Trafik işareti görünmekle birlikte fotoğraf kaydı açık değil.

-mekle birlikte is a connector meaning something like:

• although
• even though
• while
• along with the fact that

In this sentence, görünmekle birlikte means although it is visible or while it is visible.

It is a fairly formal structure, often seen in written Turkish, instructions, reports, or interface language.

Both are possible in Turkish, but they have different styles.

• görünmekle birlikte = more formal, compact, written style
• görünüyor ama = more conversational, everyday style

So:

• Trafik işareti görünmekle birlikte...
  = formal: Although the traffic sign is visible...

• Trafik işareti görünüyor ama...
  = spoken-style: The traffic sign is visible, but...

The sentence you were given sounds like something from a system message, technical text, or official explanation.

The base verb is görünmek.

This verb means:

• to appear
• to be visible
• to be seen

It is different from görmek, which means to see.

So:

• görmek = to see something
• görünmek = to be visible / to appear

Example:

• Tabelayı görüyorum. = I see the sign.
• Tabela görünüyor. = The sign is visible.

In your sentence, the traffic sign is not doing the seeing; it is the thing that is visible, so görünmek is the correct verb.

Trafik işareti is a very common Turkish noun-compound pattern.

It is made of:

• trafik = traffic
• işaret = sign
• işareti = sign + compound ending

So trafik işareti means traffic sign.

This is called an indefinite noun compound in Turkish. In this pattern, the second noun usually takes a suffix like -(s)ı / -(s)i / -(s)u / -(s)ü.

Other examples:

• otobüs durağı = bus stop
• ev kapısı = house door
• telefon numarası = phone number

So işareti here does not mean a possessed form like his/her sign. It is just the normal form required in this compound.

For the same reason: fotoğraf kaydı is another noun compound.

It is built from:

• fotoğraf = photo
• kayıt = recording / record / capture
• kaydı = recording + compound suffix

So fotoğraf kaydı means something like:

• photo recording
• photo capture
• photographic record

Depending on context, it may refer to a camera-record function, stored image capture, or photographic logging.

Like trafik işareti, it follows the standard Turkish compound pattern.

Yes, açık literally means open, but in Turkish it also commonly means:

• on
• active
• enabled
• available

So açık değil can mean:

• not open
• not on
• not active
• not enabled

In this sentence, fotoğraf kaydı açık değil most naturally means that the photo-recording/capture function is not enabled or not active.

This kind of usage is very common with devices, settings, and features.

For example:

• Televizyon açık. = The TV is on.
• Kamera açık değil. = The camera is not on.
• Konum servisi açık değil. = Location service is not enabled.

Because açık is not a verb here. It is an adjective or adjective-like predicate.

In Turkish, when the predicate is a noun or adjective, negation is often made with değil.

So:

• açık = open/on/enabled
• açık değil = not open/not on/not enabled

Compare:

• Kapı açık. = The door is open.
• Kapı açık değil. = The door is not open.

But with a true verb, Turkish usually uses a verbal negative suffix:

• geliyor = he/she is coming
• gelmiyor = he/she is not coming

So the reason is grammatical: açık is not a finite verb.

Yes, the understood subject is trafik işareti.

So the sentence works like this:

• Trafik işareti = subject
• görünmekle birlikte = although being visible
• fotoğraf kaydı açık değil = photo recording is not enabled

Turkish often avoids repeating the subject if it is already clear. The first part and the second part are connected logically, and the subject of the first part is understood from trafik işareti.

Turkish very often puts background or subordinate information first, and the main statement later.

So this order is natural:

• Trafik işareti görünmekle birlikte = background/contrast
• fotoğraf kaydı açık değil = main point

This is similar to English patterns like:

• Although the traffic sign is visible, photo recording is not enabled.

Turkish often saves the main message for the end. That is a very common feature of Turkish sentence structure.

Not always.

-mekle birlikte can sometimes mean:

1. although / even though
2. while / at the same time as
3. together with / in addition to

In your sentence, the meaning is clearly contrastive:
the sign is visible, but the photo-record feature is not active.

So here the best interpretation is although or even though.

Yes, but it sounds somewhat formal and technical.

It feels like something you might read in:

• a system notification
• a manual
• a technical report
• a user interface message

A more everyday version might be:

• Trafik işareti görünüyor ama fotoğraf kaydı açık değil.
• Trafik işareti görünse de fotoğraf kaydı açık değil.
• Trafik işareti görünmesine rağmen fotoğraf kaydı açık değil.

These all express a similar idea, but the original sentence is more formal.

They are similar, but the tone differs.

• görünmekle birlikte
  Formal, written, slightly neutral/official

• görünse de
  Shorter, common, natural in speech and writing

• görünmesine rağmen
  Stronger sense of despite the fact that, also common in formal writing

So:

• Trafik işareti görünmekle birlikte...
  = formal although it is visible...

• Trafik işareti görünse de...
  = even if/though it is visible...

• Trafik işareti görünmesine rağmen...
  = despite being visible...

All can work, but the original version sounds especially bureaucratic or technical.

Yes.

Turkish noun compounds can be a little broad, so fotoğraf kaydı may refer to:

• photo capture
• photo recording
• photographic record
• image storage/recording

In a software or device context, it probably means that a photo-capture or image-record feature is not active.

So even if the overall meaning has already been given, a learner should know that this phrase is somewhat context-dependent rather than a perfectly fixed one-word equivalent.

Because Turkish does not have a definite article like English the.

Whether something means:

• a traffic sign
• the traffic sign

depends on context.

The same applies to fotoğraf kaydı:

• a photo recording
• the photo recording
• photo recording as a general function

So Turkish relies much more on context than English does for definiteness.

Yes. That is another very common meaning of görünmek.

It can mean:

• to be visible
• to appear
• to seem

Examples:

• Dağ uzaktan görünüyor. = The mountain is visible from far away.
• Yorgun görünüyor. = He/She looks tired.

In your sentence, the meaning is definitely to be visible, not to seem.

So context tells you which meaning is intended.

A rough structural breakdown is:

• Trafik işareti = traffic sign
• görün-mek-le birlikte = with being visible / although being visible
• fotoğraf kaydı = photo recording/capture
• açık değil = is not on / is not enabled

So very literally, it is something like:

The traffic sign, although being visible, the photo recording is not active.

That literal version sounds awkward in English, but it shows how the Turkish pieces fit together.