Suzanne Talhouk: Don't kill your language
苏珊 塔浩克: 谁说阿拉伯语就不酷了?
Suzanne Talhouk is an advocate for the Arabic language as a tool of power, pride and unity. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
but I wanted to ask you,
on the tag in Arabic?
有没有人是用阿拉伯语写的?
All right, no problem.
ordering food.
(用阿拉伯语)
thinking that he misheard.
"The menu (Arabic), please."
(用阿拉伯语)
"Don't you know what they call it?"
or "menu" (French)."
(前者英文发音,后者是法文发音)
said the waiter.
那个服务员说。
as if he was saying to himself,
然后他自言自语道,
I wouldn't look at her!"
我都不会正眼看她一眼。”
of saying "menu" in Arabic?
judge a girl as being backward
my own language in my own country?
there are many people like me,
很多人和我一样,
where they involuntarily give up
心不甘情不愿的,放弃过去的一切,
that has happened to them in the past,
心不甘情不愿的,放弃过去的一切,
we have of the war!
I learned in Arabic, just to conform?
I tried to understand him.
我依然试图去理解那个人。
with the same cruelty that he judged me.
反过来去评判他。
doesn't satisfy today's needs.
an advanced research project,
we use at the airport.
they'd strip us of our clothes.
他们肯定当场要搜身了。
We could all ask this question!
这个问题很值得深思!
Where are we to do so?
哪里去找?
that we ought to think about.
of other languages
for creative expression in other languages.
(黎巴嫩诗人,旧译 哈里利·吉布兰)
he used Arabic.
in the village
smelling a specific smell,
he had enough baggage.
肚子里已经有足够的墨水了。
you smell the same smell,
你能闻到一样的气味,
writing in English,
From a village on Mount Lebanon.
no one can argue with.
that if you want to kill a nation,
that developed societies are aware of.
all these nations are aware of this.
这些国家都意识到了这一点。
to protect their language.
they pay a lot of money to develop it.
并投入大量资金发展自己的母语。
hasn't reached us yet,
with the civilized world.
but decided to strive for development,
但谋求发展的国家,
as they were climbing the ladder,
from Turkey or elsewhere
most of the time.
they had to protect their language.
他们必须保护自己的语言。
independence (Arabic),"
(阿拉伯语)
just words coming out of our mouths.
in our lives,
that is linked to our emotions.
"Freedom, sovereignty, independence,"
“自由,主权,独立”
in their own mind,
in a specific historical period.
or three words or letters put together.
that relates to how we think,
and how others see us.
以及别人如何看待我们。
whether this guy understands or not?
independence (English),"
(英文)
the freedom (English) slogan?"
and stop talking in vain.
不如早点回去比较好。
remind us of a specific thing.
who's married to a French man.
"Everything is fine,
“都还可以,
asking and trying to translate
'toqborni' for him."
(字面意思:愿你把我埋葬)
(笑声)
"toqborni,"
trying to explain it to him.
"How could anyone be this cruel?
“这话也太残忍了”
(英文)
that word to her husband,
his way of thinking is different.
毕竟他的思路不同。
"He listens to Fairuz with me,
“他和我一起听Fairuz”
(黎巴嫩歌手)
I tried to translate for him
我试着给他翻译歌词
I listen to Fairuz."
this for him:
and stole you --"
I returned my hands and left you."
the Arabic language?
of the civil society,
the Arabic language.
"Why do you bother?
“不觉得麻烦么?
and go have fun."
launched a slogan that says,
but you reply from the West."
"No! We do not accept this or that."
that way, we wouldn't be understood.
因为这么一来就没人会理解我们了。
I hate the Arabic language.
我自己都很讨厌这样的阿拉伯语。
our dreams, aspirations and day-to-day life.
(用语言)反映我们梦想、灵感和日常生活。
and thinks like we do.
but you reply from the West"
yet creative and persuasive.
we launched another campaign
by black and yellow tape
written on it.
Seriously, don't kill your language.
我是认真的,不要消灭自己的母语。
we'd have to find an identity.
我们就必须去寻找另一种身份。
of being modern and civilized.
失去的可不光是现代化机会而已了。
of guys and girls wearing the Arabic letter.
"Ha! You used an English word!"
“哈,你这不是用英文了么!”
"No! I adopt the word 'cool.'"
“错!是我们搬用了cool这个词”
but give me a word that's nicer
但这个词真的又好用
"I'm going to the world wide web"
“我要去上万维网(www)了”
We shouldn't kid ourselves.
我们还是不要自己开自己的玩笑了
we all have to be convinced
我们必须确信
who is bigger
when it comes to language,
what they want.
or build a rocket and so on,
或是造出火箭之类的,
is a creative project.
is the path.
or produce a short film.
或是拍部微电影。
back to being number one.
there is a solution!
当然有办法!
that a solution exists,
to be part of that solution.
even though my time has finished,
因为我的时间快到了,
or Chinese.
with Latin characters mixed with numbers!
That's not a language.
根本不是语言了。
with a virtual language.
from such a place and rise.
that we can do.
each other.
to the necessity of preserving this language.
"This is your father, honey (Arabic)."
“宝贝,这是你爸爸”(阿拉伯语)
"This is your dad, honey (English)."
“宝贝,这是你爸爸”(英语)
I promise my daughter Noor,
"Thanks (Arabic),"
and hope no one has heard her.
然后用法文矫正:“要说谢谢,女儿”(法文)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suzanne Talhouk - Poet and language advocateSuzanne Talhouk is an advocate for the Arabic language as a tool of power, pride and unity.
Why you should listen
Raised in war-torn Lebanon, Suzanne Talhouk has a masters in physics and a passion for poetry; she has released two collections of poems. Dismayed by what she saw as a lack of power during the recent war in the Middle East, Talhouk saw the Arabic language as medium to unite and empower the Arab world. She launched Feil Amer, an organization that aims to preserve the Arabic language, and to reinstate the pride in young Arabs towards their language.
Suzanne Talhouk | Speaker | TED.com