NATIONAL
LANGUAGE
SERVICE
CORPS
SPRING
2012
this issue
Spring Feature
Article:
Görüşürüz İstanbul…
See you later Istanbul…
By Caitlin Miles
In Turkey, when you part ways, it is not
common to say “goodbye,” but rather,
“see you later.” “Görüşmek” in Turkish
means “to meet.” Adding the “ürüz” to the
end changes the word to mean “we will
meet soon.” Moreover, this particular verb
conjugation is the uncertain future tense.
How Turks bid each other farewell tells a
lot about their culture and their outlook
on life. During my short time in Turkey,
I learned that Turks enjoy the moment.
Questions about the uncertain future
are left to the future. Turks embrace the
serendipitous nature of life and like to leave
all possibilities open. Therefore, saying
“görüşürüz” to my friends was not a heartwrenching task, but rather a joyful “hello”
to the next phase. The Turks around me
did not dwell on the time I would be away,
but they smiled and wholeheartedly wished
me the best of luck. My friends did not
continued on page 2 >
From the Office
of the Director
p1
Spring Feature:
See you later Istanbul
p 1-2
Russian Language Identity
in the U.S.
p 2-3
NLSC on the Road
p4
Around the World
p 5-6
German vs Austrian German
p7
From the Of fice of the Director
Dear Members:
I would like to congratulate everyone on the growing success of
the NLSC. We have had an explosive growth in the demand for the
NLSC from across the government to meet a wide range of national
needs. We have had Members supporting assignments in places like
Amman, Jordan and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. There is a strong interest
among Departments like Justice, Agriculture, and Homeland Security
to use NLSC Members as staff augments as they deal with the critical
challenge of removing the impediments of limited English proficiency
in ensuring that all citizens have full access to their programs and
services.
NLSC Members continue to impress the agencies and departments
that benefit from their support. This is because we are focused on
service and language for the good of all.
Bill Castan,
Program Director, National Language Service Corps
NLSC DC Chapter Launch 2011
Russian Language Identity
in the U.S.
By Sergei Grebenkin
The question of language identity for an
immigrant from Russia living in the U.S.
is primarily a question of the language he/
she speaks on a daily basis. What language
do immigrants from Russia (and from the
former USSR) speak at home, at work, and
at play? Do we speak English or continue
to use Russian? Just listen to a conversation
between two native Russian speakers
somewhere in New York City, Chicago,
or Seattle and you’ll hear the answer
immediately: we speak a hybrid of English
and Russian—“Russlish.” I am neither the
first nor the last person to notice this strange
transformation of our great and mighty
Russian language. It’s worth noting that such
transformation equally affects immigrants
of all education levels. One may assert that
even those who, like me, use Russian for
academic purposes are not immune to the
linguistic changes and foreign borrowings
that influence our Russian language.
This process of transformation starts
subconsciously, just months after relocating
to a new country. For many, shortly after
arriving in the U.S., one’s brain may become
like a stew in which the languages are
mixed up and words are created out of
both of Russian and English. And what
about those who have lived here for five,
ten, or twenty years? Can you imagine
what their brains must look like? Why
does the Russian language in the U.S. so
easily transform into a language hybrid?
Why is the most recent (fourth) wave of
immigrants to the U.S. so free-wheeling
with its native tongue, compared to the
first wave of Russian immigrants who
nurtured and cherished it, treating it as a
holy relic? We face a paradox: unlike our
predecessors who came to the U.S. with the
first wave of immigrants, and in spite of the
continued from page 3 >
2
< continued from page 1
know when they would see me again, but
they smiled at the possibility of a future
meeting.
We are only capable of so much in this
world; everything else must be left up to
chance.
I have come to believe that, in the culture
of the United States, we fear an uncertain
future. We seek to plan almost every
moment and become filled with anxiety
when an unexpected factor enters the
equation. Unknown possibilities often
frighten us, especially when parting from
loved ones. We ask ourselves, “When will
we meet again?”…“Will we get to speak
to each other frequently?”…“What if this
or that?” We are nearly paralyzed with
these questions, unable to look forward
positively to a future full of countless
possibilities. This is why, during my time
in Turkey, I came to admire the Turkish
outlook on life. Instead of obsessing or
dwelling on the future, they leave it up to
the cosmos. You will often hear Turks say
“inşallah” when referring to the future.
“God willing,” they say. It is not so much a
religious mantra, but an acknowledgment
that not everything can be controlled.
So, as I left an amazing city, country,
and people, I did not shed tears of
sadness, but of joy. I smiled a bittersweet
smile, at the end of one chapter and the
beginning of another. I was filled with
excitement at the possibilities the future
may hold. I plan to return to Turkey, but,
as I learned there, nothing can be certain
in the future. I must keep my heart and
mind open, and enjoy the unexpected
twists and turns life may bring. So, as I
await my return to Turkey, I smile and
say: İstanbul, görüşürüz inşallah…
photo courtesy of Esad Cakici
Caitlin Miles is a recent graduate from
the University of Oklahoma with a degree
in Communication and International
Studies. She has lived and studied in
Chile and Turkey, where she learned both
Spanish and Turkish. She has been a
Member of the NLSC since 2011.
Facts about the NLSC
We have Members in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as
well as 27 countries worldwide:
< continued from page 2
fact that we can communicate with our friends
and relatives in Russia/CIS daily, watch Russian
TV live, listen to Russian-language radio, read
a wide variety of publications in Russian, and
have no trouble traveling to our native country,
we are still unable to protect our Russian from
the strong influence of the foreign language.
Linguists and others who campaign for the purity
of the Russian language will not stop grieving
over the slow disappearance of standard Russian
and its mixing with foreign languages. But let us
leave that to the
linguists. Besides,
they are incapable
of providing
all those who
live abroad
with hands-on
recommendations
as to how to
preserve the
purity of Russian.
What we need
to keep in mind,
wherever we
end up living, is
that we should
take better care
of our language,
and that a
lot of what we replace with English can
easily be expressed in Russian.
Sergei Grebenkin holds an advanced degree in
Russian Philology and Slavic Linguistics. He has
worked as a simultaneous interpreter for the
U.S. Department of State, and as a Language
Specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense
in U.S. non-proliferation and WMD-elimination
programs. Sergei currently teaches Russian and
performs freelance translation and interpretation.
He has been an NLSC Member since 2011.
We encourage all Members to join the NLSC
Members-only Facebook group. You can use
your personal Facebook page to connect with us
online. Note: the NLSC cannot view the content
of your page once you are added to the group.
Here are 5 reasons why you should join the
Facebook Group:
Kenya
Republic of Korea
Morocco
Marshall Island
Mongolia
Mexico
Malaysia
Nicaragua
Panama
Qatar
Russia
Thailand
United Kingdom
We have over 3,400 Members.
We have a total of 245 languages
represented in our membership.
57 Members have participated in a total
of 25 NLSC assignments.
We have…
1095 Facebook fans
2864 Twitter followers
832 LinkedIn group members
24 Google+ followers
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Don’t be afraid to join the
Discussion on Facebook!
Afghanistan
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Switzerland
China
Czech Republic
Germany
Spain
France
United Kingdom
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Japan
f
According to Facebook
users, the top three ways
that Members preserve their
family culture while living in
the U.S. are:
1. The NLSC has over 3,400 Members, and
almost 700 have joined the Facebook group.
So, this is a great opportunity to meet other
Members virtually.
2. It is an interactive group (not a one-way
#1- Celebrate holidays and
conversation). You can share articles, web
everyday cultural traditions
links, videos, and photos.
#2- Socialize with extended
3. This platform allows NLSC staff and
family
Members to create and participate in polls
#3Travel
to native country
and interesting discussions.
4. The Members-only group has
What do you think?
announcements regarding NLSC
assignments, Meet & Greets, and
Join our MEMBERS-ONLY
program updates.
Facebook
Group today to join the
5. NLSC staff posts links to online
discussion!
language resources.
3
NLSC on the Road
The NLSC has recently traveled to cities across the country, hosting Meet & Greet
events and attending language conferences and recruiting events!
Check out some of the places we’ve recently visited:
January 6-8 – Seattle, WA
American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East
European Languages (AATSEEL)
127th Modern Language Association (MLA)
Annual Convention
Meet & Greet
Se
attle, WA
February 23-24 – Austin, TX
University of Texas at Austin’s Hindi/Urdu
and Flagship programs
Greet
Meet &
T
Austin,
X
March 15-16 – Orlando, FL
American Translator Association (ATA)
Interpreters and Spanish Language Divisions
Joint Mid-Year Conference
Meet & Greet O
rlando, FL
April 4-6 – San Francisco, CA
San Francisco State University’s
Chinese Flagship program
o, CA
Francisc
n
a
S
t
e
Gre
Meet &
April 12-14 – Atlanta, GA
Global Language Convention at the Atlanta
International School
Meet & Greet
Atl
anta, GA
4
Around the World.....
Morocco
Connect with the NLSC on LinkedIn!
LinkedIn is a professional social
networking site that joins today’s
professionals together. Some people
use LinkedIn to connect with old coworkers, colleagues, or even professional associations. LinkedIn allows
you to ask questions of experts,
network with professionals in similar
fields, and search for jobs.
The NLSC has a LinkedIn group with
over 821 members. This group is an
open forum; so, unlike our Facebook
group, it is not exclusive to NLSC
Members. Join us on LinkedIn today!
NLSC Members are eligible for
exclusive access to the Working
Advantage discount network. Save
up to 60% on tickets, travel, and
shopping on items such as: Theme
Parks, Broadway Shows, Sporting
Events, Travel, Museums & City
Passes and much more!
Register here by referencing the
National Language Service Corps
ID# 34589934 when you open an
individual account.
Working Advantage supports all
inquiries regarding customer support as well as online shopping at
800-565-3712.
5
Lebanon
Rachid Hamili
Soraya Kabbara
Morocco is a multicultural country
where Arabic,
French and
Berber traditions
come into play.
Arabic, mainly
the Moroccan
dialect, is the official language. Most
Moroccans can understand
other Arabic dialects from many countries in
the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and the
Gulf, yet speakers from those regions cannot
understand the Moroccan dialect. What is the
reason? Firstly, no grammar mechanics are applicable in the syntactic forms of the Moroccan dialect. Nor is there a prescriptive rule that
commands the linguistic distribution. Instead,
this dialect uses a mix of words that sound
German, French (borrowed terms), as well as
standard Arabic “Fushaa.” A second unique
feature in the Moroccan dialect is the presence of idiolects in the standard dialect. For
example, the Latin alphabet A has one English
IPA, æ. Such a letter is pronounced in three
different ways according to three geographic
locations.
One important
factor that most
people are not
aware is that
most Lebanese
tend to speak
English, Arabic and French
simultaneously!
We are famous for
“Hi, keefak, ca va?” which
translates to “Hi, how are you, is it going?”
In the 1920s, Lebanon was under the French
Mandate and was previously known as the
Paris of the Middle East. Over the decades,
we have kept a lot of the French language and
added it to our dialect.
Rachid was born and raised in Morocco.
After completing a B.A. in English literature
in Morocco, he moved to the U.S. in 1997. He
has a Master’s in Computer Information Systems from Strayer University, and previously
worked as a network/database analyst. Later,
he joined the M.B.A. on-line program with
Schiller International, Florida, and graduated
from the Heidelberg campus in Germany. Rachid has been an NLSC Member since 2011.
It is definitely hard to maintain a language
when it is not part of your everyday life.
I have been in the U.S. since 2004; it was
somewhat difficult for me to adjust to a new
society and a new life in general. I lived with
my uncle and his family, and I was able to
maintain my Arabic language by speaking to
him and re-connecting with old friends who
now live within the U.S. I tend to always meet
at least one Lebanese or partial Lebanese person wherever I go, and it is a great feeling to
be able to connect with someone on that level.
Soraya was born in Lebanon, moved to the
United States in 1987, and then moved back
to Lebanon in 1992. She spent most of her
life in Lebanon until she graduated from the
American University of Beirut in 2004. She
moved back to the United States and decided
to enlist in the U.S. Army to become an Arabic
interpreter. Currently, Soraya is attending the
Monterey Institute of International Studies
for her Master’s Degree in Nonproliferation
and Terrorism Studies. She has been an NLSC
Member since 2011.
Watch interviews with three NLSC Members who
participated in NLSC assignments!
Around the World (Continued)
Egypt
Korea
Tina Yanni
Rose Ham
The Arabic Egyptian
dialect is interwoven
in part with the
whole Middle
Eastern culture;
yet, it keeps
its own unique
flavor with a
sharp, spirited, and
humorous Egyptian
character. When we look
through the years and see thousands of
Egyptian pharaohs, kings, governors and rulers
who have been described in history books as
the shrillest and most forceful dictators, we
realize that the only way of survival in such
society was to express anger in laughter and
jokes, use words and phrases that carry double
meanings, and replace direct critique with
metaphor, satire or sarcasm. With the Egyptian
dialect, as well as the Arabic language in
general, we need to pay attention to body
language, tone of speech and that hidden code
which is embedded in between the lines, or is
told in silence in between the voiced words.
The important and main message lies in those
strong unspoken words.
The Korean
language has
numerous
local dialects
according
to where
one lives.
All dialects
of Korean are
similar to each other
and at least partially
mutually intelligible. The differences
between dialects are in the use of tone.
The dialect of Seoul makes use of
vowel length, whereas the dialect of
Gyeonsangdo maintains the pitch accent
of Middle Korean. Tone is also used to
demonstrate gender. In traditional society,
Korean women often place themselves
in a position of powerlessness, and this,
in turn, is observed in their everyday
speech patterns. Some examples of
this can be seen in a woman’s use of
softer tone in order to minimize conflict
or aggression, or in a married woman
introducing herself as someone’s mother
or wife, not with her own name, or in the
presence of gender differences in titles
and occupational terms (for example, a
SAJANG (사장) is a company president
and YOESAJANG (여사장) is a female
company president).
Tina Yanni is an Arabic Linguist, who has
invested over ten years in the language and
cross-cultural awareness arena with rich
experience as a translator, transcriber, and
interpreter from Arabic to English & vice
versa. She’s an American citizen of Egyptian
origin, and a proud mother of three. She has
been a Member of the NLSC since 2011.
Rose Ham was born in Seoul, Korea.
She received a B.S. degree from ChungAng University, and moved to the U.S.
in 1973. She worked in the real estate
business in NYC, but decided to start
her career as a language professional in
2007. Currently, Rose works as a Korean
Translator and Court Interpreter. She has
been a Member of the NLSC since 2011.
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NLSCORPS.ORG
Language Laugh
When I first came to the U.S.
a long time ago, I lived in Los
Angeles. Being an English major
from Russia, I adjusted really
well in a short period of time and
enjoyed a lot of new and exciting
things in my life. One of those
things was grocery shopping at
Vons or Albertsons with their
unbelievable abundance of food.
Those were the two grocery
chains in our area. After a month
in the City of Angels, we had to
move to Santa Barbara, and the
first order of business was to buy
some groceries. I was walking
along the street downtown and
asked an elderly lady where the
nearest grocery store was. She
started telling me to go down
the street and then turn right
and left and turn again and
there will be the safe way.
The directions seemed a little
complicated to me, plus I
felt very sure of myself by
then, so I politely said to the
lady, “Ma’am, I am quite
comfortable with the traffic
and do not need a SAFE WAY.
Could you please tell me
the SHORT WAY?” I could
read in the lady’s eyes that
something was not quite right
and she left without saying
another word. I had no choice
but to follow her directions.
Low and behold, when I
reached the grocery store,
it had a huge sign across it
reading SAFEWAY.
- Galina Pickell
NLSC Member since 2011
6
“……….languages are the pedigree of nations.” Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
German versus Austrian German
PLANNING
Constance Briley
Wanda Penn
EDITING
Kara Weidman
Joanna Fesler
Andre Flores
Taylor Singer
Daniella Morinigo
LAYOUT/DESIGN
Bridget Baker
Joanna Fesler
Wanda Penn
Follow the NLSC on Twitter!
Twitter is live information platform that shares voices from
people, businesses, etc. from
around the world. The NLSC
“spreads the word” or “tweets”
daily about interesting language
news affecting the community.
You can follow the NLSC
tweets here.
We are always accepting article
submissions for future editions
of The Language Compass. To
submit an article, obtain a copy
of the submission guidelines,
or to provide feedback, please
contact [email protected]
7
German is a highly
stylized language
which, over the
centuries, has
incorporated the
vocabulary of
friends and enemies
alike. Its grammar
has many distinct
rules, most of which
have at least one exception. Nouns are always
capitalized; they have not only a male and female
gender, but also a neutral one (“der, die, das”). Nouns
can be linked to each other indefinitely; their gender
always to be determined by the very last noun (“der
Donaudampschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitan” – the
Captain of the Danube Steamship Company). Sentences
can be short, but they also can be seemingly endless
when “Schachtelsatze” (sentences in boxes) are made to
fit into each other like one small box into the next size
box, and so on. And the verb is usually the last word
in the sentence, which presents quite a challenge for
simultaneous interpreters.
For the sake of transparency, I need to explain that I
am not German. I am Austrian. My reference book in
school was “Das Osterreichische Worterbuch” (Austrian
Dictionary), not the German standard dictionary
“Duden.” Nonetheless, my German followed all of the
established rules, some of which I continue to find
rather strange. For example, children and young women
are not described according to their gender. A child
is always an “it.” A young unmarried woman is “das
Fraulein,” which means that all young women are an
“it” rather than a
“she.”
When I take
the train from
Salzburg (Austria)
to Munich
(Germany)—a
train ride of less
than two hours—I
always marvel that
the German word
for rails is “Gleis,”
while in Austria
we call it “Geleise.”
German onions
are feminine while
Austrian onions
are masculine.
Tomatoes are “Tomaten” in Germany, “Paradeiser”
in Austria. German “Kartoffel” (potato) are Austrian
“Erdapfel.” And I had to climb 162 “Stiegen” (steps)
in my Vienna apartment building, while Germans will
immediately correct me and tell me that I had to climb
162 Treppen. And all that in the “Treppenhaus” rather
than the “Stiegenhaus”—both of which mean stairway
in English.
Austrian German, and particularly the German
spoken in the capital city Vienna, is sprinkled with
words from other languages, such as Yiddish, Italian,
By Monique Roske
Czech, Hungarian, etc. At present, English seems to be
prevalent in Austrian advertising and colloquial speech;
previously, French shone through many conversations
in Vienna and in other provincial capitals. French was
the official language of the Austrian Emperor’s Court,
which means that a certain part of Vienna’s population
was actually bilingual: they spoke French at the Court
and with their peers, while speaking German with
servants and the general population.
Regardless of socio-economic class, all Austrians
have one thing in common: we speak softly; even our
“Hochdeutsch” (High German) has a “sing-song” tune
that distinguishes it very clearly from the German
spoken in Germany. Occasionally, Austrian accents
can become problematic; for example, when my
German teacher at Georgetown University’s School of
Translation and Interpretation stated that “no Austrian
could ever write correct German.” It was a statement
that I strongly disagreed with; as did the teacher’s
Austrian boss who ended her contract rather abruptly.
Throughout history, to quote Oscar Wilde, Germany
and Austria have been two nations “divided by the same
language.” More often than not, the German rulers and
the Austrian emperors were rivals rather than friends.
Each tried to rule as much of Europe as possible. More
recently, in the 20th century, Austria aligned itself with
Germany twice (in World War I and World War II)—
with disastrous results.
Today, Germany is once again Austria’s powerful
neighbor, while Austria with about 8 million inhabitants
is a small country relying heavily on tourism and
agriculture. But
Austrians proudly
maintain ‘their’
German; they look
upon their language
as part of their
national heritage
and culture. It is
their pedigree.
Monique Roske,
NLSC’s Senior
Language Expert,
supports NLSC’s
recruiting and
marketing efforts.
She taught
Translation and
Consecutive
Interpretation at Georgetown University, German at
Johns Hopkins University, and German and French to
U.S. military and law enforcement officers and diplomats.
Monique has a M.A. in Liberal Studies (International
Affairs/Social and Public Policy) from Georgetown
University and another M.A. in Multicultural/
Multilingual Education from George Mason University.
She holds Certificates of Translation/Interpretation from
Georgetown University and language diplomas from the
Sorbonne (Paris, France), Cambridge University (UK),
and the University of Florence (Italy). Monique has been
a Member of the NLSC since 2010.
Opinions expressed in this newsletter are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
NLSC. The NLSC is not responsible for the accuracy and quality of the translations provided by the authors in their articles.