Retranslator as a Conscious Agent: A Contextual Analysis on the Retranslation(s) of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Authors : Burcu Kanıdinç Kılınçarslan

Pages : 65-83

Doi:10.37599/ceviri.1698776

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Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Contextual analysis of retranslations provides a holistic perspective on translations. The retranslation(s) under study were produced by the translator Nurettin Sevin at different times and in different contexts. While questioning the whys and hows of these retranslation(s), the effects of contextual conditions and multiple factors on this questioning constitute the starting point of the research. Focusing on the contextual conditions of paratextual and textual elements, the analysis argues that the translator, as a conscious agent, shapes the retranslations. Published in 1936, 1944 and 1962, the translations bear traces of the effects of changes in publishers, including initiatives by the private publisher and the Translation Bureau, as well as contextual changes and transformations, and linguistic, cultural and ideological developments during the early republican period and the transition to multi-party rule. The question of the extent to which the translations serve as retranslations is also part of contextual analysis. Sevin\\\'s multiple identities as one of the leading intellectuals of his time were reflected in his retranslations, and in his own words he explained the whys and hows of his retranslations to his readers. The contextual information, explanations and footnotes in the paratextual analysis before, during and after the translated texts explain that many factors played a role in necessitating these retranslations. The findings of the textual analysis reinforce this role by supporting the institutionalisation of the theatre, the simplification and modernisation of the Turkish language, and by strengthening the role by promoting translation awareness through the translation of classic works. The fact that retranslations retain the fingerprints of their translators is understood through the testimony of Nurettin Sevin, a conscious agent of translation history in Türkiye.
Keywords : yeniden çevirmen, bilinçli bir eyleyici olarak çevirmen, yeniden çevirinin bağlamsal çözümlemesi, Bir Yaz Gecesi Rüyası, Nurettin Sevin

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