TED Global 2013 Found in Translation Erik Hersman

In the TED Found in Translation Session following his talk, Erik and a global panel of TED Translators dig deeper into the advancements of innovation in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Welcome, everybody. I'm Doug Chilcott.

Welcome to the Open Translation
Lounge here at TEDGlobal, 2013,

in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This is one of several sessions
we're doing all week,

inviting TED speakers
and hosts to the translation lounge

to talk about their talks or sessions
with an audience from around the world,

translators both here in Scotland,
as well as others joining us via Skype.

In today's session we have
Erik Hersman, who just left his session.

And here on site we have
Khalid from Morocco.

Anwar from Sudan,
and Bandi from the Congo.

Joining us via Skype is David
from Tanzania, welcome, David.

Anja from Slovenia,

and Falguni from Bangladesh.

Welcome to all of you.

So, we'll just start with this session,
Erik. Amazing session.

Talk a little bit about your vision
for the session and how it came together.

- Adrian and I, we were looking
to do a session that really talked about

that there's a lot going on in Africa
and the Middle East and Asia,

that a lot of the world doesn't know about

but is going to have
a huge impact in the years ahead.

So, we were looking for the people

who could tell those stories
in a good way.

It came out in the music where people
expect a certain type of music,

because you're coming from Africa.

Let's do something that's not expected.

And, so, Forces Of Change is about
talking about there's a lot of unrest

happening around the world,
a lot of disruption.

Africa and the Middle East,
quite frankly, are leading it,

and Asia, are leading in a lot
of the changes that are happening.

What will it look like ten years from now,
we don't know,

but we think that Africa,
Asia and the Middle East

are going to have a huge impact.

It might be part
of the solution to the problems

we face endemically around the world.

- What was your impression of the session?

- The session was really great.

It was so positive that one
feels proud of Africa

and looking forward to seeing
what will happen in the near future.

And also it gives you
the other side of the coin.

That people won't expect
[this] to come out of Africa.

Me, personally, I'm so proud of this guy,
Erik, and what he does in Kenya,

and in the near future, I'm going
to Kenya to observe the Ushahidi, AIHD,

and take [that] back to Khartoum.

Instead of going to United States or,
you know, into Europe to learn,

now I have something inside Africa,
nearby me where I can learn.

- How about you, Bandi?

- Well, I did find it was very powerful
because I would say it's very rare

that Africa is spoken about
the way it was spoken about today.

You know, full of hope,
but also full of opportunities,

showcasing what Africa is already doing.

The development,
the role technology's playing,

and really showing that, actually,

there are certain things
the world can learn from Africa

in terms of technology.

Not just the other things,
but in terms of technology.

I thought that was very powerful.

And it was also good to listen to Dambisa,

looking at another way
of looking at Africa,

and even doing the development of Africa.

I did find that very powerful.

And, you know,
it was very representative of Africa,

and the music was also equally as good.

- I want to bring in somebody from Skype.

David from Tanzania.

What were your impressions
of the session today?

- What Erik was saying
that there's so much disruption

happening in Africa and the continent

and, of course, in other parts
of the world is an issue,

I think it's true,

and if you can have a better way
of representing all the efforts

that are happening in Africa, I think
it would be a very good thing.

- One of the things we're trying to do,

and you know, there's two things
you can tell by the story of Africa.

There's one which is the narratives,

the anecdotes, the stories
of interesting stuff.

And you do actually see
more of those happening today.

But what was really important for us

was to bring on some of the people
who do their research

and understand the science about
what's going on behind the numbers.

And, so, to have two economists
up there was very important for us

to say this isn't just a story,
a feel-good story,

about a couple of things happening.

There's a trend here.

And there are indicators
that you can't ignore.

So, to have that lay the foundations
and say, hey, this is legitimate stuff.

- Khalid, we haven't heard from you.

A question for Erik
or a reflection on the session?

- Sure. The session,
I really enjoyed it as an African,

although we're not really
considered as African.

We're more categorised as Arabs of Africa.

What's going on in Sub-Saharan Africa
is not reaching us.

What's going on in Europe is far from us

and Sub-Saharan Africa
is separating itself from North Africa.

Just recently we have started
the first Hackerspace in Morocco,

and the trend is catching,
but it could have been faster and smoother

if Sub-Saharan Africa
actually helped us to do that.

So, I'm hoping for more
collaboration between North Africa

and Sub-Saharan Africa, and not only
categorising Africa as Africa,

but only speaking about Sub-Saharan
Africa, instead of the whole of Africa.

- But I also think that shows
the diversity of Africa.

And, yes, you can get into that trap

of thinking that Africa
is the same everywhere.

For instance,
although Africa is rapidly developing,

there are also areas
where development is not reaching,

for instance, the Congo.
Terrible problems there.

But it is true that when you look at
Africa globally, it is rapidly developing,

but there are still pockets
where it's still lagging behind.

And it's also true that sometimes
there is no strong connection

between certain parts of Africa,
for instance, what you've just highlighted

the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa,

South Africa also has
a different kind of system and flavour.

Different kind of technology.

Kenya also has a different kind of hub,

businesses, ingenuity, all those things.

So, yes, I think,
to some extent, you're right,

although, I think in this session
we also had Mustafa

who addressed another dimension of Africa

which I did find it was really,

you know, well thought because
it helped us understand

the complexity of Africa,

the political growth of Africa,
which I find very positive and hopeful.

(Erik Hersman) What Bandi is saying
is exactly right.

I think there might be some things
on the technology or entrepreneur front

that would be really great to see
up in the northern part of Africa,

from some of the Sub-Saharan African
states, but there is some stuff

happening politically in the North
that we wish would become South, so...

- Then let's collaborate!

Let's exchange.

- You should export it!

(Laughter)

(E.H.) There's something else interesting.

You're talking about
the first Hackerspace in Morocco.

So, there's a trend now, happening
over the last couple of years,

where we're seeing these tech shops,
tech spaces, tech labs,

hubs, whatever you want
to call them, proliferated.

If you go back even three years ago,

there was a handful, three or four
tech incubators and spaces

across the whole continent.

Now we have 50+, and some of these
are just kind of co-working

or hot-desking spaces.

Others of them are incubators
and others of them are hacker spaces,

where people are making
physical stuff with big tools.

And it's this kind of diversity
and even the tech shops

and tech spaces of Africa
that I think is so fascinating.

And the growth and exhilaration
that will come because they exist

is yet to be seen.

(Doug Chilcott): It's interesting,
the idea of Africa being--

I think we talked about it
in this aggregate,

in the way we never do with Europe.

No-one says
"How are Europeans doing this?"

Which invites me to invite
Anja to talk about this idea,

a collective continent having a mindset.

Africa doesn't have one either.

It has very distinctive
cultures and languages,

in the same way Europe does.

Anja, could you reflect
on that observation?

- Where I come from, Slovenia,
there are a lot of start-ups,

but mainly they're focusing on the US,

not that much creating a European
start-up culture or anything like that.

But I really loved this session,
and it brought something--

a new perspective to looking at Africa.

Because I loved Toby Shapshak's
interpretation of the map.

Innovation doesn't come from conformity,

and if you're challenged
with real problems, you begin to think,

to innovate, to be creative,

and I think that's a really
good point for Africa,

to be innovative.

But for Europe, I guess
we're a bit too conformist.

We have a lot of good things
and that maybe keeps us from tackling

with the real problems

and just looking for the next big app
for iPhone or Android.

- One thing that Erik
started the session with

was the troubleshooting aspect
of the African average.

The day before I came here,

we had lunch with
the British ambassador in Khartoum,

and then he asked the people

ten things that every British diplomat
should know about Sudan.

And I shared with him the fact

that everyone in Sudan
is a trouble-shooter.

That you have very unique problems
you have to overcome.

Electrical cut, water cut and then,
you know, car problems,

and malfunctioning here,
you go to the hospital.

So, it's very complex
and you have to overcome.

You complain for ever, but the only
solution for you is to overcome.

So, whenever you go outside the continent,

you become super, super effective
to the that community you join.

The challenge is, I guess,

is to get back from where you are
and to bring back the local community,

and I guess the TEDx phenomenon
is reflecting now

of what's happening there, right?

(Erik Hersman) A more bottom-up approach.

- And especially, I have to say,
the Open Translation because,

you know, people like my family,
who are in the Congo,

they can't hear English,
and most of the conversation,

or many conversations are happening
in English, and they're missing out.

But with the Open Translation,
they are able to follow it.

In fact, because I spoke before
and it was on TED.com,

it allowed them for the first time
to understand what I say at TEDx,

which, thankfully,
was featured on TED.com.

- Isn't it crazy that you had to have
your mum and dad

see your talk online
before they understand what you do?

(Laughter)

It's a human problem!

- But it was translated in French,
whereas before it wasn't.

And that's something to be celebrated

because it connects them
to the outside world,

which maybe before
they were not able to connect to.

- Thanks to the French translators.

- Yes!

So, thank you to all the French
translators out there!

(Applause)

And, hopefully, there will also be some--

Local languages, like Swahili.

- So, this is an interesting thing.

My parents were linguists,
they were translators.

That's what we were doing in South Sudan,

that's what we were doing
in North Sudan, and everything.

But it's actually true.

There's over 2,000 languages in Africa.

And the big languages,
Arabic, French, English...

(Anwar Dafa-Alla) Swahili.

Swahili, to a certain level,
are already done.

But getting something
in your mother tongue

it takes it so much further,

it makes it so much more--

You really hear things then.

And, so, the idea of an Open Translation
Project for TED is a fantastic one.

I think the mission now should be,
we've done some of the big languages,

let's drive down.

There's a lot of languages out there
that still need some work.

- That would be fantastic,

because the quality of the talks
that you get at TED

translated in very local languages
and teachers would be able to plug it in

and be able to follow it, free.

It connects you in a way that,
you know, 20 years ago,

it would have been unheard of.

And you couldn't even have imagined
that would have been possible,

to get access to that kind of information.

We'll have to end, we're running out
of time and the next session's starting.

So, thank you, Erik, for joining us,

thank you all of you here as well.

There's one more session
tomorrow morning after the first session.

So I hope to see you then. Goodbye!

(Applause)