An Examination of Can Yücel’s Translation of Sonnet 66 within the Framework of Habitus

Authors : Ayşegül Uysal

Pages : 1155-1174

Doi:10.22559/folklor.4941

View : 322 | Download : 644

Publication Date : 2025-11-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims to explain the poet-translator Can Yücel’s translation strategies, focusing on his translation of the 66th Sonnet by the English poet William Shakespeare. The study employs a descriptive analysis method and scrutinizes the poet-translator Yücel’s writings, as well as his social environment, his father’s activities, and the period in which they lived. To conduct the descriptive analysis, I employed the concept of habitus as developed by Pierre Bourdieu, one of the most influential sociologists of the post-World War II Era. Hasan Âli Yücel, then the Minister of Education, initiated a ‘Translation Movement’, which can be marked as a turning point for language studies in the Republican Era. This movement aimed to establish a cultural repertoire by translating works from both Eastern and Western literatures into Turkish, contributing to the establishment of a national identity. Educated in England and having studied German philology in Turkey, the son of Minister Yücel, Can Yücel, also translated English classics into the Turkish language. He called himself a “Turkish teller” rather than a translator. His translation strategies were considered unique. By comparing his translation of Sonnet 66th with two other Turkish translations, this study identifies his characteristic translation strategies. The findings indicate that Can Yücel’s habitus shaped his translation strategies, reflecting the norms of his social environment and his aim to reach his people through his style.
Keywords : Can Yücel, şiir çevirisi, Pierre Bourdieu, 66. Sone, çeviri hareketi

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