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2021

Author-Translator Relationship Through Orhan

Pamuk: Author and Translator's Role in Award-
Winning Translations

SIIRT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN

LANGUAGES TRANSLATION AND
INTERPRETATION DEPARTMENT

GRADUATION PROJECT
Furkan BAYHAN

Lecturer Safiye Gül SOLMAZ

Siirt
2021
 ABSTRACT

This work is based on Orhan Pamuk, who received the Nobel Prize and translated his works
into multiple languages; deals with the relationship between the translator and the author. In
the award, many topics such as the share of translation and the translator, contribution to the
work, the touch of the author to the translator during translation are discussed; At the same
time, the opinions of the relevant persons are used. Specifically, the relationship between
Orhan Pamuk and his translators is mentioned, as well as the issues in the translations of his
works and his relationship with his translators. In addition, there are discussions on whether
the original of the awarded work is also worthy of the award. In the article, which also
includes discussions and opinions on this subject, the direct effects of translation on the work
are mentioned in general.

KEY WORDS: translator,author,translator-author relationship,award-winning works,orhan

pamuk,nobel prize,criticism

INTRODUCTION

This study is based on Orhan Pamuk, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006 and
whose works have been translated into multiple languages. The study deals with the
relationship between the translator and the author. In the award, many topics such as the share
of translation and the translator, contribution to the work, the touch of the author to the
translator during translation are discussed; At the same time, the opinions of the relevant
persons are used. Specifically, the relationship between Orhan Pamuk and his translators is
mentioned, as well as the issues in the translations of his works and his relationship with his
translators. In addition, there are discussions on whether the original of the awarded work is
also worthy of the award. In the article, which also includes discussions and opinions on this
subject, the direct effects of translation on the work are mentioned in general.

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 The study first begins with the translator-author relationship section. In this section, the
importance of translation in the work and the roles of translators today are discussed. Later,
this relationship is handled through an award-winning writer like Orhan Pamuk. This section,
which is a summary of the question such as how the translator and author of an award-
winning work should be in relation, also explains the relationship between the translator and
the author. In addition, the continuation section deals with the contribution and influence of
translators in award-winning works. In connection with this, the question of whether an award
can be obtained through translation is also examined.

Award-winning writer Orhan Pamuk, who is the subject of this work, was born in Istanbul in
1952. He wrote his first novel in 1982 and won the award for his work "White Castle" in
2006. (Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, Timeturk). Known translations of the author whose
works have been translated into more than one language; Important works such as The Black
Book, My Name is Red, The Museum of Innocence, Strangeness in My Mind. In this study,
examples are given on Strangeness in My Mind and the subject is examined with information
from its translator. The views of Ekin Okalp, who is also the translator of this work and
several other works, are also included in this study.

In the award, the effect of the translator will be questioned together with the author's own
translators and the opinions of the translators about the author will be stated. Opinions on the
points added and removed from the translation, including comments on the style will be at the
forefront. Relationships established directly with the translators who translated these award-
winning works and the results are also included in this study. The opinions of the author's
own translators and the author's help are also mentioned. In this way, the methods used in the
translated works are also better understood.

1. What should be the relationship between the author and the translator?

First of all, before the points where we will deal with the author-translator relationship in the
age of translation we live in; It is a more important point for the study to examine the
characteristics of the translator. Today, translation has become an indispensable phenomenon.
In this context, translators have great responsibilities. With the world, languages rapidly also
take different forms and change day by day. For this reason, it is inevitable for the translator

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to follow the current situation, to develop himself/herself continuously and to head towards
new fields. In addition, developing cooperation with different translators is also important for
personal development.

In addition, providing the translator's cultural dominance and touching the reader more
closely are among these responsibilities. Cultural awareness is essential to avoid meaning
difficulties. The translator is an intermediary between the source text and the target text,
regardless of its recipient. The translator is not only a bilingual person, but also a translator of
meaning by overcoming the difficulties between two cultures. (B. Hatim 1990: 224-225)

In the translation of a work, the translator should also take into account the details that will
lead the reader to understand, instead of presenting only what is available. Instead of
translating only by mastering the language, the translations made by mastering the field of the
text take place on a more accurate basis. The translator should not only understand the
obvious content of the message, but also define the fine details of meaning, the expressive
emotional values of the words, and the "taste and spirit" of the message. (Yurdanur Salman
1987: 101 Excerpt from Nida.) It should also comprehend its stylistic features. In addition,
the translator must know the functions of both the source language and the target language. In
other words, it should be able to distinguish whether the language function in the text is
expressive, informative or vocative. (Yurdanur Salman 1987: 101 Excerpt from Nida.) At this
point, the author-translator relationship begins to become more pronounced. . Sharing what
the author wants to tell, cultural elements and details with the translator or exchanging ideas
on this subject will positively affect the translation. For example, a writer-translator
cooperation will be beneficial for the idioms and proverbs in the text to be translated.
Likewise, it is possible to follow the same path for the sub-meanings that the author wants to
give.

A great job falls on the authors themselves as well as the translators in terms of better
understanding and more accurate translation of the writers' works. Thanks to the exchange of
ideas and discussions, mistakes such as "semantic shifts" and "missing meaning words" are
minimized and the quality element in translation is more easily caught.

2. How is the relationship between Orhan Pamuk and his translators?

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 First of all, Orhan Pamuk's works; It stands out with its cultural density. Adopting post-
modern thinking, Pamuk prefers to knead local speeches and characters with culture in his
works. This is why he has become a writer with a higher level of relationship with his
translators. In fact, our writer, who said "They are all my friends" for his translators,
approaches the translation of his works in different dimensions. Pamuk's works have been
translated into almost 46 languages and have established connections with all translators in
the same way. He made small touches both at the word level and in the editorial part. About
this, the translator of "I Have a Strangeness in My Mind" says; "He read all of my translations
and made suggestions in some places. There have been many places where it has come up
with new solutions. This was also very important to me, after all, it is the author who knows
best what is being told in the text. In this context, it has been a very beneficial process for me.
"(Ekin Oklap, T24, 12 May 2016)

With the fact that the feelings and thoughts given in the source text are a field directly
related to the author, the relationship between the translator and the author becomes more
obligatory. It is an absolute opinion that every translation made to different languages is worth
examining because the effect of even the geography inhabited is great.

Besides, there are of course difficulties caused by the writing style of Orhan Pamuk. In his
translation into Italian, the translator says the following about the problem of language
richness: "I must clearly say that the fact that he is a writer who has a great command of the
novel technique and uses a different style of expression in each of his works makes the
translator's job difficult. Even with a rich language such as Italian, I faced difficulties in
expressing the richness of the language. I would also like to explain the value he gives to his
translators by saying that he solved the problems I encountered during translation and made
suggestions. "(Çevirmenleri Orhan Pamuk'u anlattı, Milliyet 2006,)

As it will be understood again, our writer, who sets an example at the point of the author-
translator relationship, provides great assistance in the translation of his own works, but also
reveals the richness of the language used. The importance of intercultural interaction appears
in every translation line. As stated in Safiye Gül Avcı Solmaz's article on exactly this subject,
"In addition to these views, Vermeer attributes the role of" intercultural communication
"expert to the translators in his theory. According to Vermeer, the translator is the person who
dominates the subject to be conveyed to the target audience. Since he knows both the source

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and the target culture well, sometimes the employer sometimes performs the translation work
for the target audience, sometimes in line with the purpose determined by him. The translator
should also be able to take responsibility for and explain the decisions made in the translation
process as an expert. (qtd, in Avcı Solmaz 3). "

Another subject that needs to be addressed is the words that have not been translated in the
works. In general, it is not easy to find word equivalents in translations made from Turkish.
This was the case in one of Orhan Pamuk's works. Words such as "Gecekondu, Aunt, ayran,
rakı, döner" in the work. (Pamuk, Strangeness in My Mind p. 53). There is a Strangeness in
My Mind, instead of being translated, are left in their original form and small explanations
have been added in many places. Although the translation moves made at the point of cultural
elements are considered as translator touches, the author's influence is also great. The
translator Ekin Okalp, who remained in this situation, shared the translation adventure of the
word shanty as follows; "Yes, the word" shanty house "is used much more frequently in the
Turkish text, but in English we sometimes just left it as" shanty house ", sometimes we wrote"
slum house "in italics and made a statement as" a slum house "(Strangeness in My Mind p.
46). Sometimes we write as “shanty homes” (Strangeness in My Mind p. 53). Sometimes we
cited "shantytown" as "new poor neighboorhoods" (Strangeness in My Mind p. 72). In some
places we said "shanty house" (Strangeness in My Mind p. 98), in some places we translated
it as "illegal homes" (Strangeness in My Mind p. 232) ". On the translation of this word, the
writer and translator got into many discussions, and then this form came to a conclusion. In
general, most of the cultural items are given with explanations and left to the reader. Thanks
to this strong bond between Orhan Pamuk and his translators, the works are translated with
minimal distortion. (Ekin Oklap, T24, May 2016)

3. Translator's role in award-winning works

When a work receives an award, the share of the translator of this work has always been
considered. Some critics even consider a bad work to be readable thanks to translation. They
claim that translation is an editing-adding process and that the works are put on the market
after passing this filter.(Pamuk'a ödül çeviriden mi geldi?, Haber7, 2008). In this way, Orhan
Pamuk and the Nobel Prize he received are shown as an example of the award-winning
works. There is a lot of controversy on this topic, and even many translators, including the
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Translators Union, have expressed their opinions on it. Looking for answers to the question of
whether translations add richness to the works, let's proceed on this issue through Orhan
Pamuk. First of all, if we look at the comments made by the author's own translator; "I think
translation has no such power and influence. Such an opinion sometimes prevails among
readers. We, as translators, often hear such things. But I think a good meticulous translation
cannot be better or worse than his work.’’(Heijden, Haber7, 2008). But of course there are
also opinions that oppose this. The general opinion of the translators is that they do not go
beyond what is explained in their works and try to give what is. It is more prominent that the
lion's share belongs to the author, and the translators bring the works to better points in
cooperation with the author (Haber7, 2008).

Although no translator is a writer in his own right, he should try to add emotion to his
translation at least as much as the author. In this way, he can create a readable work. We can
consider the success in transfer as the main ingredient of the awarded works. At this point, the
literary aspect of the translator can also be mentioned. Since art is a reflection, it is also
important that the works are reflected in the translation. Because literary works, like all other
aesthetic phenomena, are the product of a reflection on their own (qtd, Bıçkıcı, p38). In
addition to preserving the feelings and thoughts in the source text, the style should also be
preserved.

Another way to evaluate translations in this way is the comments of foreign readers. The
main interlocutors at the point of transfer to the target text are the readers. At this point, if the
foreign interpretations of Orhan Pamuk's works are taken into consideration, the success of
the translators in conveying feelings and ideas is revealed. His Nobel Prize-winning work, My
Name is Red, has been widely adopted by the readers. It is a work that keeps the period it was
written alive, conveys Ottoman culture and shows religious motifs, and it has also been a well
translated book (Summer Reading My name is Red, 2007). A work that reaches the reader in
this way is both well written and well translated. But at this point, the role of the translator is
the real feelings he conveys through his relationship with the author. Since the target text
received a positive response from the target audience, the award become inevitable.

3.1. Can the original version of the Orhan Pamuk’s work be rewarded?

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 According to the claim of Oğuz Demiralp, who is on the literary agenda with his article
published in a newspaper, Orhan Pamuk was awarded thanks to his translations and
arrangements. (Pamuk'a ödül çeviriden mi geldi?, Haber7, 2008) But the author's own
translators do not think so and they make a counter-defense. If we examine this issue closely,
we will need to get an idea about Orhan Pamuk's Turkish and style. Hanneke van der Heijden,
the author's own translator, says the following about language structure and writing style; "As
far as I can see, there was occasional debate about Orhan Pamuk's language in Turkey
because it did not comply with grammatical rules. Some people have a belief that "His books
will be published after a lot of corrections are made, that's why he won the Nobel Prize. I
really don't agree with that. I am a translator after all. Let's say the sentence is transposed. It
means then that the author considered such a sentence appropriate for the subject. If there is a
sentence inverted ‘‘I wonder what is the purpose of this? How do we evaluate this in terms of
the author's style? If it is different from grammar rules, we try to evaluate this difference.
How can we give the same air in Dutch?’’ (Pamuk'a ödül çeviriden mi geldi? , Haber7, 2008)
. We think about how we can give the same inversion in the other language, not how we can
fix this inversion. Translators, of course, add something to the works, but they cannot do it
themselves. Or they cannot turn a work into a masterpiece with their intervention. But a
translator who doesn't understand the style can ruin the work. Or a translator who translates
existing mistakes as they are, may make the same mistake. The key is to consult the author.

Can a work that cannot receive a Nobel in the language in which it is written can get it with
translation? There are also many opinions on this critical question in the discussions.
Considering that the authority that will award the award in general terms also examines the
work in the original language; We can see that the translation cannot get in the way of the
original text. Again, in the words of the author's own translators, "I do not think that a work
that will never win the Nobel in its own language will be able to win the Nobel. That seems a
little exaggerated to me. I do not believe that Pamuk has any Turkish that could not win such
an award. I am not discussing in terms of content anyway. I may not always share the content
completely, but I can say that it is a high level content. I am more or less sure that the Nobel
Committee had it researched even if they did not speak Turkish. Otherwise, it will be very
light.’’ (Pamuk'a ödül çeviriden mi geldi?, Haber7, 2008) .Although the influence of the
translators in line with these discourses is an inconceivable fact, they do not affect the entire
work. Translators who are not authorized to edit are actually rebuilding a work instead of
writing it from scratch. In this way, they adds something and makes it better.

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 In general, I believe that one should not look at the language in which it is written when
awarding a work. The emotions it makes, the period it reflects, and the ideas it evokes should
be taken seriously. While every award-winning work is valuable in the language in which it
was written, we should know that translation cannot move away from it. We see that the juries
who decided on the aforementioned award also made their decisions in the light of these
articles. While the author's success is an undeniable fact, the translator's contribution to the
work in a foreign language was deemed worthy of an award. It is the author who receives the
award, neither the work nor the language in which it is used and written cannot bring success
alone. Because the ideas of the author are the main ones and should be conveyed no matter
what.

Conclusion

In this study, it was agreed that the translators might have made the works worthy of an
award. Both translators and authors have stated in their comments on this subject that it is
difficult to achieve success with the translation of a work. Of course, there are also studies
whose translation has adversely affected the work. However, the fact that an unreadable work
can be absolutely rewarded is seen as a situation independent of translation. Since the
translators cannot intervene in the works without any notice, there is no change during
translation. Although the translation process is a rewriting job, a person who deals with the
translation job should not be separated from the author-translator relationship. Any translation
made without breaking away from the target text and cultural elements is just a reflection of
the already successful work.

In addition, as a result of the translation and the original text analysis made during this study,
it was seen that the translators tried to convey emotions and words with the notes at the
bottom of the page. The reader was informed with the preface and the notes under the page,
especially within the framework of cultural words. At this point, it is seen that idioms and
similar patterns should be known by the translator. To make a full comparison, it is the
translator's work that the language and words used can touch the reader. Thanks to the cultural
transfer styles used in the translated works, the work has not lost its meaning. In this way, the
meaning of the author's thoughts and feelings has not been lost.

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 As for the writer-translator relationship, it is impossible not to see that the bond between
them is strong. In fact, the author is also a part of the translation process. The author-translator
relationship, which we also see through Orhan Pamuk, does not go beyond conveying the
work correctly and its purpose is to hear the feelings of the author from the author himself. In
this way, works that can receive awards are created. As a result, the original works of award-
winning authors such as Orhan Pamuk are already worthy of awards, and translators act as a
bridge on this path. These bridges, which are never disconnected during translation, are one of
the criteria for the best works. It has been their primary duty to make the author's voice heard
to readers all over the world.

REFERENCES

Bıçkıcı, Tuğba. Edebiyat çevirisinde çeviri kuramları üzerinde çevirmenin rolü. MS thesis.
Sakarya Üniversitesi, 2016.

Boztaş, İsmail. "Çeviri, çevirmen, dilbilim ilişkisi, çeviride eşdeğerlik ve kayıplar." Hacettepe
Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 10.2 (1993). (qtd)

Canseven, Cansu, Orhan Pamuk çevirmen arıyordu, kendimi önerdim, T24, 2016,
https://t24.com.tr/k24/yazi/ekin-oklap,705
Çevirmenleri Orhan Pamuk’u Anlattı, Milliyet, 02.12.2006,
https://www.milliyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/cevirmenleri-orhan-pamuku-anlatti-965412
HATIM, B., Discourse and the Translator, Longman, s. 224-225. 1990

https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orhan_Pamuk%27un_diğer_dillerde_yayımlanmış_eserleri#:~:te
xt=The%20White%20Castle%2C%20(Beyaz%20Kale,Straus%2C%20and%20Giroux%2C%
201997

Orhan Pamuk My Name is Red,Summer Reading, 2007,

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2517.My_Name_Is_Red

Orhan Pamuk, Wikipedia, 2009, https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orhan_Pamuk

PAMUK, Orhan, Kafamda Bir Tuhaflık, Yapı Kredi Yayınları Yayınları, İstanbul, 2014.
Pamuk’a Ödül Çeviriden Mi Geldi? , Haber7, 2008,
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SALMAN, Yurdanur, "Çevirmenin Görevi", Metis Çeviri, 1987 sayılı, (E. Nida'dan Çeviri),
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Sessiz Ev’e kötü çeviri eleştirisi, Hürriyet, 2012, https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/sessiz-
ev-e-kotu-ceviri-elestirisi-21658827,

SOLMAZ, Safiye Gül AVCI. "“Görünmez” i “görünür” yapmak: bir uzman olarak diliçi
çevirmen." RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi Ö7: 702-722. 2020

Türk Yazar Orhan Pamuk, Timetürk, https://www.timeturk.com/orhan-pamuk/biyografi-

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