Jamila Lyiscott: 3 ways to speak English | TED

Translator: Ornella Dailani Reviewer: Helena Bedalli

Today,

Sot,

a baffled lady observed

nje grua e habitur vezhgoi

the shell where my soul dwells

guacken ku shpirti im banon

And announced that I'm

Dhe shpalli qe jam

"articulate"

"elokuente"

Which means that when it comes

Qe do te thote se kur kemi te bejme

to enunciation and diction

me artikulimin dhe shqiptimin

I don't even think of it

une s'kam nevoje te mendohem

‘Cause I’m "articulate"

sepse jam elokuente

So when my professor asks a question

Pra kur profesori im ben nje pyetje

And my answer is tainted with a connotation

dhe pergjigja ime permban domethenie

of urbanized suggestion

te zhargoneve te rruges

There’s no misdirected intention

Nuk ka qellim te keq

Pay attention

Ki kujdes

‘Cause I’m “articulate”

Sepse une jam "elokuente"

So when my father asks, “Wha’ kinda ting is dis?”

Kur babai im me pyet "C'soj gjeje eshte kjo ?"

My “articulate” answer never goes amiss

Pergjigja ime elokuente s'mungon kurre

I say “father, this is the impending problem at hand”

I them "baba, ky eshte problemi qe duhet te zgjidhim tani"

And when I’m on the block

Dhe kur dal ne lagje

I switch it up just because I can

E ndryshoj sepse mundem

So when my boy says, “What’s good with you son?”

Dhe kur miku im me thot "C'kemi o vlla?"

I just say, “I jus’ fall out wit dem people but I done!”

Une them "ja, u zura me ca njerez po iku, mbaroi!"

And sometimes in class

Dhe ndonjehere ne klase

I might pause the intellectual sounding flow to ask

Mund te pushoj rrjedhjen intelektuale te se folurit dhe te pyes

“Yo! Why dese books neva be about my peoples”

"Ore! Pse kta librat nuk flasin kurre per njerzit e mi"

Yes, I have decided to treat

Po, kam vendosur te trajtoj

all three of my languages as equals

te treja gjuhet e mia si te barabarta

Because I’m “articulate”

Sepse jam "elokuente"

But who controls articulation?

Por kush e kontrollon elokuencen?

Because the English language is a multifaceted oration

Sepse gjuha angleze eshte e folur me shume aspekte

Subject to indefinite transformation

E nenshtruar transformimeve te pa kufizuara

Now you may think that it is ignorant to speak broken English

Tani ju mund te mendoni qe eshte injorance te flasesh anglisht te thyer

But I’m here to tell you that even “articulate” Americans

Por une jam ketu t'ju them qe edhe Amerikanet "elokuente"

sound foolish to the British

degjohen qesharak te Britaniket.

So when my Professor comes on the block and says, “Hello”

Pra kur Profesori im del tek lagja dhe thote "Tungjatjeta"

I stop him and say “Noooo …

Une e ndaloj dhe them "Joooo...

You’re being inarticulate …

Po ben si i pa artikuluar

the proper way is to say ‘what’s good’”

menyra e sakte ta thuash eshte "C'kemi"

Now you may think that’s too hood, that’s not cool

Tani ju mund te mendoni se kjo eshte shprehje rrugacesh, qe nuk eshte "cool"

But I’m here to tell you that even our language has rules

Por une jam ketu t'ju them qe edhe gjuha jone ka rregulla

So when Mommy mocks me and says

Dhe kur mami me perqesh dhe thote

“ya’ll-be-madd-going-to-the-store”

"juve keni shkalluar per te shkuar ne dyqan"

I say “Mommy, no, that sentence is not following the law

Une them "Mami, jo, kjo fjali nuk po ndjek rregullat

Never does the word "madd" go before a present participle

Kurre nuk shkon fjala "te shkalluar" perpara nje pjesore te tashme

That’s simply the principle of this English”

Ky eshte thjesht nje parim i kesaj Anglishteje"

If I had the vocal capacity I would

Nese kisha aftesine vokale

sing this from every mountaintop,

do ta kendoja kete nga cdo maje mali

From every suburbia, and every hood

nga cdo rrethine dhe cdo geto

‘Cause the only God of language is the one recorded in the Genesis

Sepse i vetmi Zot i gjuhes eshte ai qe eshte shenuar ne Gjenezen

Of this world saying “it is good"

e kesaj bote duke thene "Eshte e mire"

So I may not always come before you

Pra une mund te mos qendroj gjithmone para jush

with excellency of speech

me fjalim te shkelqyer

But do not judge me by my language and assume

Por mos me gjykoni nga gjuha ime dhe pretendoni se

That I’m too ignorant to teach

jam teper injorante per te dhene mesim

‘Cause I speak three tongues

sepse flas tre gjuhe

One for each:

Nje per secilen:

Home, school and friends

shtepine, shkollen, dhe miqesine.

I’m a tri-lingual orator

Jam nje orator trigjuhesh

Sometimes I’m consistent with my language now

Disa here jam e qendrueshme me gjuhen time

Then switch it up so I don’t bore later

pastaj e nderroj qe te mos me merzitet me vone

Sometimes I fight back two tongues

Disa here duhet te mundem me dy gjuhe

While I use the other one in the classroom

kur perdor tjetren brenda ne klase

And when I mistakenly mix them up

Dhe kur gabimisht i trazoj

I feel crazy like … I’m cooking in the bathroom

Ndihem si e marre, sikur...po gatuaj ne banjo

I know that I had to borrow your language

E di qe mua mu desh te marr hua gjuhen tuaj

because mines was stolen

sepse timen e vodhen

But you can’t expect me to speak your history wholly

Por nuk mund te prisni nga une te flas te gjithe historine tuaj

while mines is broken

kur e imja eshte e thyer.

These words are spoken

Keto fjale jane folur

By someone who is simply fed up with

Nga dikush qe eshte thjesht e merzitur me

the Eurocentric ideals of this season

idealet Eurocentrike te kesaj kohe

And the reason I speak a composite version of your language

Dhe arsyeja qe une flas nje variant te perzier te gjuhes tuaj

Is because mines was raped away along with my history

eshte sepse e imja ishte perdhunuar bashke me historine time

I speak broken English so the profusing gashes can remind us

Flas Anglishte te thyer keshtuqe plaget e thella te na kujtojne

That our current state is not a mystery

Qe gjendja jone e sotme nuk eshte mister

I’m so tired of the negative images that are driving my people mad

Jam kaq e lodhur prej imazheve negative qe po cmendin njerzit e mij.

So unless you’ve seen it rob a bank stop calling my hair bad

Nese s'e ke pare duke vjedhur nje banke, mos thuaj qe floku im eshte i keq

I’m so sick of this nonsensical racial disparity

Me ka ardhur ne maje te hundes nga kjo pabarazi raciale absurde

So don’t call it good unless your hair is known

Dhe mos thuaj qe eshte i mire, pervec se floku jot njihet

for donating to charity

qe dhuron neper shoqata bamirese

As much as has been raped away from our people

Me kaq sa eshte marr me dhune larg nga njerzit e mij

How can you expect me to treat their imprint on your language

Si mundesh te presesh nga une te trajtoj gjurmen e tyre ne gjuhen tende

As anything less than equal

si dicka me pak se e barabarte

Let there be no confusion

Mos u ngaterro

Let there be no hesitation

Mos u ndrydh

This is not a promotion of ignorance

Ky nuk eshte nje promovim injorance

This is a linguistic celebration

Ky eshte nje celebrim gjuhesor

That’s why I put "tri-lingual" on my last job application

Dhe kjo eshte arsya qe une shkruajta "trigjuhesh" ne kerkesen e punes

I can help to diversify your consumer market

Une mundem te zgjeroj tregun tuaj te konsumatoreve

is all I wanted them to know

eshte ajo qe doja te dinin per mua

And when they call me for the interview

Dhe kur te me marrin ne telefon per intervisten

I’ll be more than happy to show that

Do jem teper e gezuar tu tregoj qe

I can say:

mundem te them:

“What’s good”

"C'kemi"

“Whatagwan”

"C'kemi"

And of course …“Hello”

dhe natyrisht..."Tungjatjeta"

Because I’m “articulate”

Sepse jam "elokuente"

Thank you.

Ju falemnderit.

(Applause)

(Duartrokitje)