This is an expression in Dutch that you can use whenever a machine refuses to work or you don’t know how to turn it on exactly, for instance an old car, a second hand copier, a coffee machine, a brand new computer … So it isn’t necessary that the object actually t a l k s (praat > praten = to talk ).

Hoe krijg ik ‘m aan de praat?
How do I turn it on?

Hoe krijg ik ‘m weer aan de praat?
How do I fix it, how do I make this thing work again?