Papers by A. Şirin Okyayuz
Journal of Translation, Literature and Linguistics 2024, VOL. 3, (1), 1-20 Research Article, 2024
Turkish Studies - Language and Literature, 2020
In 2012-2013 Turkey began working on drafting a national standard for translators and interpreter... more In 2012-2013 Turkey began working on drafting a national standard for translators and interpreters, including sign language interpreters. By 2017-2018, the same group moved on to drafting their national qualifications. In 2020 the National Standard was enlarged to include a wider scope for sign language interpreting and the National Qualifications for Sign Language Interpreters were approved and published. These developments marked an important step for sign language interpreting in Turkey, shedding light on realities of professionals in the country. The results of this long and carefully planned process led to the drafting of two documents that will hopefully contribute to sign language interpreting. The standard and qualification referred to may be able to lead to steps to improve the professionalism of the sign language interpreters, the recognition of the skill sets of interpreters, areas of expertise in sign language interpreting, life long learing in sign language interpreting, the importance of the recognition of training in the field and studies in sign language interpreting. The following paper summarizes this long process, and outlines the model and rationale behind the model that Turkey embraced. The paper aims to a) provide an overview of sign language interpreting in Turkey; b) model the process for similar endeavours; and c) explain the importance of such initiatives for improving the practice of sign language interpreting. The intention of this primarily descriptive paper is to promote an awareness of the developments in Turkey; the hope is that this awareness will promote cooperation, which will further contribute to the profession.
Bloomsbury Academic eBooks, 2023
Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, Oct 28, 2021
In the 21st century, providing accessibility for all to all products and platforms including cult... more In the 21st century, providing accessibility for all to all products and platforms including cultural and literary products is one of the most important fields of study embraced in translation and interpreting studies, media accessibility studies and others. With governments and international organs like the UN and EU working towards full accessibility, it falls to multidisciplinary teams to produce accessible versions of such products and furthermore to provide road maps, guidelines and examples of good practice. The following article outlines a project undertaken with these priorities and concerns. In response to requests from parents with D/deaf children and the wishes of the author N. Neydim, work began on the translation and the intermedial adaptation of the Turkish children's books series Selim'in Maceraları (2011) in May of 2019. The project was completed and the video-books are currently available online. The initial aims of the project were, to raise awareness about children's literature in Turkish among preschool and early primary school age Deaf children and to provide these children with the Turkish sign language video-book versions of the author's works. The following article details the design and implementation of the project, the project cycle, profiles of the interpreting team, technical and design concerns, and options and decisions about the interpreting process to provide an example for similar endeavours and a platform for sharing insight on the issues inherent to the project.
Çeviribilim ve uygulamaları dergisi, Dec 31, 2019
Trakya üniversitesi edebiyat fakültesi dergisi, Jul 25, 2019
International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies, 2017
The collective power of Japanese popular culture permeating the rest of the world through manga a... more The collective power of Japanese popular culture permeating the rest of the world through manga and anime is a recent issue of interest for scholars. Studying the scanlation and translation of the manga, which are multimodal texts that hybridize linguistic and visual arts, also entails several topics of discussion and interest for the translation scholar. There are facets of these multimodal texts as in manga the narrative is conveyed through composite, cinematographic narrative with integrated frames. In turn these can yield interesting translation solutions and strategies, especially when compared in terms of the two mediums of production (i.e., in print and on the Internet). The following study entails a comparative analysis of the scanlation and translation of the manga Naruto into Turkish especially concentrating on: the format (i.e., arrangement of pages, lettering, typography), what was translated what was not (i.e., dialogues, onomatopoeia, honorifics, names), and the use of diverse translation strategies (i.e., adding notes, dealing with discourses, registers and translators choices). In this sense, as is the aim behind the study, manga translations present translation studies with rich grounds of research into multimodal, multicultural dialogue and interaction. As the potential for intercultural dialogue through comics has never been stronger than the present, manga seem to be a medium through which this may be achieved across cultures. Comparative studies in different languages and cultures would not only be a benefit for the comics' translators and scholars, but also the field of translation, as discussing the abundance of decisions and possibilities would enrich the discipline.
Turkish studies, 2023
In a globalized world, several products or works are now produced from one product or work. For e... more In a globalized world, several products or works are now produced from one product or work. For example, a movie or TV series of a book is made, an animated version of a video game is produced and all these products are presented to the relevant buyers in an interconnected manner. Buyers have become so used to seeing such products that they have accepted this phenomenon as part of popular culture. As explained in the article, all these new product creations, software and the like are essentially based on the act of transmission, which is dealt with comprehensively in translation and constitutes the core of the discipline. The article, which blends the fields of translation studies, language studies, adaptation studies, film studies and screenwriting, examines the script and film A.R.O.G., respectively published and directed by Cem Yılmaz, at the intersection of translation studies, adaptation and film studies, and the concepts of self-translation, intralingual translation and rewriting, within the framework of a model inspired by many different disciplines. While the introduction explains the necessity of such studies, the definition and nature of the screenplay text are discussed in the second section. A broad theoretical framework that brings together concepts from many disciplines is presented in the next section. In the review section, the texts mentioned above are analyzed comparatively and some selected examples are presented to clarify the issue. The discussion section interprets the findings of the analysis and the conclusion highlights the importance of such multidisciplinary studies by underlining the issues emphasized since the beginning of the article.
Çeviribilim ve uygulamaları dergisi, Dec 27, 2020
The COVID-19 virus is a threat to public health; thus it becomes vital for society to be informed... more The COVID-19 virus is a threat to public health; thus it becomes vital for society to be informed to combat this threat. The information provided has to be correct for society at large to be aware of the threat. In periods such as the one we are living through, it is difficult to convey accurate and fast information to even those individuals who enjoy access to different platforms in society. It is clear that there are obstacles to the steps to be taken for the correct and fast dissemination of information. Furthermore, as will be discussed in the study, unlike the other members of society, the Deaf community experienced additional difficulties in accessing information obtained from reliable sources during the pandemic. The study provides an analysis of the different on sight translations/interpretations of the Coronavirus 14 Rules into Turkish Sign Language with emphasis on the skopos of the translations. The first part of the study entails the realities difficulty of access of the Deaf community. The second part, in the light of the information shared initially, provides an analysis of the two different Turkish sign language target texts of the 14 Rules. Within the framework of the data obtained from the study, the conclusion emphasizes the vitality of informing the disabled and underlines the importance of providing correct information through different approaches and differing platforms.
European Scientific Journal, ESJ, Mar 30, 2016
In Turkey, as in the case of other countries, due to developments in technology and the rise of t... more In Turkey, as in the case of other countries, due to developments in technology and the rise of the 'social translation' sector, audiences have the opportunity to watch TV shows, including sitcoms, with Turkish subtitles on a multitude of platforms. Although some of these platforms are TV channels, there are also alternatives presented by Internet sites. By virtue of the fact that there are different subtitlers of the same show, it becomes beneficial to study the work of professional translators vs. social translators, to understand their constraints and realities, as well as the differences between them. This study provides a comparative analysis of the two, within the context of the American sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Turkish studies, 2017
This article was checked by iThenticate.
Pamukkale üniversitesi sosyal bilimler enstitüsü dergisi, Dec 13, 2022
In the present study, based on a doctorate thesis, data obtained from practitioners was evaluated... more In the present study, based on a doctorate thesis, data obtained from practitioners was evaluated to determine the role of CODA sign-language interpreters in Deaf sports. The study includes a multifaceted analysis of the role played by sign language interpreters in the communication of hearing national team coaches working with athletes who are deaf in the Turkish Deaf Sports Federation (TIESF). For this purpose, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with seven experienced CODA interpreters involved in the national and international activities of the TIESF. To date there have been few studies in the field of sports interpreting in Turkey, and particularly interpreting for athletes who are deaf. The present research is a pioneering and exemplary study that focuses on the role of signed language interpreters as sports interpreters.
Çeviribilim ve uygulamaları dergisi, Jul 16, 2021
The study entails an analysis of the reflection of the love theme in the repertoire of songs tran... more The study entails an analysis of the reflection of the love theme in the repertoire of songs translated from French into Turkish during the 1968-1969 period. The first part deals with the notion that songs are valuable cultural resources that can shed light on a certain era, reality and yield information about a society. At this point the study underlines the importance of multidisciplinary research in song translation through an overview of the works of scholars from different fields. The following section entails an overview of song translation literature within translation studies. The corpus studied and the rationale behind it are presented in this section. The research method is explained in the following section. In what is essentially an empirical source-target text comparative analysis, initially the data derived from the corpus is categorized and then explained with short clarifying examples. Under the discussion the findings are discussed from social, political, historical and other perspectives and a framework is set for the conclusions reached. In the conclusion, the period in question is present through a larger perspective and the conclusions that may be drawn from the data are discussed in detail. The notion that creativity and domestication are approaches that need to be embraced for the appropriation of a musical genre by a target culture in terms of the scope of song translation discussed in the study is supported. Within the context studied song translation entails the act of presenting a product that will become popular in the target culture versus an act of transferring a product from one culture to another. On a final note, the importance of these types of studies to enrich our understanding of cultural history and heritage is highlighted.
Babel, Dec 31, 2017
In translation studies, investigating translations beyond the implications, realities and difficu... more In translation studies, investigating translations beyond the implications, realities and difficulties of single texts and single language combinations, viewing the larger picture surrounding translations and following the translations through to the impacts they produce wherever they are received, is an integral part of the discipline. The study discussed in this article is an effort to present food for thought for audiovisual translators of soap operas. Turkish soap operas have been aired in 90 countries around the world, reaching over 400 million viewers, according to 2014 statistics from the sector. The aim of the study is to indicate the type of translated soap operas preferred in different regions of the world; to explain, on the basis of feedback from experts, the public and local and international media, why these are watched; and to investigate the translation modes and strategies used to market the translations successfully in the receiver markets.
Turkish studies - Language and Literature, 2023
Çeviribilim ve uygulamaları dergisi, Jul 16, 2021
* Çalışmanın bir kısmı Ege Üniversitesi, Mütercim-Tercümanlık Bölümü tarafından online olarak düz... more * Çalışmanın bir kısmı Ege Üniversitesi, Mütercim-Tercümanlık Bölümü tarafından online olarak düzenlenen Çeviribilim Seminerlerinde (24-25 Nisan 2021-Microsoft Teams) sunulmuştur. Çalışma, bu sunumda sözü edilen konudan yola çıkarak özgün bir araştırma makalesi olarak kaleme alınmıştır. Anahtar Sözcükler: yaratıcı altyazı çevirisi, ayrıntılı altyazı çevirisi, kaynakta altyazı tasarımı, herkes için tasarım, tümleşik altyazı çevirisi.
New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship, Jul 3, 2017
Examples of popular Anglo-American teen literature are translated into many languages, reaching m... more Examples of popular Anglo-American teen literature are translated into many languages, reaching millions of children from different cultures. From a translators' perspective, this is a complex endeavor, since translations of popular Anglo-American literature for teens necessitates unique approaches and knowledge about readership, markets, intertexual, and intercultural mediation across languages, which translators have to take into account in the translation process. This article provides an example of this endeavor, with emphasis on the use of paratexts, the existence of intermedial rewriting, intertexuality, style, and culture, through a multidimensional study of the translations of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series into Turkish.
Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, Oct 11, 2019
Policies concerning language and culture are integral to the translators' work as they are an int... more Policies concerning language and culture are integral to the translators' work as they are an intrinsic part of the translation process. Thus, it becomes necessary to include a good bit of what could be referred to as 'policy cognizance', which could be defined as an understanding of the policies that mold the practice spanning from historical perspectives to the present day laws and regulations, in translator training. The following study is an effort to refer to some of the subjects that may be included in an audiovisual translation course within the objective defined. It aims to exemplify and justify the integration of certain training modules that need to be included in a comprehensive training curriculum if the translator-to-be is to become policy cognizant in the field. Following an overview on the relation between state, language policy and translation, the study goes on to concentrate on suggestions for modules that can be integrated into audiovisual translation training at university level. It is penned with the hope of providing food for thought and a perspective for the translator trainer and translator-to be who wish to specialize in audiovisual translation.
Uploads
Papers by A. Şirin Okyayuz