ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suzanne Talhouk - Poet and language advocate
Suzanne 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.

More profile about the speaker
Suzanne Talhouk | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxBeirut

Suzanne Talhouk: Don't kill your language

Suzanne Talhouk: ¿Quen di que falando en árabe non se pode ser "moderno"?

Filmed:
1,438,887 views

Nesta charla, Suzanne Talhouk, presidenta de Feil Amer [unha asociación que promove o uso do árabe entre a mocidade libanesa], demanda iniciativas para revitalizar esa lingua, modernizándoa e usándoa como medio de expresión creativa. A súa intervención pon o foco na recuperación da identidade da poboación arabefalante, e en liberarse do seu complexo de inferioridade.
- Poet and language advocate
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.

00:13
Good morning!
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Bo día!
00:15
Are you awake?
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Están despertos?
Leváronme o cartón co meu nome,
00:18
They took my name tag,
but I wanted to ask you,
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pero quería preguntarlles
00:21
did anyone here write their name
on the tag in Arabic?
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se alguén escribiu o seu nome en árabe?
00:23
Anyone! No one?
All right, no problem.
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Alguén? Ningún. Ben, non pasa nada.
Era unha vez,non hai moito tempo,
00:29
Once upon a time, not long ago,
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unha amiga e mais eu
estabamos nun restaurante.
00:33
I was sitting in a restaurant with my friend,
ordering food.
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a punto de pedir algo.
00:38
So I looked at the waiter and said,
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Mirei para o camareiro e pregunteille:
00:42
"Do you have a menu (Arabic)?"
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"A carta, por favor?" [en árabe]
00:45
He looked at me strangely,
thinking that he misheard.
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Quedou mirando estrañado,
como se non escoitara ben,
e díxome "Desculpe?" [en inglés]
00:49
He said, "Sorry? (English)."
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00:52
I said,
"The menu (Arabic), please."
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Eu díxenlle:
"A carta, por favor" [en árabe]
00:56
He replied,
"Don't you know what they call it?"
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E el contestou:
"Non sabe como se chama isto"?
E eu: "Sei".
00:59
"I do."
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E el: "Non! Chámase
01:01
He said, "No! It's called "menu" (English),
or "menu" (French)."
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"menu" (en inglés) e "menu" (en francés)"
01:04
Is the French pronunciation correct?
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A pronuncia do francés foi correcta?
01:06
"Come, come, take care of this one!"
said the waiter.
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"Ven, ven, ocúpate desta!",
dixo o camareiro.
01:09
He was disgusted when talking to me,
as if he was saying to himself,
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Parecía enfadado por ter que falar comigo,
como se estivese pensando:
01:13
"If this was the last girl on Earth,
I wouldn't look at her!"
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"Se esta fose a última moza da Terra,
nin a miraría!"
01:17
What's the meaning
of saying "menu" in Arabic?
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¿Que é iso de dicir "carta" en árabe?
01:19
Two words made a Lebanese young man
judge a girl as being backward
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Só unha palabra fixo que un mozo libanés
vise a unha moza como anticuada
e ignorante.
01:28
and ignorant.
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01:30
How could she speak that way?
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¿Como pode falar así?
01:36
At that moment, I started thinking.
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Naquel momento empecei a pensar.
01:39
It made me mad.
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Aquilo ofendeume
01:40
It definitely hurts!
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e doeume moito.
¿Estou no meu país, e prohíbeseme
01:41
I'm denied the right to speak
my own language in my own country?
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falar a miña propia lingua?
01:44
Where could this happen?
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¿Onde pode pasar isto?
01:46
How did we get here?
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¿Como é que chegamos aquí?
01:49
Well, while we are here,
there are many people like me,
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Neste mesmo momento
hai moita xente coma min
01:53
who would reach a stage in their lives,
where they involuntarily give up
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que pode chegar ao punto
de abandonar ao seu pesar
01:57
everything
that has happened to them in the past,
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todo o que viviu
só para dicir que é moderna
01:59
just so they can say that they're modern
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02:01
and civilized.
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e civilizada
¿Debería eu esquecer toda a miña cultura,
02:03
Should I forget all my culture, thoughts,
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02:06
intellect and all my memories?
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as miñas ideas, a miña bagaxe intelectual
e as miñas lembranzas?
02:11
Childhood stories might be the best memories
we have of the war!
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¡Pero se as historias da infancia son
os mellores recordos que teño da guerra!
02:15
Should I forget everything
I learned in Arabic, just to conform?
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¿Debería esquecer todo o que aprendín
en árabe, só para me integrar?
02:20
To be one of them?
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¿Para ser un deles?
02:23
Where's the logic in that?
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¿Onde está a lóxica de todo iso?
02:26
Despite all that,
I tried to understand him.
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A pesar de todo,
intentei entendelo.
02:29
I didn't want to judge him
with the same cruelty that he judged me.
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Eu non quería xulgalo coa mesma dureza
coa que el me xulgou a min.
02:35
The Arabic language
doesn't satisfy today's needs.
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O árabe non responde ás necesidades actuais.
Non é unha lingua de ciencia
02:39
It's not a language for science,
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de investigación,
02:41
research,
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02:43
a language we're used to in universities,
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ou que empreguemos na universidade
02:45
a language we use in the workplace,
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e que falemos no traballo.
02:47
a language we rely on if we were to perform
an advanced research project,
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Non é unha lingua que utilicemos
cando queremos desenvolver
unha investigación científica novidosa,
02:53
and it definitely isn't a language
we use at the airport.
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e abofé que non a usamos no aeroporto,
porque se o fixésemos
02:56
If we did so,
they'd strip us of our clothes.
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logo nos mandarían quitar a roupa.
03:00
Where can I use it, then?
We could all ask this question!
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Entón, ¿onde podemos usala?
Todos podemos preguntarnos iso.
03:04
So, you want us to use Arabic.
Where are we to do so?
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Ben, queres que usemos o árabe,
¿pero onde o podemos usar?
03:08
This is one reality.
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Esa é a realidade,
03:11
But we have another more important reality
that we ought to think about.
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pero temos outra realidade máis importante
para reflexionar sobre ela.
03:16
Arabic is the mother tongue.
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O árabe é a nosa lingua materna,
03:19
Research says that mastery
of other languages
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e hai estudos que afirman que
para dominar outras linguas
cómpre dominar a materna.
03:25
demands mastery of the mother tongue.
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03:29
Mastery of the mother tongue is a prerequisite
for creative expression in other languages.
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O dominio da lingua materna é
unha condición fundamental
para a expresión creativa noutras linguas.
¿Como?
03:36
How?
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03:38
Gibran Khalil Gibran,
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Gibran Khalil Gibran,
03:40
when he first started writing,
he used Arabic.
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cando comezou a escribir en árabe,
03:44
All his ideas, imagination and philosophy
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todas as súas ideas, as súas imaxinacións,
os seus pensamentos e a súa filosofía
03:51
were inspired by this little boy
in the village
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víñanlle inspiradas por aquel neno
sentado na aldea
na que medrara ulindo determinados olores,
03:54
where he grew up,
smelling a specific smell,
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escoitando determinadas voces,
03:57
hearing a specific voice,
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03:58
and thinking a specific thought.
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e con determinadas ideas.
04:00
So, when he started writing in English,
he had enough baggage.
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E cando comezou a escribir en inglés
xa tiña bastante bagaxe.
Incluso cando escribía en inglés,
04:04
Even when he wrote in English,
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04:07
when you read his writings in English,
you smell the same smell,
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cando lemos os seus escritos en inglés,
ulimos ese mesmo olor,
temos ese mesmo sentimento.
04:11
sense the same feeling.
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04:13
You can imagine that that's him
writing in English,
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Podemos sentir que é a mesma persoa
quen escribe en inglés,
04:16
the same boy who came from the mountain.
From a village on Mount Lebanon.
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que é o mesmo rapaz chegado das montañas.
Dunha aldea do monte Líbano.
04:22
So, this is an example
no one can argue with.
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É un exemplo que ninguén pode discutir.
04:29
Second, it's often said
that if you want to kill a nation,
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En segundo lugar, dise que
se alguén quere matar un pobo,
04:34
the only way to kill a nation,
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o único xeito de matar un pobo,
04:37
is to kill its language.
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é matar a súa lingua.
04:38
This is a reality
that developed societies are aware of.
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Esta realidade coñécena ben
as sociedades desenvolvidas.
04:44
The Germans, French, Japanese and Chinese,
all these nations are aware of this.
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Os alemáns, os franceses, os xaponeses
ou os chineses, todos os pobos
son conscientes diso.
04:50
That's why they legislate
to protect their language.
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Por iso lexislan
para protexer as súas linguas.
04:54
They make it sacred.
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Santifícanas.
Por iso, úsanas no mundo produtivo,
04:57
That's why they use it in production,
they pay a lot of money to develop it.
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e dedican grandes orzamentos
ao seu desenvolvemento.
¿Sabemos máis ca eles?
05:03
Do we know better than them?
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É certo.
05:06
All right,
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Non formamos parte do mundo desenvolvido,
05:07
we aren't from the developed world,
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05:08
this advanced thinking
hasn't reached us yet,
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ese pensamento avanzado
aínda non chegou a nós,
05:11
and we would like to catch up
with the civilized world.
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pero gustaríanos acadar ese mundo,
eses países que eran coma nós,
05:15
Countries that were once like us,
but decided to strive for development,
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pero que decidiron loitar
polo desenvolvemento,
investigar,
05:19
do research,
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05:21
and catch up with those countries,
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para acadar ese mundo desenvolvido.
05:22
such as Turkey, Malaysia and others,
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Como Turquía, Malaisia e outros,
05:25
they carried their language with them
as they were climbing the ladder,
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que levaron canda eles a súa lingua
á vez que progresaban,
05:29
protected it like a diamond.
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protexéndoa como un tesouro.
05:33
They kept it close to them.
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Gardárona ao seu carón.
05:34
Because if you get any product
from Turkey or elsewhere
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Porque se collemos calquera produto turco
ou doutro sitio
que non está etiquetado en turco
05:39
and it's not labeled in Turkish,
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05:41
then it isn't a local product.
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sabemos que non é un produto local.
05:44
You wouldn't believe it's a local product.
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Ninguén crería que fose un produto local.
05:47
They'd go back to being consumers,
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Volverían ser consumidores,
05:49
clueless consumers, like we are
most of the time.
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consumidores ignorantes,
coma nós a maior parte do tempo.
Entón, viron necesario conservar
a súa lingua
05:55
So, in order for them to innovate and produce,
they had to protect their language.
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para poder innovar e producir.
06:03
If I say, "Freedom, sovereignty,
independence (Arabic),"
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Se eu lles digo, "liberdade", "soberanía"
"independencia" [en árabe],
06:08
what does this remind you of?
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¿que lles vén á cabeza?
Non se lles acende a luz, eh?
06:12
It doesn't ring a bell, does it?
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06:14
Regardless of the who, how and why.
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Con independencia do quen, como e por que.
06:19
Language isn't just for conversing,
just words coming out of our mouths.
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A lingua non é só para falar,
simples palabras saíndonos pola boca.
06:25
Language represents specific stages
in our lives,
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A lingua representa etapas específicas
das nosas vidas,
e os termos que están ligados
ás nosas emocións
06:30
and terminology
that is linked to our emotions.
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Entón, cando digo:
"liberdade", "soberanía", "independencia"
06:35
So when we say,
"Freedom, sovereignty, independence,"
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06:38
each one of you draws a specific image
in their own mind,
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cada un de vostedes crea
unha imaxe específica no seu cerebro.
06:41
there are specific feelings
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Hai sentimentos específicos
dun día específico
nun período histórico específico.
06:44
of a specific day
in a specific historical period.
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06:47
Language isn't one, two
or three words or letters put together.
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A lingua non son unha, dúas ou tres
palabras ou letras postas en fila.
06:50
It's an idea inside
that relates to how we think,
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Ten dentro unha idea que se relaciona
con como pensamos,
06:53
and how we see each other
and how others see us.
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con como vemos aos demais
e como os demais nos ven.
Que é a nosa intelixencia?
06:59
What is our intellect?
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07:00
How do you say
whether this guy understands or not?
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¿Como decidimos se unha persoa
entende ou non?
07:03
So, if I say, "Freedom, sovereignty,
independence (English),"
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Entón, se eu digo:
"Freedom", "sovereignity", "independence",
07:12
or if your son came up to you and said,
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ou se un fillo seu chega e lles di:
07:14
"Dad, have you lived through the period of
the freedom (English) slogan?"
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"Dad" [en inglés], ti vivías cando a xente
ía pola rúa dicindo "freedom [en inglés]"?
07:18
How would you feel?
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¿Como se sentirían?
07:21
If you don't see a problem,
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Se non ven problema ningún,
07:25
then I'd better leave,
and stop talking in vain.
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é mellor que pare e deixe de falar en van.
07:29
The idea is that these expressions
remind us of a specific thing.
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O que quero dicir é que esas expresións
tráennos unha lembranza específica.
07:35
I have a francophone friend
who's married to a French man.
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Eu teño unha amiga que fala francés
que casou cun francés.
07:40
I asked her once how things were going.
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Unha vez pregunteille que tal lle ía todo.
07:44
She said,
"Everything is fine,
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E díxome: "Todo moi ben,
07:45
but once, I spent a whole night
asking and trying to translate
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pero unha vez pasei a noite enteira
intentando traducirlle
07:50
the meaning of the word
'toqborni' for him."
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o significado de "toqborni".
(Risos)
07:52
(Laughter)
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07:54
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
08:02
The poor woman had mistakenly told him
"toqborni,"
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A pobriña dixéralle "toqborni" sen querer,
e pasou a noite toda intentando
explicarllo.
08:05
and then spent the whole night
trying to explain it to him.
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08:08
He was puzzled by the thought:
"How could anyone be this cruel?
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El estaba confundido co sentido:
"¿Como pode alguén ser tan cruel?
¿Quere suicidarse, ou que?
08:12
Does she want to commit suicide?
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08:14
'Bury me?' (English)"
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¿Que a enterre?"
E este é só un pequeno exemplo.
08:17
This is one of the few examples.
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08:19
It made us feel that she's unable to tell
that word to her husband,
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Comprendemos que ela non é quen
de dicirlle iso ao seu marido,
porque el non vai entender,
08:22
since he won't understand,
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08:25
and he's right not to;
his way of thinking is different.
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e é normal que el non entenda;
a súa forma de pensar é diferente.
08:28
She said to me,
"He listens to Fairuz with me,
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Ela díxome tamén:
"El escoita a Fairouz comigo,
08:32
and one night,
I tried to translate for him
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e unha noite, intentei traducirllo
08:36
so he can feel what I feel when
I listen to Fairuz."
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para que puidera sentir o que eu sinto
cando escoito a Fairouz."
08:40
The poor woman tried to translate
this for him:
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A pobriña intentou traducirlle isto:
08:42
"From them I extended my hands
and stole you --"
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"...estirei as miñas mans e roubeite..."
08:46
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
08:48
And here's the pickle:
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E aquí vén a lea:
E como lles pertences a eles,
apartei as miñas mans e deixeite."
08:49
"And because you belong to them,
I returned my hands and left you."
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08:53
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
08:54
Translate that for me.
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Tradúzanme iso.
08:56
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
09:03
So, what have we done to protect
the Arabic language?
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Ben, ¿e que fixemos para protexer
a lingua árabe?
09:08
We turned this into a concern
of the civil society,
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Intentamos implicar a sociedade civil,
09:11
and we launched a campaign to preserve
the Arabic language.
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e puxemos en marcha unha c.ampaña
para preservar esta lingua
09:14
Even though many people told me,
"Why do you bother?
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Aínda que moita xente me dicía:
"¿Por que te preocupas?
09:17
Forget about this headache
and go have fun."
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Esquece este asunto e pásao ben."
09:20
No problem!
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"¡Que problema hai!"
09:22
The campaign to preserve Arabic
launched a slogan that says,
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Na campaña para preservar o árabe
lanzouse o seguinte eslogan:
09:25
"I talk to you from the East,
but you reply from the West."
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"Fáloche desde Oriente,
e respóndesme desde Occidente."
09:28
We didn't say,
"No! We do not accept this or that."
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Non dixemos:
"¡Non! ¡Non aceptamos isto ou estoutro!"
09:36
We didn't adopt this style because
that way, we wouldn't be understood.
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Non empregamos ese estilo porque
desa forma non se nos entendería.
09:41
And when someone talks to me that way,
I hate the Arabic language.
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E cando alguén me fala así,
odio o árabe.
09:44
We say--
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Dicimos...
09:46
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
09:49
We want to change our reality,
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Dicimos que queremos cambiar
a nosa realidade,
09:51
and be convinced in a way that reflects
our dreams, aspirations and day-to-day life.
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e ser convencidos dun xeito que reflicta
os nosos soños, aspiracións e o día a día.
09:56
In a way that dresses like us
and thinks like we do.
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Dun xeito que vista coma nós
e que pense como nós pensamos.
Entón, o "Fáloche desde Oriente,
e respóndesme desde Occidente"
10:01
So, "I talk to you from the East,
but you reply from the West"
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dá no albo.
10:04
has hit the spot.
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10:06
Something very easy,
yet creative and persuasive.
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Algo moi sinxelo,
pero creativo e persuasivo.
Despois, puxemos en marcha outra campaña
10:10
After that,
we launched another campaign
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10:14
with scenes of letters on the ground.
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con imaxes de letras no chan.
10:17
You've seen an example of it outside,
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Puideron ver un exemplo fóra,
imaxes de letras rodeadas
de cinta policial
10:20
a scene of a letter surrounded
by black and yellow tape
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10:24
with "Don't kill your language!"
written on it.
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que tiña escrito "Non mates a túa lingua!"
10:27
Why?
Seriously, don't kill your language.
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¿Por que?
En serio, non mates a túa lingua.
Non deberiamos matar a nosa lingua.
10:31
We really shouldn't kill our language.
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10:34
If we were to kill the language,
we'd have to find an identity.
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Porque se o facemos,
teriamos que atopar unha identidade.
Teriamos que atopar unha existencia.
10:39
We'd have to find an existence.
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10:41
We'd go back to the beginning.
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Teriamos que volver comezar desde cero.
Isto vai máis alá de perdermos a
ocasión de ser modernos e civilizados
10:43
This is beyond just missing our chance
of being modern and civilized.
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6492
10:51
After that we released photos
of guys and girls wearing the Arabic letter.
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Despois diso divulgamos fotos de mozos
e mozas vestidos con caracteres árabes.
10:57
Photos of "cool" guys and girls.
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Fotos de mozos e mozas "cool" [en inglés].
11:00
We are very cool!
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Nós somos moi "cool" [en inglés]
11:02
And to whoever might say,
"Ha! You used an English word!"
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E a calquera que diga: "Eh, usaches
unha palabra en inglés!"
11:07
I say,
"No! I adopt the word 'cool.'"
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Eu dígolle:
"Non! Eu adoptei a palabra "cool"
11:11
Let them object however they want,
but give me a word that's nicer
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Pódenme dicir o que queiran,
pero propóñanme unha palabra máis fermosa
11:14
and matches the reality better.
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e que encaixe mellor coa realidade.
11:17
I will keep on saying "Internet"
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Eu hei seguir dicindo "Internet".
11:19
I wouldn't say:
"I'm going to the world wide web"
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Non penso dicir:
"Ando na grande arañeira mundial".
(Risos)
11:22
(Laughs)
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¡Porque non funciona igual!
¡Non fagamos tolerías!
11:24
Because it doesn't fit!
We shouldn't kid ourselves.
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11:27
But to reach this point,
we all have to be convinced
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Pero para chegar a ese punto,
todos temos que estar convencidos
de que non deberiamos permitirlles
aos máis poderosos
11:31
that we shouldn't allow anyone
who is bigger
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11:34
or thinks they have any authority over us
when it comes to language,
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ou aos que pensan que teñen autoridade
sobre nós, no que atinxe á lingua,
11:37
to control us or make us think and feel
what they want.
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que nos controlen, ou que nos fagan
pensar e sentir o que eles querem.
11:43
Creativity is the idea.
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A clave é a creatividade.
Se non podemos ir ao espazo
construír un foguete, ou algo así,
11:47
So, if we can't reach space
or build a rocket and so on,
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11:50
we can be creative.
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1900
podemos ser creativos.
Neste momento, cada un de vostedes
é un proxecto creativo.
11:52
At this moment, every one of you
is a creative project.
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11:55
Creativity in your mother tongue
is the path.
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A creatividade na lingua materna é
o camiño.
11:58
Let's start from this moment.
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Comecemos desde agora mesmo.
Escribamos uha novela
ou rodemos unha curta
12:02
Let's write a novel
or produce a short film.
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2002
12:04
A single novel could make us global again.
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Unha soa novela podería facernos
outra vez globais.
12:07
It could bring the Arabic language
back to being number one.
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3766
Podería levar o árabe outra vez
ao máis alto.
Entón, non é certo que non hai solución;
claro que a hai!
12:12
So, it's not true that there's no solution;
there is a solution!
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3851
12:16
But we have to know that, and be convinced
that a solution exists,
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3999
Pero temos que sabelo, e estar convencidos
de que existe solución,
12:20
that we have a duty
to be part of that solution.
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2999
e de que temos o deber
de formar parte dela.
12:23
In conclusion, what can you do today?
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Resumindo, ¿que poden facer vostedes
desde agora mesmo?
12:26
Now, tweets, who's tweeting?
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Vexamos... tuits,
¿quen está tuiteando?
12:32
Please, I beg of you,
even though my time has finished,
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Por favor, prégollelo,
aínda que o meu tempo xa acabase,
12:37
either Arabic, English, French
or Chinese.
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5057
en árabe, en inglés, en francés
ou en chinés.
12:42
But don't write Arabic
with Latin characters mixed with numbers!
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5581
Pero non escriban en árabe con caracteres
latinos mesturados con números.
12:48
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
12:52
It's a disaster!
That's not a language.
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¡É unha desfeita!
¡Non é unha lingua!
12:55
You'd be entering a virtual world
with a virtual language.
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3546
Estarían entrando nun mundo virtual
cunha lingua virtual.
12:59
It's not easy to come back
from such a place and rise.
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2682
E non é doado volver dese mundo
e rexurdir.
Iso é o primeiro que podemos facer.
13:02
That's the first thing we can do.
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2082
Pero ademais, hai outras moitas cousas
que podemos facer.
13:04
Second, there are many other things
that we can do.
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2603
Non estamos aquí hoxe para
convencernos uns a outros,
13:07
We're not here today to convince
each other.
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2405
13:09
We're here to bring attention
to the necessity of preserving this language.
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3534
senón para chamar a atención da
a necesidade de preservar esta lingua.
13:13
Now I will tell you a secret.
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Agora voulles contar un segredo.
13:17
A baby first identifies its father
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Os bebés identifican primeiro ao seu pai
a través da lingua.
13:22
through language.
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2067
13:24
When my daughter is born, I'll tell her,
"This is your father, honey (Arabic)."
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5159
Así que cando naza a miña filla,
heille dicir: "Este é papá, miña ruliña".
13:29
I wouldn't say,
"This is your dad, honey (English)."
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4528
E abofé que non:
"This is your dad, honey".
13:34
And in the supermarket,
I promise my daughter Noor,
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3185
E no supermercado,
prometo que se a miña filla Noor
me di "Graciñas",
13:37
that if she says to me,
"Thanks (Arabic),"
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non lle hei dicir "Dise, 'merci', mamá",
desexando que ninguén a escoitase.
13:40
I won't say, "Dis, 'Merci, Maman,'"
and hope no one has heard her.
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13:44
(Applause)
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3087
(Aplausos)
Librémonos desta cobardía cultural.
13:55
Let's get rid of this cultural cringe.
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(Aplausos)
14:01
(Applause)
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Translated by Xusto Rodriguez
Reviewed by Alicia Ferreiro

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suzanne Talhouk - Poet and language advocate
Suzanne 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.

More profile about the speaker
Suzanne Talhouk | Speaker | TED.com