ANKARA 23 March 2024 – The Philippine Embassy in Ankara, through its Sentro Rizal, welcomed the Hacettepe University Translation Society or the Hacettepe Üniversitesi Çeviri Topluluğunu (HÜÇEV) during their visit to on 22 March 2024.

Photo: Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Juan E. Dayang, Jr. greets the members of the Hacettepe University Translation Society during their visit to the Embassy. (Embassy photo)

In his welcome remarks, Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Juan E. Dayang, Jr. expressed delight in having members of the Hacettepe University Translation Society visit the Embassy and learn about Philippine culture and language. "We hope through this visit, we will be able to introduce our country and share our culture to the Turkish people,” CDA Dayang said.

Photos: Members of the Hacettepe University Translation Society (HÜÇEV) introducing themselves in the Filipino language. (Embassy Photo)

The 17 HÜÇEV members were given a tour of the Embassy and had a chance to interact with the embassy officials and staff. They were joined by Ms. Hannah Joy M. Lico, a Filipino student studying Medicine at Hacettepe University. The students showed great interest in Philippine culture as they watched videos on Philippine culture from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Filipino language as they actively participated in the activities to learn basic Filipino.

Photo: Members of the Hacettepe University Translation Society (HÜÇEV) playing a Memory Game to learn basic Filipino words.  (Embassy Photo)

At the end of the program, the students shared a merienda of delicious Filipino desserts - puto (steamed rice cake) and hopia (a flaky pastry with filling) with ube (purple yam) flavor. They were also given packs of Oishi Filipino snacks as souvenirs of their visit to the Embassy. The students expressed their gratitude to the Philippine Embassy for the warm welcome and informative visit.

Photo: The Hacettepe University Translation Society (HÜÇEV) members with Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Juan E. Dayang Jr., Cultural Officer Vanesa Sumera, Attache Wendell C. Gaa and Filipino student Hannah Joy M. Lico at Sentro Rizal Ankara. (Embassy Photo)

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara looks forward to collaborating with more universities and student organizations in Türkiye, including HÜÇEV, to promote cross-cultural understanding and language learning.

HÜÇEV is one of the leading and largest translation societies in Türkiye with more than 3000 members, mostly students studying in the departments of International Relations, English/French/German Translation and Interpreting, Language and Literature and Teaching, and has been carrying out various language and cultural activities for more than 20 years. END