#19a Travelogue Kyrgyzstan & Turkey: Mid-air language issues
On the plane from Bishkek 🇰🇬 to Istanbul 🇹🇷 cabin crew handed out Covid-19 forms for entering Turkey. The forms were in Turkish and English. Several passengers approached the busy air hostesses in Russian for help with filling in the forms but none of them spoke even a word of Russian. At some point, one of them just shouted "English!!!" after a stubborn passenger's repeated attempts.
I wonder what the Kyrgyz passengers thought - a) the cabin crew should speak Russian, b) I should speak English or c) Kyrgyz and Turks should understand each other.
c) is Panturkism – the idea that all Turkic nations should be united. I heard one air hostess asking a passenger: “Do you want chay or su?” – It’s a start.
---Vocab---
📍cabin crew = people working on planes to serve passengers 📍approach sb = ask sb for help or information 📍air hostess = female cabin crew 📍stubborn = not giving up 📍attempt = try
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey #kyrgyzstan
On the plane from Bishkek 🇰🇬 to Istanbul 🇹🇷 cabin crew handed out Covid-19 forms for entering Turkey. The forms were in Turkish and English. Several passengers approached the busy air hostesses in Russian for help with filling in the forms but none of them spoke even a word of Russian. At some point, one of them just shouted "English!!!" after a stubborn passenger's repeated attempts.
I wonder what the Kyrgyz passengers thought - a) the cabin crew should speak Russian, b) I should speak English or c) Kyrgyz and Turks should understand each other.
c) is Panturkism – the idea that all Turkic nations should be united. I heard one air hostess asking a passenger: “Do you want chay or su?” – It’s a start.
---Vocab---
📍cabin crew = people working on planes to serve passengers 📍approach sb = ask sb for help or information 📍air hostess = female cabin crew 📍stubborn = not giving up 📍attempt = try
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey #kyrgyzstan
#19b Travelogue Kyrgyzstan & Turkey: More mid-air language issues
We’re still on that interesting flight from Bishkek to Istanbul. Something else happened that made me think Kyrgyz and Turks should really understand each other without using Russian or English, if only they try.
When looking at those Turkish-English Covid-19 forms my Kyrgyz seat neighbour was totally puzzled, not understanding a word of what was written there. I asked him if he needed help and then explained it all in Uzbek. And – voilà – he understood!
Now try speaking Uzbek to a Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan or Kyrgyz to an Uzbek in Uzbekistan and you may get negative reactions. They could understand if they tried but they just don’t feel they should. But an emergency situation can change everything.
---Vocab---
📍form = a document that you fill with information about yourself 📍puzzled = confused 📍 voilà = (from French) used when saying sth surprising
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey #kyrgyzstan
We’re still on that interesting flight from Bishkek to Istanbul. Something else happened that made me think Kyrgyz and Turks should really understand each other without using Russian or English, if only they try.
When looking at those Turkish-English Covid-19 forms my Kyrgyz seat neighbour was totally puzzled, not understanding a word of what was written there. I asked him if he needed help and then explained it all in Uzbek. And – voilà – he understood!
Now try speaking Uzbek to a Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan or Kyrgyz to an Uzbek in Uzbekistan and you may get negative reactions. They could understand if they tried but they just don’t feel they should. But an emergency situation can change everything.
---Vocab---
📍form = a document that you fill with information about yourself 📍puzzled = confused 📍 voilà = (from French) used when saying sth surprising
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey #kyrgyzstan