Recently, we initiated a focus group with some students to test the new EU-funded HandsOnTurkish course. This took place in the renowned Merhaba Centre in Koblenz.
One of the project partners, Beyhan Güler, is vice-chairman of the Merhaba centre which seeks to promote and foster good relations between Turkish and German communities, particularly in the Rheinland-Palatinate region of Germany.
The students were spoilt rotten with Turkish food, drinks and sweets.
Despite the food bribes, their feedback was very impartial, constructive and positive!
Germany has a large population of second and third generation Turkish families. Many of the younger generations have difficulties with the Turkish language, nowadays. As research in the United States has found, the second generation is key to keeping the language alive, by the third generation it is lost. At this point, English is the only language spoken at home.
Increasingly, the Turkish language is also being adopted into schools as an important language to learn. The focus group comprised of a mix of both Turkish-German students and German students wishing to learn Turkish.
This policy of promoting the Turkish language will not only increase the potential of trade and good relations between the two countries, it will also help second and third generation German-Turks keep their language and thus their identity.
HandsOnTurkish is a free EU-funded course of Turkish available online and via the appstores for mobile and tablet devices.
The Turkish course is available in five different languages including: English, Dutch, German, Italian and French.
To start learning Turkish online, go here.
To see the selection of apps and download them, go here.
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