Klaus Jurgens

THERE are moments in life when a little knowledge of a foreign language goes a long way – more so when you are in a far-away land where English is not spoken by everyone.

How many British, French or German citizens would be able to fluently converse in for example Spanish or Turkish? Yet this story is not about an encounter with a linguistically advanced fellow member of mankind during a situation of distress but about a machine instead.

To be more precise: it is about what has come to be commonly referred to as Automatic Teller Machine; ATM to you and me.

Picture this. It is late at night and all places which allow us to withdraw monies in person over the counter are closed. You urgently need to wire funds to a person in need in another location or perhaps even another country.

Then you realize that today’s ATM is somewhat multifunctional. If an ATM would have a job description it would spell out many additional tasks than simply ‘distributing the correct amount of cash.’ They are much more than a posh version of a hole in the wall!

You have your bank card with you. The ATM works, too. The welcome screen prompts you a question seemingly about home insurance followed by four empty boxes into which you duly key in your four-digit pin. You smile – have we not managed to unlock the banking system of our ‘foreign’ host nation although we are far from fluent in that fascinating country’s language?

This time it is not you in the middle of the night having run out of cash, but a relative who urgently needs some monies transferred instantly to her or his bank account. As this loved one banks with the same financial institution all this can be carried out within less than two minutes. Theoretically, that is.

Back to the welcome screen, a new menu opens. Eight further options. But which one says wire transfer in Turkish? You frantically press all of them, one after the other. You do find screen prompts asking you to key in more numbers, probably account numbers but which one is yours, which one is the receiver’s?

All of a sudden you have an idea! As time is running out as at the other end a person urgently needs cash to buy important medicine, or a ticket for the last train home or use their very own (underfunded) bank card to settle a bill with a local authority as their car had been towed away and they need it back, now.

You ring your bank as there is an English speaking operator! Ring, ring, ring! A friendly voice answers, but then after dialing ‘9’ you are told the English speaking operator is only operational between the hours of 9am and 9pm.

Now your phone rings – you recognize the number. A nervous caller inquires about ‘where is the money, you already sent it, didn’t you?’

You try again – nothing works the way you wanted. You press the ‘red’ button to retrieve your card. Not the type who easily gives up or gives in you slot in your card once more. And then help arrives in the form of a simple, a single seven letter word.

At the bottom right corner of the screen, rather small to be honest, it says ‘English’. You press the button next to it. The screen disappears only to be illuminated again a few seconds later. You type in your pin. And bingo – on the left side of the short options menu it says ‘Wire Transfer!’

You know how this tale of frustration, anger yet ultimately sheer modesty ends. Moneys sent, relative or friend relieved yet you are less happy, understandably so. Is it not sad that after years in your adopted country managing that nation’s language in short format in front of an ATM would not work out at all?

This is a true story albeit from years ago. The actors: myself and my ATM. Except for recurring yet infrequent rare glitches with newer types of ATM I get results even in the Turkish language. No more queues behind me getting restless because another visitor can’t handle a few simple commands in Turkish.

Please follow in my money-sending footsteps if you can. Learn the correct prompts in Turkish. It is not only for our self confidence that we step by step get to grips with every day transactions in Turkish but it might just as well be required to help a person in urgent need. In love with a machine, midnight, far away from home or internet banking: figuratively speaking, why not?