It is well known that Turkey and Azerbaijan describe each other as “brother states”. The main reason for this is that the people of the two countries share the same roots. In other words, Turkey and Azerbaijan have a great common denominator in geography, history, language, and even literature. This cordial relationship between the two countries means that their people not only love each other, but it also means that an excellent relationship exists between the countries in economic, commercial, political, and several other fields. Therefore, a means of dialogue should be established so that these countries with economic and political ties can communicate with each other, and this process should be supported by translators who are well-versed in the language and culture of both countries. Even if it is possible to establish a basic level of communication between the two languages, since Azerbaijani is a dialect of the Turkish language, a translation service should be obtained in order to establish professional communication. For this reason, Azerbaijani translation services are in high demand in Turkey.
Things to Know About Azerbaijani
Just like Turkey Turkish, Azerbaijani Turkish is also based on Old Oghuz Turkish. Azerbaijani Turkish was formerly considered a sub-dialect of Old Oghuz Turkish; however, over time, phonological differences got more robust, and therefore Azerbaijani Turkish became a separate language.
Today, the Latin alphabet is used in Azerbaijan. It was used for the first time in 1929; however, after the Soviet Union’s objections, the Cyrillic alphabet was started to be used. After Azerbaijan declared independence in 1991, the written language returned to the Latin alphabet. Except for the letters used in the written language of Azerbaijani Turkish, “Əə, Xx and Qq,” their alphabet is the same as Turkish.
Differences Between Azerbaijani and Turkish
Although they have the same roots, there are many differences between Azerbaijani and Turkish. This is because the concepts of language and culture are intertwined. Although Turkey and Azerbaijan are brother states, it should not be forgotten that they have cultural differences. Even though the citizens of the two countries can communicate and understand each other, the differences in their expressions are quite striking. For example, someone who speaks Turkey Turkish asks the price of a product as follows: “How much is this product?” or “How much does this cost?” However, in Azerbaijani Turkish, the word ‘value’ is used to ask the price of a product: “What is the value of this?” These differences can cause semantic confusion, so Azerbaijani translators must also be culturally competent.
In addition, hundreds of everyday words in both languages with entirely different meanings can cause terrible misunderstandings. Let’s give a few fun examples: In Azerbaijani, a plane crash means a landing; snot means bone, worship means to find, and glorification means puzzle. The word ass means foot, so when an Azerbaijani friend says, “my ass hurts”, he shows his feet.
As the examples above demonstrate, even if it is easy to communicate between the two languages, a professional translator should be consulted to provide Azerbaijani translation services in official situations due to differences in meanings and cultures.