New Communications
The telenovela conversations have been an unexpected and pleasant experience this semester. Most of them have been in Spanish, which I am familiar and comfortable with. However, I think the one that stood out to me the most was the conversation with Turkish actress Ilkin Tüfekci. The language barrier between her and all of us was incredibly evident, but it was really interesting to me how everyone made it work and we were able to have a really honest and insightful conversation with her. I know the goal of this class is definitely to go outside of our comfort zones and gain something from what we experience in that, so I tried to pay close attention. Although Ilkin was so willing to share so much about her personal experiences with the Turkish world of dizis with us, it was nearly impossible to not notice the language barrier and get some significant takeaways from that in itself.
Ilkin made her openness and willingness to share things with us evident from the beginning of our call with her, even through the language barrier. When we asked her about a normal work day, she was very honest about the huge amounts of frustration that come from it. Especially after everything we have learned about telenovelas and dizis, behind the scenes and in front of the camera, this made a lot of sense. But, sometimes it can be hard to really envision what goes on without someone sharing an experience. Ilkin doing this made it personal to us, and we could understand much better what she, and many others involved in the production of these, feels during work.
The frustration she was able to convey, even without much English or the exact right word, was evident to the class. We all were able to comprehend the disappointment of being on a set from early morning to late at night without a single scene filmed, as well as putting herself in the public eye and away from loved ones.
Despite the frustrations that come with the job that she shared a genuine account of, Ilkin also made it obvious why she loves what she does and continues to pursue this life despite the sacrifices it requires of her. She has to sacrifice time with her family and free time with herself, but being able to feel the emotions that acting brings to herself and her fans is worth it.
The language barrier between Ilkin and the rest of us was evident in this conversation more so than in any of the past guests we have spoken with. We could see her struggling to find the right words to accurately describe what she was feeling and share her experiences with us. But, it was also evident that as the conversation went on, the barrier got smaller. Ilkin began to feel more comfortable relying on Dr. A as her dictionary, we started to understand better ways to phrase our questions and speak more clearly and Dr. A was able to find the translation for every Turkish word.
Even with the improved verbal communication, a huge reason why this conversation was so beneficial even with the language barrier was her body language and entire demeanor. Ilkin, although she did not always have the English words she wanted to explain things, spoke with her face, her hands and her entire energy. We could see her massive love for her fans and the pride she takes in her work as her eyes lit up, her hands were waving and her voice took on an especially cheerful tone.
The language barrier between Ilkin’s English and Dr. A’s (and our entire class’) Turkish was definitely challenging. However, Ilkin shared with her entire being, not just verbally, and completely communicated everything to us. Her love for her work and appreciation for her opportunities were incredibly evident, even if she did not always have the exact word she was looking for to describe it. In order to communicate effectively, everyone had to resort to conveying their emotions and experiences in different ways. Somehow, I think the language barrier forcing us to find many ways to understand each other provided for one of the most honest and insightful conversations of the entire semester.
The language barrier was very evident between the class and Ilkin. As you stated, her emotions were very helpful in interpreting what she was saying. I have to agree with this. Even though I wasn't able to always understand what she was saying, her emotions helped explain her thought s and feelings to certain topics. I am sure as an actress she has to deal with multiple people who speak many different languages. I think communication is a huge part of the acting process. Words are just words. It takes emotion, expression, and passion to really get your meaning across.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth & Mahaylee!
DeleteElizabeth, I also noticed Ilkin's openness and willingness to share with us from the beginning. She was so vulnerable in what she shared which was surprising to me, as I feel like a lot of times actors have to censor what they say and "paint a pretty picture" for their audience. Ilkin was not afraid to tell us about the hard days, and to me that was admirable. She goes through hard times just like the rest of us, and that makes her even more relatable and understandable.
Mahaylee, I particularly like your last couple sentences. "Words are just words. It takes emotion, expression, and passion to really get your meaning across." This made me also think of the phrase, "It's not what you say- it's how you say it." Even with the language barrier, I knew exactly how Ilkin was feeling throughout the interview based on her passion and expressiveness. The understanding and care expressed throughout this interview on both the interviewer and interviewee side made me so grateful for human emotions and connections. We were able to communicate with our words but also with our hearts which was really special. I know this experience will be one I look back on so fondly and always treasure.
¡Estoy tan contento de que hayas hablado de esto porque yo siento lo mismo! Aunque no podía usar mucho inglés, pudimos entenderla por lo mucho que sentía y nosotros también lo podíamos sentir. Ella mencionó que la razón por la que le encanta actuar es por las emociones, y creo que está tan claro que es una persona apasionada ya que todos podemos sentir sus emociones a través de Zoom. Creo que es muy inspirador y sorprendente y me alegro de que ambos encontráramos esto profundo a pesar de la barrera del idioma. Creo que esto también la sacó de su zona de confort en el buen sentido y me di cuenta de que todos disfrutamos mucho de la conversación. ¡Fue una gran invitada!
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