TESK President Palandöken Calls on Local Authorities for "Turkish Signage"

Ankara - Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK) President Bendevi Palandöken, in a written statement published on the occasion of September 26 Turkish Language Day, reacted strongly to the density of foreign signboards on streets, alleys and workplaces and called for the immediate correction of this situation. Palandöken emphasized that Turkish language is an ancient heritage of thousands of years and reminded local governments and the whole society of their responsibility to protect our language.

"Turkish is an ancient heritage, it must be protected"

President Palandöken drew attention to the importance of the Turkish Language Day at the beginning of his statement. "As it is known, Turkish Language Day is celebrated today. This is extremely important for us. Turkish is an ancient heritage in our thousands of years of history," Palandöken said, adding that concrete steps should be taken to protect this heritage. Palandöken stated that attention should be paid to the use of Turkish signboards, especially in terms of reflecting the identity of workplaces and protecting the tradition.

Palandöken argued that the increasing number of foreign signs is not only an aesthetic problem, but also a cultural erosion that damages national identity. "For this reason, we should pay attention to Turkish signboards on the streets, streets and workplaces and purify them from foreign signboards. Although it is natural for foreigners in our country to use signs in their own language, we are a nation that uses the Turkish language. For this reason, the use of Turkish signs in our workplaces is extremely important both in terms of reflecting the identity of the places where people will shop and in terms of protecting our Turkish language, which is our tradition of thousands of years."

Local Governments Responsibility to "Encourage and Regulate"

TESK President Palandöken emphasized that the biggest responsibility for the correct use of Turkish in signboards belongs to local administrations. Palandöken stated that the steps to be taken in this regard should not only be limited to banning, but also incentivizing mechanisms should be put in place.

Palandöken said, "Everyone, especially local governments, has a responsibility in this regard. In signage regulations, eliminating visual pollution, fighting against foreign signs and providing support such as discounts to encourage Turkish signs will contribute to the correct use of our Turkish language."

Emphasis on Legacy for Future Generations

Stating that protecting the Turkish language will shape not only the present but also the future, Palandöken said that signboards are an important tool in transferring the language to future generations. "In this way, we will both encourage the beautiful use of our language and transmit our Turkish, the language of our ancient civilization, to our children and future generations. Attention should also be paid to visual pollution in the regulations to be made on the signboards, so that we can contribute to the protection of our beautiful Turkish, which we will leave to the next generations," he concluded his call. This strong message of TESK once again brought the critical role of language in the protection of national identity and culture to the agenda.