TED Global 2013 Found in Translation Erik Hersman
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0:09 - 0:11Welcome, everybody. I'm Doug Chilcott.
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0:11 - 0:15Welcome to the Open Translation
Lounge here at TEDGlobal, 2013, -
0:15 - 0:16in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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0:16 - 0:19This is one of several sessions
we're doing all week, -
0:19 - 0:22inviting TED speakers
and hosts to the translation lounge -
0:22 - 0:26to talk about their talks or sessions
with an audience from around the world, -
0:26 - 0:30translators both here in Scotland,
as well as others joining us via Skype. -
0:30 - 0:33In today's session we have
Erik Hersman, who just left his session. -
0:33 - 0:37And here on site we have
Khalid from Morocco. -
0:38 - 0:41Anwar from Sudan,
and Bandi from the Congo. -
0:41 - 0:46Joining us via Skype is David
from Tanzania, welcome, David. -
0:46 - 0:47Anja from Slovenia,
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0:48 - 0:49and Falguni from Bangladesh.
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0:49 - 0:51Welcome to all of you.
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0:51 - 0:54So, we'll just start with this session,
Erik. Amazing session. -
0:54 - 0:58Talk a little bit about your vision
for the session and how it came together. -
0:58 - 1:03- Adrian and I, we were looking
to do a session that really talked about -
1:03 - 1:07that there's a lot going on in Africa
and the Middle East and Asia, -
1:08 - 1:10that a lot of the world doesn't know about
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1:10 - 1:13but is going to have
a huge impact in the years ahead. -
1:13 - 1:15So, we were looking for the people
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1:15 - 1:18who could tell those stories
in a good way. -
1:18 - 1:22It came out in the music where people
expect a certain type of music, -
1:22 - 1:24because you're coming from Africa.
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1:24 - 1:26Let's do something that's not expected.
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1:26 - 1:30And, so, Forces Of Change is about
talking about there's a lot of unrest -
1:30 - 1:32happening around the world,
a lot of disruption. -
1:32 - 1:37Africa and the Middle East,
quite frankly, are leading it, -
1:37 - 1:41and Asia, are leading in a lot
of the changes that are happening. -
1:41 - 1:44What will it look like ten years from now,
we don't know, -
1:44 - 1:46but we think that Africa,
Asia and the Middle East -
1:46 - 1:48are going to have a huge impact.
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1:48 - 1:50It might be part
of the solution to the problems -
1:50 - 1:53we face endemically around the world.
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1:53 - 1:55- What was your impression of the session?
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1:55 - 1:58- The session was really great.
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1:58 - 2:03It was so positive that one
feels proud of Africa -
2:03 - 2:07and looking forward to seeing
what will happen in the near future. -
2:08 - 2:11And also it gives you
the other side of the coin. -
2:11 - 2:14That people won't expect
[this] to come out of Africa. -
2:14 - 2:20Me, personally, I'm so proud of this guy,
Erik, and what he does in Kenya, -
2:20 - 2:24and in the near future, I'm going
to Kenya to observe the Ushahidi, AIHD, -
2:24 - 2:27and take [that] back to Khartoum.
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2:27 - 2:34Instead of going to United States or,
you know, into Europe to learn, -
2:34 - 2:39now I have something inside Africa,
nearby me where I can learn. -
2:39 - 2:42- How about you, Bandi?
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2:42 - 2:47- Well, I did find it was very powerful
because I would say it's very rare -
2:47 - 2:51that Africa is spoken about
the way it was spoken about today. -
2:51 - 2:57You know, full of hope,
but also full of opportunities, -
2:57 - 2:59showcasing what Africa is already doing.
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2:59 - 3:03The development,
the role technology's playing, -
3:03 - 3:05and really showing that, actually,
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3:05 - 3:08there are certain things
the world can learn from Africa -
3:08 - 3:09in terms of technology.
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3:09 - 3:12Not just the other things,
but in terms of technology. -
3:12 - 3:13I thought that was very powerful.
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3:13 - 3:17And it was also good to listen to Dambisa,
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3:17 - 3:22looking at another way
of looking at Africa, -
3:22 - 3:24and even doing the development of Africa.
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3:24 - 3:26I did find that very powerful.
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3:26 - 3:30And, you know,
it was very representative of Africa, -
3:30 - 3:34and the music was also equally as good.
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3:34 - 3:36- I want to bring in somebody from Skype.
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3:36 - 3:38David from Tanzania.
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3:38 - 3:40What were your impressions
of the session today? -
3:40 - 3:43- What Erik was saying
that there's so much disruption -
3:43 - 3:44happening in Africa and the continent
-
3:45 - 3:47and, of course, in other parts
of the world is an issue, -
3:47 - 3:49I think it's true,
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3:49 - 3:52and if you can have a better way
of representing all the efforts -
3:52 - 3:57that are happening in Africa, I think
it would be a very good thing. -
3:58 - 4:01- One of the things we're trying to do,
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4:01 - 4:04and you know, there's two things
you can tell by the story of Africa. -
4:04 - 4:06There's one which is the narratives,
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4:06 - 4:09the anecdotes, the stories
of interesting stuff. -
4:09 - 4:12And you do actually see
more of those happening today. -
4:12 - 4:14But what was really important for us
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4:14 - 4:16was to bring on some of the people
who do their research -
4:16 - 4:20and understand the science about
what's going on behind the numbers. -
4:20 - 4:25And, so, to have two economists
up there was very important for us -
4:25 - 4:27to say this isn't just a story,
a feel-good story, -
4:27 - 4:29about a couple of things happening.
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4:29 - 4:30There's a trend here.
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4:31 - 4:36And there are indicators
that you can't ignore. -
4:36 - 4:42So, to have that lay the foundations
and say, hey, this is legitimate stuff. -
4:42 - 4:44- Khalid, we haven't heard from you.
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4:44 - 4:47A question for Erik
or a reflection on the session? -
4:47 - 4:51- Sure. The session,
I really enjoyed it as an African, -
4:51 - 4:54although we're not really
considered as African. -
4:54 - 4:58We're more categorised as Arabs of Africa.
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4:58 - 5:01What's going on in Sub-Saharan Africa
is not reaching us. -
5:01 - 5:03What's going on in Europe is far from us
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5:03 - 5:08and Sub-Saharan Africa
is separating itself from North Africa. -
5:09 - 5:13Just recently we have started
the first Hackerspace in Morocco, -
5:13 - 5:18and the trend is catching,
but it could have been faster and smoother -
5:18 - 5:21if Sub-Saharan Africa
actually helped us to do that. -
5:21 - 5:24So, I'm hoping for more
collaboration between North Africa -
5:25 - 5:28and Sub-Saharan Africa, and not only
categorising Africa as Africa, -
5:28 - 5:31but only speaking about Sub-Saharan
Africa, instead of the whole of Africa. -
5:31 - 5:35- But I also think that shows
the diversity of Africa. -
5:35 - 5:39And, yes, you can get into that trap
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5:39 - 5:43of thinking that Africa
is the same everywhere. -
5:43 - 5:47For instance,
although Africa is rapidly developing, -
5:47 - 5:50there are also areas
where development is not reaching, -
5:50 - 5:53for instance, the Congo.
Terrible problems there. -
5:53 - 5:58But it is true that when you look at
Africa globally, it is rapidly developing, -
5:58 - 6:02but there are still pockets
where it's still lagging behind. -
6:02 - 6:06And it's also true that sometimes
there is no strong connection -
6:06 - 6:10between certain parts of Africa,
for instance, what you've just highlighted -
6:10 - 6:13the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa,
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6:13 - 6:18South Africa also has
a different kind of system and flavour. -
6:18 - 6:19Different kind of technology.
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6:19 - 6:22Kenya also has a different kind of hub,
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6:22 - 6:27businesses, ingenuity, all those things.
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6:27 - 6:29So, yes, I think,
to some extent, you're right, -
6:29 - 6:33although, I think in this session
we also had Mustafa -
6:33 - 6:37who addressed another dimension of Africa
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6:37 - 6:39which I did find it was really,
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6:39 - 6:43you know, well thought because
it helped us understand -
6:43 - 6:45the complexity of Africa,
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6:45 - 6:51the political growth of Africa,
which I find very positive and hopeful. -
6:51 - 6:54(Erik Hersman) What Bandi is saying
is exactly right. -
6:54 - 6:57I think there might be some things
on the technology or entrepreneur front -
6:57 - 7:01that would be really great to see
up in the northern part of Africa, -
7:01 - 7:04from some of the Sub-Saharan African
states, but there is some stuff -
7:05 - 7:08happening politically in the North
that we wish would become South, so... -
7:08 - 7:10- Then let's collaborate!
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7:10 - 7:11Let's exchange.
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7:11 - 7:12- You should export it!
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7:12 - 7:14(Laughter)
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7:14 - 7:16(E.H.) There's something else interesting.
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7:16 - 7:18You're talking about
the first Hackerspace in Morocco. -
7:18 - 7:21So, there's a trend now, happening
over the last couple of years, -
7:21 - 7:24where we're seeing these tech shops,
tech spaces, tech labs, -
7:24 - 7:27hubs, whatever you want
to call them, proliferated. -
7:27 - 7:29If you go back even three years ago,
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7:29 - 7:34there was a handful, three or four
tech incubators and spaces -
7:34 - 7:36across the whole continent.
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7:36 - 7:40Now we have 50+, and some of these
are just kind of co-working -
7:40 - 7:42or hot-desking spaces.
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7:42 - 7:46Others of them are incubators
and others of them are hacker spaces, -
7:46 - 7:50where people are making
physical stuff with big tools. -
7:50 - 7:53And it's this kind of diversity
and even the tech shops -
7:53 - 7:57and tech spaces of Africa
that I think is so fascinating. -
7:57 - 8:00And the growth and exhilaration
that will come because they exist -
8:00 - 8:04is yet to be seen.
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8:04 - 8:07(Doug Chilcott): It's interesting,
the idea of Africa being-- -
8:07 - 8:09I think we talked about it
in this aggregate, -
8:09 - 8:10in the way we never do with Europe.
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8:10 - 8:15No-one says
"How are Europeans doing this?" -
8:15 - 8:18Which invites me to invite
Anja to talk about this idea, -
8:18 - 8:21a collective continent having a mindset.
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8:21 - 8:22Africa doesn't have one either.
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8:22 - 8:24It has very distinctive
cultures and languages, -
8:24 - 8:26in the same way Europe does.
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8:26 - 8:28Anja, could you reflect
on that observation? -
8:28 - 8:31- Where I come from, Slovenia,
there are a lot of start-ups, -
8:31 - 8:34but mainly they're focusing on the US,
-
8:34 - 8:39not that much creating a European
start-up culture or anything like that. -
8:39 - 8:45But I really loved this session,
and it brought something-- -
8:45 - 8:49a new perspective to looking at Africa.
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8:49 - 8:55Because I loved Toby Shapshak's
interpretation of the map. -
8:55 - 8:57Innovation doesn't come from conformity,
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8:57 - 9:00and if you're challenged
with real problems, you begin to think, -
9:00 - 9:02to innovate, to be creative,
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9:02 - 9:06and I think that's a really
good point for Africa, -
9:06 - 9:09to be innovative.
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9:09 - 9:12But for Europe, I guess
we're a bit too conformist. -
9:12 - 9:17We have a lot of good things
and that maybe keeps us from tackling -
9:17 - 9:19with the real problems
-
9:19 - 9:23and just looking for the next big app
for iPhone or Android. -
9:23 - 9:27- One thing that Erik
started the session with -
9:27 - 9:31was the troubleshooting aspect
of the African average. -
9:31 - 9:33The day before I came here,
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9:33 - 9:37we had lunch with
the British ambassador in Khartoum, -
9:37 - 9:40and then he asked the people
-
9:40 - 9:45ten things that every British diplomat
should know about Sudan. -
9:45 - 9:48And I shared with him the fact
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9:48 - 9:52that everyone in Sudan
is a trouble-shooter. -
9:52 - 9:55That you have very unique problems
you have to overcome. -
9:55 - 10:00Electrical cut, water cut and then,
you know, car problems, -
10:00 - 10:04and malfunctioning here,
you go to the hospital. -
10:04 - 10:06So, it's very complex
and you have to overcome. -
10:06 - 10:11You complain for ever, but the only
solution for you is to overcome. -
10:11 - 10:14So, whenever you go outside the continent,
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10:14 - 10:19you become super, super effective
to the that community you join. -
10:19 - 10:21The challenge is, I guess,
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10:21 - 10:26is to get back from where you are
and to bring back the local community, -
10:26 - 10:30and I guess the TEDx phenomenon
is reflecting now -
10:30 - 10:32of what's happening there, right?
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10:32 - 10:34(Erik Hersman) A more bottom-up approach.
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10:34 - 10:37- And especially, I have to say,
the Open Translation because, -
10:37 - 10:41you know, people like my family,
who are in the Congo, -
10:41 - 10:46they can't hear English,
and most of the conversation, -
10:46 - 10:49or many conversations are happening
in English, and they're missing out. -
10:49 - 10:52But with the Open Translation,
they are able to follow it. -
10:52 - 10:58In fact, because I spoke before
and it was on TED.com, -
10:58 - 11:04it allowed them for the first time
to understand what I say at TEDx, -
11:04 - 11:07which, thankfully,
was featured on TED.com. -
11:07 - 11:09- Isn't it crazy that you had to have
your mum and dad -
11:09 - 11:12see your talk online
before they understand what you do? -
11:12 - 11:13(Laughter)
-
11:13 - 11:14It's a human problem!
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11:14 - 11:19- But it was translated in French,
whereas before it wasn't. -
11:19 - 11:22And that's something to be celebrated
-
11:22 - 11:24because it connects them
to the outside world, -
11:24 - 11:26which maybe before
they were not able to connect to. -
11:26 - 11:28- Thanks to the French translators.
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11:29 - 11:30- Yes!
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11:30 - 11:33So, thank you to all the French
translators out there! -
11:35 - 11:37(Applause)
-
11:37 - 11:40And, hopefully, there will also be some--
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11:42 - 11:46Local languages, like Swahili.
-
11:46 - 11:47- So, this is an interesting thing.
-
11:47 - 11:50My parents were linguists,
they were translators. -
11:50 - 11:52That's what we were doing in South Sudan,
-
11:52 - 11:55that's what we were doing
in North Sudan, and everything. -
11:55 - 11:56But it's actually true.
-
11:56 - 11:59There's over 2,000 languages in Africa.
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12:00 - 12:06And the big languages,
Arabic, French, English... -
12:06 - 12:07(Anwar Dafa-Alla) Swahili.
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12:07 - 12:11Swahili, to a certain level,
are already done. -
12:11 - 12:14But getting something
in your mother tongue -
12:14 - 12:16it takes it so much further,
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12:16 - 12:18it makes it so much more--
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12:18 - 12:20You really hear things then.
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12:20 - 12:25And, so, the idea of an Open Translation
Project for TED is a fantastic one. -
12:25 - 12:28I think the mission now should be,
we've done some of the big languages, -
12:28 - 12:30let's drive down.
-
12:30 - 12:33There's a lot of languages out there
that still need some work. -
12:33 - 12:34- That would be fantastic,
-
12:34 - 12:39because the quality of the talks
that you get at TED -
12:39 - 12:45translated in very local languages
and teachers would be able to plug it in -
12:45 - 12:47and be able to follow it, free.
-
12:47 - 12:51It connects you in a way that,
you know, 20 years ago, -
12:51 - 12:56it would have been unheard of.
-
12:56 - 12:59And you couldn't even have imagined
that would have been possible, -
12:59 - 13:02to get access to that kind of information.
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13:02 - 13:06We'll have to end, we're running out
of time and the next session's starting. -
13:06 - 13:07So, thank you, Erik, for joining us,
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13:07 - 13:09thank you all of you here as well.
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13:09 - 13:12There's one more session
tomorrow morning after the first session. -
13:12 - 13:14So I hope to see you then. Goodbye!
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13:14 - 13:15(Applause)
- Title:
- TED Global 2013 Found in Translation Erik Hersman
- Description:
-
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.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED Translator Resources
- Duration:
- 13:29
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for TED Global 2013 Found in Translation Erik Hersman |