A Survey of Translation Activity in the Ottoman Empire (original) (raw)
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Contemporary European translations of Ottoman documents and vice versa (15th–17th centuries
2008
Ottoman documents that were to be sent to rulers or officials of other states often were accompanied by translations made by the Ottoman dragomans at the Porte. Some others were translated at the addressee's court by interpreters engaged there. There also are some examples of translations of European documents into Ottoman Turkish. The authorship of many translations thus being known, individual habits and abilities can be associated to specific dragomans, whose names and biographies, education and careers have been established long ago. On the basis of several published pairs of originals and translations, the focus of the present article lies on the way the dragomans tackled the texts, the level of their fluency, the accuracy of their translations, and political implications of deliberate and/or accidental misinterpretations.
Intralingual translation as ‘modernization’ of the language: the Turkish case
This paper focuses on the practice of intralingual translations in Turkey, which are generally regarded as original writings and thus have remained outside the realm of Translation Studies. In an attempt to offer a different conceptualization of translation that would contribute to the reconsideration of the nature and definition of translation, this paper looks at the specific use of intralingual translation seen as modernization of the language in twentieth-century Turkey. Using Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil's Mai ve Siyah (Blue and Black) as a case in point, this paper will argue that, concealed under the rubric of different terminology, intralingual translations in Turkey accomplish more than an updating of the language and reveal linguistic, translational, and ideological norms of the periods in which these translations were produced. This study will furthermore claim that the presentation of intralingual translations also sheds light on the practice and perception of interlingual translations and on our relationship with the past. Thus this paper argues that enlarging the definition of translation by encompassing intralingual translations would expand the boundaries of research in Translation Studies in general, and in Translation History in particular.
Institutional Translators' Field and Habitus in the Late Ottoman Period
Çeviribilim ve Uygulamaları Dergisi, 2020
Bu calisma, 19. yuzyil boyunca Osmanli Imparatorlugu’nda calismis kurumsal cevirmenlerin sahip olduklari alan ve habitus’a odaklanmaktadir. Ceviribilimde kurumsal cevirmenler, ozellikle de devlet kurumlarinda calisanlar, bugune kadar tarihsel bir bakis acisiyla ile pek ele alinmamistir. Bu boslugu doldurmak amacini tasiyan mevcut calisma, teorik olarak Bourdieu’nun alan ve habitus kavramlarindan yararlanmaktadir. Mevcut calisma, 19. yuzyilda Osmanli Devleti’ne hizmet etmis yedi farkli cevirmenin mesleki ve siyasi kariyerlerini ele alarak bu kisilerin bazi ortak ozelliklerini ortaya koymaktadir. Tercume Odasi 1821 yilinda kuruldugunda Rum dragomanlarin yerine yetenekli diplomatlar olup onde gelen Avrupali guclerle iletisim kurabilecek Turk ve Musluman cevirmenler getirilmesi amaclanmistir. Calismadaki soz konusu yedi tarihi kisiligin de mesleki ve siyasi hayatlari, imparatorluk hiyerarsisi icinde yukselirken benzerlikler sergilemistir. Mevcut calisma da Tercume Odasi’nin Osmanli Impa...
The Turkish Language Reform and Intralingual Translation
Tension and Tradition: The Dynamics of Translation in Turkey, 2015
This article focuses on the Turkish Language Reform and the practice of intralingual translation in Turkey as the updating of archaic or older texts, an area that has been largely overlooked in previous theoretical discussions within translation studies. It examines the ways in which the “purification” movement gave rise to intralingual translations of Ottoman Turkish literary works and affected the language of these translations and Turkish literature after 1928. This study argues that intralingual translations in Turkey cannot be divorced from the nationalist agenda and that they reveal linguistic, translational and ideologi- cal norms of the period when these translations were produced. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the presentation of and discussions around intralingual translations also shed light on the practice and perception of interlingual trans- lations and on Turkey’s relationship with her Ottoman past.
Leiden University, Faculty of Humanities, 2010
The dissertation examines late Ottoman intellectual history from the perspective of its confrontation with Western ideas through translations in the Ottoman capital Istanbul, and in a leading intellectual centre of the Ottoman Empire, namely Cairo. It consists of three chapters. The first chapter surveys the history of translation activity in the Ottoman Empire from its beginning to the nineteenth century and, particularly, focuses on the nineteenth century translation movement. The second chapter takes the Arabic and Turkish translations of Fénelon’s Les aventures de Télémaque as a case study and attempts to analyse the transmission of certain intellectual concepts through translations; while the third chapter concentrates on the reception of new ideas presented in the translations of the Télémaque and their impact on the process of reform.
Yahya Naci Efendi as a Translator and His Contributions to the History of Translation in Türkiye
3RD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION STUDIES Full Text Book, 2023
As the first Muslim translator of the Imperial Council (Divan-ı Hümayun), Yahya Naci Efendi assumed an important role as a language specialist in one of the most critical epochs of the Ottoman Empire in terms of diplomatic issues. Before Yahya Naci Efendi, the translators of the Imperial Council were selected out of Greek, Armenian, or Jewish people. However, during the Greek Rebellion at the beginning of the nineteenth century when the relations between the Ottoman Empire and other countries gradually increased, it was detected that the Imperial Council translators were engaging in cooperation with other countries to the detriment of the Ottoman Empire. This diplomatic betrayal paved the way for the foundation of “the Sublime Port’s Translation Chamber” (Bab-ı Âli Tercüme Odası) on April 23, 1821. Yahya Naci Efendi, who was one of the instructors at the Imperial School of Military Engineering (Mühendishâne-i Berrî-i Hümâyun) was appointed to teach French at the Sublime Port’s Translation Chamber. Thus, Yahya Naci Efendi was registered as the first instructor of the Translation Chamber and the first Muslim translator of the Imperial Council. Yahya Naci Efendi contributed to the Turkish language through his translations in the field of science during his term in the office. Along with this, he continued his French lessons for Muslim Turks within the bodies of both the Imperial School of Military Engineering and the Translation Chamber. He served as a reliable translator during the times in which the environment of confidence was shaken to its core in terms of diplomatic relations. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the importance of Yahya Naci Efendi as a translator, scientist, and instructor considering the factors of his own time in the historical context. In this scope, the study first refers to the foundation process of the Translation Chamber to enlighten the key role of Yahya Naci Efendi. Then, it presents the responsibilities he undertook at the Military School and his written works. The study evaluates the contributions of Yahya Naci Efendi to the history of translation in Türkiye considering the reasons to find the Translation Chamber.
Multilingualism, Translation, Transfer: Persian in the Ottoman Empire
International Conference in Gotha, 27-29 April 2023 Multilingualism, Translation, Transfer: Persian in the Ottoman Empire The conference brings together scholars with expertise in Persian and Ottoman Turkish language contacts who are interested in the fields of language, literature, and history, and to explore the role of multilingual practices – especially translation – which are an essential part of knowledge production in the respective traditions. In addition, the conference provides a forum for discussion and collaboration between scholars of Ottoman, Iranian and Arabic studies and beyond who are concerned with the interactions of the three languages in the Ottoman Empire (elsine-i se̱lāse̱) and examine their functions as well as the interrelationships between languages, (literary) genres, and disciplines. #Transottomanica #gotharesearchlibrary