motosiklet, garaj, tren, apartıment...). We have a feminine form, "garce", but this is highly to be avoided, meaning something like "a bitch"... We also have "une garçonne", meaning a girl looking and/or behaving like a boy. "Un garçonnet" is a small boy.
P.S. Well, actually, "garce" would rather be the feminine of "un gars" (a guy), but it's the same word family.

Membro Sênior
<a href="/pt-br/translator/m%C3%BCjgan" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1409351">Müjgan <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 17.01.2019

I think for a minute... You may be right. Thank you :)

Membro
<a href="/pt-br/translator/nil" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1379304">Nil </a>
Associou-se em: 19.04.2018

That's what I thought at first, because it sounds French, but Pulp Fiction taught me garçon means boy in French, so they're actually false friends (same sound, different meaning). When I read what Müjgan wrote about garson, I thought "OMG! Same sound AND same meaning!" That's why I think our garçom came from the Turkish garson instead, probably through the Moors who ruled the Iberian Peninsula for a few centuries.

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

"Garçon" in French means "boy", but it also means "waiter". The way to call the waiter in a café is normally "Garçon !" (raising your hand). In case of a waitress, we would call "Mademoiselle!" or "Madame!" We also simply ask "s'il vous plaît!" (=please!) I already related here how I had understood that in Portugal, one should say "Pssshhhtt !', but that I was told that it was very common and I should avoid it. :*)

Banned User
<a href="/pt-br/translator/igeethecat" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1365086">Igeethecat </a>
Associou-se em: 16.12.2017
Jadis schrieb:

"Garçon" in French means "boy", but it also means "waiter". The way to call the waiter in a café is normally "Garçon !" (raising your hand). In case of a waitress, we would call "Mademoiselle!" or "Madame!" We also simply ask "s'il vous plaît!" (=please!) I already related here how I had understood that in Portugal, one should say "Pssshhhtt !', but that I was told that it was very common and I should avoid it. :*)

So, to be clear, I can say «Гарсон, принесите кружку пива / или стакан вина», but they will probably will not understand. How do you say ‘one more’?

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

Garçon, un(e) autre !
Garçon, la même chose !
(Variante : Garçon, sa petite soeur !) :)

Membro Sênior
<a href="/pt-br/translator/m%C3%BCjgan" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1409351">Müjgan <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Associou-se em: 17.01.2019

I didn't know ''garçon'' means also waiter. We have many words from French. Like ''balkon''. Thank you, good to know it!

Banned User
<a href="/pt-br/translator/igeethecat" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1365086">Igeethecat </a>
Associou-se em: 16.12.2017

One more thing - they will not be offended for calling them “гарсон”, right? Because in US it kinda offending to call someone ‘a boy’

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

Nothing offending IMO, although the tradition is perhaps going weaker a little by now. In case of doubt, you can always call out "Monsieur !", at the risk that half of the coffee room whill turn to you and wonder what you want from them...
P.S. The "garçon" may be over 60 years old, he will nevertheless stay a "garçon"... It's his job.

Banned User
<a href="/pt-br/translator/igeethecat" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1365086">Igeethecat </a>
Associou-se em: 16.12.2017

Well, the half of the room will turn my way anyway no matter what I say ;) so, better I say it politically correct, correct?

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

It's correct, I only thought that it was perhaps still more in use at the time when the waiters wore a (black and white) uniform - they still do at some places (more in Belgium than in France). Now they usually wear dirty jeans and a sweater full of holes, so I nearly would call them "hé, mec !" but that might be interpreted as offending. ;)

Banned User
<a href="/pt-br/translator/igeethecat" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1365086">Igeethecat </a>
Associou-se em: 16.12.2017

And they don’t wear normal clothe in France? Even in States they have a dress code - no holes, no short skirts and so on...
Я уже боюсь ;)

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

Depends on the standing level of the place, but as a general rule it's getting worse... End of the Western civilization, etc.

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

It's a question of education, I guess. Wenn a Frenchman tries to speak in another language, he usually just feels like an idiot, so he speaks it "the French way", in order to look less like an idiot (but he still does). Can you imagine for example that we have a cultural German-French channel, called Arte (of rather good level) and most of the (female) presenters of the TV news are just unable to pronounce correctly "guten Abend" (good evening) ? Well, they are.

Banned User
<a href="/pt-br/translator/igeethecat" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1365086">Igeethecat </a>
Associou-se em: 16.12.2017

To speak or not to speak
Foreigners will always make mistakes unless they are well trained spies :)
And sometimes mistakes we make sound funny to natives, and if they react funny, we might to choose to hide in our shells and never come out :D
Or accept criticism and be happy... :)

Expert
<a href="/pt-br/translator/jadis" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1387945">Jadis </a>
Associou-se em: 01.07.2018

True, but there are people whose job should be to show us the right way : journalists and TV presenters, for example, and they do just the opposite : they teach us how she should not do. :(