The role of local translators in ongoing search and rescue operations in the aftermath of deadly earthquakes in Türkiye is proving crucial as more than 8,850 international personnel have come to help with life-saving efforts.
“They are our eyes and ears,” a member of a Chinese search and rescue team in the southern province of Malatya told Anadolu Agency (AA).
“Better communication makes work easier and faster,” said the Chinese team member, almost as if to prove his point through Selman Ayhan, a Turkish translator.
Wang Yi is leading the Blue Sky Rescue Team with 185 members from China who landed via two separate flights Wednesday. The team was able to rescue a middle-aged woman Thursday in Malatya. “Unfortunately, 13 others were dead,” said Wang.
The other 120-member group from China was expected to join the Blue Sky Team. “We will continue operations for 10 or more days,” said Wang.
Selman Ayhan, one of more than two dozen translators with Chinese teams engaged in rescue operations, was with his 15-month-old baby when news of the quake broke Monday.
His father was in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, which affected more than 13 million people across 10 Turkish areas in the south.
More than 24,600 people were killed in Türkiye and over 80,000 injured after the twin quakes hit the southern region of the country and neighboring Syria.
“We immediately reached my father, but we could not connect (via phone),” Ayhan, 34, told AA from Malatya.
Worried, his family called everywhere to get news about their father’s well-being. “Finally, my father texted my brother that he was alright, and we were relieved. My father is fine and now back in Istanbul and is readying to return to Kahramanmaras to join relief operations,” he said.
While looking for details about the “worst earthquake of the 21st century” to strike Türkiye, Ayhan learned on Instagram that there is a need for Chinese language translators for rescue operations.
“I asked my wife whether I should go and join the translation team,” said Ayhan, who spent 11 years in China and returned for good in 2017. “My wife told me: people need help, and maybe we are the people who can extend this helping hand during this hour of need. So do not sit back; go and join the rescue teams,” he said.
Ayhan called his best friend, a businessperson, and the duo met at the Turkish-China Business Association and joined other students and professionals who know the Chinese language.
“We, with more than two dozen volunteer interlocutors, joined the Blue Sky on Wednesday at Istanbul Airport,” said Ayhan.
“The role of interlocutors is the most important aspect after rescue during these times,” Wang told AA.
Blue Sky also carried 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of search and rescue equipment, medicine and food.
When teams were leaving for Malatya from the Istanbul airport, Ayhan said, “They chanted slogans like: ‘Stay Strong Türkiye,’ receiving applause from those at the airport.”
The Foreign Ministry said 99 countries have offered assistance, and search and rescue teams from 68 nations are currently continuing efforts in the field.
More the 218,400 personnel assisting 32,484 search and rescue teams, including those from foreign countries, are deployed in quake-hit regions as of Sunday, according to Turkish officials.
Around 175,900 family tents had been set up to shelter survivors by Sunday, according to the Disaster and Management Authority (AFAD).
