Interpreter

Teacher

Producer

ILY Records

Celebrity

Real “Babe”

Her Fans

Linda Tilton

Signing Interpreter Extraordinaire

TURKEY

Population:

About 66 million

Capital:

Ankara (3.7 million)

Language:

Turkish. Kurdish is also spoken by a minority in the southeast. French, German and English are widely spoken in cities.

Time zone:

GMT +2 November - March; GMT +3 April - October. It is 8 hours ahead of Kansas City.

Currency:

Turkish Lira (TRL).
Notes are in denominations of TRL 10,000,000, 5,000,000, 1,000,000, 500,000, 250,000 and 100,000.
Coins are in denominations of TRL are: 100,000, 50,000, 25,000, 10,000 and 5000.
As of July 12, 2002 1 USD = 1,653,500 TRL

Religion:

Muslim with a small Christian minority.

Literacy:

People age 15 and over can read and write

Independence Day:

October 29, 1923 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Turkish etiquette

It is impolite to refuse tea when it is offered to their guests.
Turkish people tend to feel comfortable in close personal space. They stand or sit closer together than most Americans are used to.
Turkish hosts tend to keep constant company with their guests. It is considered rude to leave their guests by him or herself.
While shopping, if the shopkeepers offers you a drink or sweets accept it. He or she is generally doing it to be hospitable. It is not just a sales ploy.
Turks say yes by nodding their head forward and down and say no by nodding their head up and back while lifting their eyebrows. Wagging your head from side to side doesn't mean "no" in Turkish, it means "I don't understand".
Use your right hand for greeting and eating. The left hand is used for hygienic tasks.
Because the foot is the lowest part of the body, do not expose the sole or point it to anyone. Any contact with the foot should be followed with an apology.

A postcard of the Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque) in the foregound and the Hagia Sophia in the background. The Blue Mosque was built between 1603 - 1617).

Me, as a multimillionaire! $5 USD = $7,500,000 Turkish Lira