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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Turkey

16th August 2013

Why language matters: my first video blog in Turkish

Here’s my first video blog in Turkish. It’s about why language matters; and what I’m doing in Turkey.

Comments welcome!

8 comments on “Why language matters: my first video blog in Turkish”

  2. Good job!
    Great effort .Turkish is not an easy language to learn.eventhough in some parts it sounded like you were translating from English ,it is a great job.
    We have new web site ,it is all about kids in Istanbul and what to do with kids in Istanbul .what do you think ? Should we translate some very good activities each week to ENglish so that expats and tourists can enjoy as well. Kolay gelsin!
    Lale kozikoglu

  5. The grammer of Turkish is very different from English and it is not easy to learn. I want to congratulate you for your efforts. The structure of the sentences and your pronunciation is very good. I think you have a natural ability to learn foreign languages, am I right? 🙂

    Here is my question: What do you think about the second waterway project in Istanbul, “Canal İstanbul” project?

    1. Thanks! I have noted plans for the “Canal Istanbul” project and am watching with interest.

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About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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