Autonomous Creation

Example 26

Source Text Target Text

Düşman uçaklarının ara sıra gelip şehre bomba attığı Milli Mücadele günlerimizde beni bu okuldan aldılar.

(p.5)

In the days of our war of liberation following the Great War enemy aicraft would bomb the city from time to time, and I was taken out of school.

(p.6)

In this example “Milli Mücadele” is a CSI referring to the time period between May 19^th, 1919 and October 29^th, 1923. In other words, it is a time interval that starts with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s arrival at Samsun province to launch the war of independence of Turkish people against the allies of World War I, i.e. the Great War, and ends with the proclamation of Republic of Turkey. Following the Ottoman Empire’s defeat in the Great War, allies attacked its lands, and the war went on until the Republic of Turkey was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This period is deemed as a crucial turning point in the history of Turkey and Turkish people.

Although the World War I is a common historical phenomenon known all around the world, the importance and meaning of it can vary from nation to nation. While for the source text readers it is “Milli Mücadele”, in English National War or War or Independence and refers to a rightful struggles for the sake of their liberty, the Western and particulary European readership refers it as the Great War or World War I. The translator transfers this historical reference as it is a historical reference as “our war of liberation following the Great War” which illustrates the strategies of autonomous

creation and especially absolute universalization. The additional expression of

“following the Great War” is a non-existing reference in the ST and it also provides a neutral expression for the TT reader. While the war of independence may not connote any specific time period for the ST reader, the days following the Great War as a time expression enables them to comprehend the reference. Consequently, both as an additional expression which is not present in the ST and a neutral reference that could be comprehended by the TT readers more easily, the translator’s choice at the micro-level results in a domesticated TT at macro-level.

Example 27

Source Text Target Text

"Allloooş ... " diyordu, "hafta başı geldi mi, harçlık küt cebe, dayan Fıstıklı 'ya .. " (p.42)

‘Come off it’ he said. ‘ At the start of the week we’ll have our allowance in your pocket, and we can go off to the fields.’ (p.46)

In the example above the CSI “Alllooş…” is an exclamation word belonging to the culture of Adana province. Although there is not a proper definition of this expression, it is generally uttered to express excitement, happiness and astonishment within the region. In the excerpt above, protagonist’s brother Niyazi exclaims “Allloooş” to show his happiness and excitement for the things he and his brother can do with their weekly wage.

Translator prefers the strategy of autonomous creation for the translation of this CSI and transfers it as ‘Come off it’ which is used “when vigorously expressing disbelief” (Lexico powered by Oxford Online Dictionary, n.d.). As it is an autonomously created CSI and does not reflect the foreign effect of the ST culture to the TT reader, this expression also domesticates the ST.

Example 28

Source Text Target Text

Eğilmez başın gibi Gökler bulutlu efem

As we hold our heads high Clouds drift in the sky,

Dağlar yoldaşın gibi Sana ne mutlu efem!

[…]

Oyna yansın cepkenin! (p.96)

And what gives us joy Is the journey, my boy!

[…]

‘Shake it, baby, set the night on fire’

(p.103)

The excerpt given in the example above is a verse of the poem “Efe’nin Bayramı” written by poet Ömer Bedrettin Uşaklı (Türk Edebiyatı, n.d.). “Efe” is a nick name used around the West Anatolian villages and given to the brave and valiant men (Türk Dil Kurumu Online, n.d.). Moreover, “efe” is a significant figure of the Turkish War of Liberation since the gangs consisting of “efes” took place in the conflicts to defend their towns, provinces and regions. This poem was later composed by Kaptanzâde Ali Rızâ Bey and has become a well-known Turkish folk tune. In the example above a verse of this song as a CSI is sung by the protagonist and his friends. For the translation of the song, translator prefers the strategy of autonomous creation, and instead of a foreignizing and literal translation, he deletes the original CSI and produces different lines. The lines “Dağlar yoldaşın gibi / Sana ne mutlu efem!” which can be literally translated as “As if the mountains were your companion / How happy you are efe”, are transferred as “And what gives us joy/ Is the journey, my boy!”. Besides, the most renowned line of the song

“Oyna yansın cepkenin” which can be literally translated as “Dance until your vest bursts into flames” is translated completely different from semantic and contextual nature. The translator transfers it as “Shake it, baby, set the night on fire”. While the line in the ST refers to a heroic character and his dance demonstrating his proud and joy, the TT gives the impression of a line from a contemporary pop-song. Consequently, replacing “efem”

with “my boy” and translating the lines with completely different expressions, the foreign items belonging to the ST culture and ST readers’ context have been vanished. Moreover, the context and reference of a heroic character, i.e. ‘efe’, have been changed totally and as a result a domesticated translation is presented to the TT readers.