Inane Gurbuz, Executive Manager EMEA of Azkan Group and professional coach in Turkish Management, shares an excerpt “Turkish expressions” from his book “Doing business in Turkey: a guide to success”
Below is a non-exhaustive list of those typical, untranslatable Turkish expressions, so you can better understand their real value in daily life and the workplace. They express the spirit and soul of the country:
Ne mutlu Turkum diyene: “Proud to be Turkish.” The national motto declared by Atatürk to unite all the inhabitants of Turkish territory under one flag. Hayırlısı olsun: “May Our Lord grant us the best outcome.” Used when awaiting a result or response, or during a sad or happy event. This phrase is often used at the end of a business meeting, if and only if, an agreement has been reached (whether your business partners are religious or not). Over time, it has become a frequently used expression.
Usual Turkish expressions
Kolay gelsin: “May the task be easily achieved,” more commonly used to mean “Good luck.” This expression is used by the Turks when they see someone carrying out a professional activity, job, or task. Generally used as a greeting to a retailer who is in the middle
of working. Ayıp:“Shameful.” A frequently used term, as many situations can rapidly be perceived as “shameful”: a lack of respect for one’s elders, a lack of modesty, being too selfish orindividualistic. . . In Turkey, everything can be a cause for being considered“Ayıp.” Bereket: “Baraka in Arabic / blessing.” The ability to do a lot with very little resources thanks to the good will of the Lord. People often wish someone“Bereket” when they are investing, starting up a new business, or opening a store for example.
Kesenebereket: “May our Lord make your wealth grow.” Turks
use this phrase to thank a person who has invited them for dinner
or a drink.
Nasip: “The part granted by destiny.”
TicaretAhlâkı: “Business ethic”. This refers to the professional qualities that an entrepreneur should have. Besides being professional in the workplace (compliance with procedures, commitments, etc.), this ethic also spills over into social life. Thus, a person should respect others as they would like to be respected and appreciated. This expression expects the following qualities of a business person: integrity, sincerity, reliability, and availability. This phrase is regularly used in Turkey and leaders often use it before engaging in business.
The rest of this text is available in our book “Doing business in Turkey: a guide to success” . Since 2005, AZKAN Group has acted as a consulting firm for all your development projects in the Turkish market: consulting in implementation, detection of partners, market research, Recruitment Turkey, Payroll and recruitment services in Turkey ….
