<\/p>\n
Tal\u00e2t S. HALMAN<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Translated by \u00dclk\u00fcn Tansel<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The question of the Turkish literature appearing in foreign languages is one that has occupied the minds and mouths for decades. In spite of the increasing efforts in recent years, our written and verbal literature has not had the opportunity to enjoy the attention it deserves abroad through its past works and new creations. This is, perhaps due to inferior, incompetent and tasteless quality of some translations. Unfortunately, even the well translated works do not generally draw attention of the foreign reviewers and readers. Particularly those translated into English lag behind in sales compared to those in France, Germany, Russia and the Scandinavian countries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This problem has some deep rooted causes in the Anglo-American world: One reason is the misconception that Turks have not developed a civilization and hence have not created a unique culture and literature. Second, is a dilemma which our modern literature has not been able to cope with: Some of our creative work is so parochial and national that when they are translated they appear exotic as to sound peculiar and inferior. Majority of those Western oriented ones suitable for translation are doomed to be called imitation and disdained as poor copies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following basic discrepancies between Turkish and English are also significant: Variations in the cultural climate and the system of values; differences in the morphology of the language, the sentence structure and the rhythms; the smooth sounding of Turkish in contrast to staccato sounding of English\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The most stubborn -in other words, the most troublesome-\u00a0 pieces for the art of translation are the types that are rated as \u201cuntranslatable.\u201d The three types that resist translation most -due to the nature of the material and their unique properties are, in my opinion:<\/p>\n Our folk poetry is so imbued with characteristics of colloquial Turkish and\u00a0 has acquired images and sounds so unique to its own locality that we are often unable to find their equivalents in other languages. Even if we do find their equivalents, they sound artificial, far-fetched and tasteless. Equivalents to many of our folk speech, expressions, unique idioms are either few in number in the English language or they are insufficient. How can the following lines be translated into another language without compromising its exquisite rhythm, rhyme and its condensed wisdom?<\/p>\n Mal sahibi, m\u00fclk sahibi<\/em><\/p>\n Hani bunun ilk sahibi<\/em><\/p>\n Mal da yalan, m\u00fclk de yalan<\/em><\/p>\n Var biraz da sen oyalan<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n How can you transcribe into English the expressions, the color and the lithe sounds of Karacao\u011flan?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a handful of successful translations from Yunus Emre; but, from the folk poetry of the last four hundred years I have not yet seen a single successful translation. As for those which I myself have translated, I know bitterly how awkward they are. Therefore, I have been saying for years that it may be possible to translate our folk poetry into other languages; but, it is futile to try translating them into English. If one day a genius comes along and succeeds in doing the impossible, that is another matter. If a miracle comes about we would, no doubt applaud it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the folk tales and thir introductory poems, the same observation can be considered valid. \u00a0Admitted, with some of our folk tales (particularly, those translated and adapted by Barbara Walker, Warren S. Walker and Ahmet Uysal) some very good results have been achieved in English; nevertheless, folk tales are a type that resist translation;\u00a0 not to mention the introductory poems to the tales which cannot be successfully translated from one language into the other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a deep-rooted prejudice which says that humor cannot reach beyond national boundaries. The problem of \u201cuntranslatability\u201d in humor and satire molded with play on words is immense especially between languages from different cultural environments. Consequently, while political and lyrical poetry and poems of love and philosophy are beautifully transcribed into Turkish, how small are the number of successful translations of humor and satire poetry. \u0130s it not so? The fact that Aziz Nesin\u2019s short stories do not receive attention and find a publisher in England and USA is to a great extent due to this discrepancy between our cultures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In one of O\u011fuz Tansel\u2019s discourses on poetry where he emphasizes certain characteristics concerning the principles and ideals of the art of poetry, it is as if he is describing a panorama of the problems for translation:<\/p>\n \u201cA. Poetry should; base its feet on the society\u2019s, the country\u2019s historical realities; and should embrace with its hands and arms, that country\u2019s mountains, plains and the social and economical geography.<\/p>\n In other words: Art in general, and poetry in particular should be based on the history, geography and folklore of the society where the artist lives. I believe that it is under these conditions that art can be lasting and can resist time.\u201d<\/p>\n This condensed aesthetics of O\u011fuz Tansel advocates a national-universal combination by underlining history-geography, folkloric elements, realism and international conception. As he has clearly indicated, \u201cSome critics and some poets may not share what I have laid out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The debate on these concepts of aesthetics and strategies of creativity has been continuing for centuries and is, perhaps never going to end.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Can a work of art be lasting solely on the basis of these principles? That is another question. Works not directly related with the society, history, economical geography, folk tales and songs, human problems, social realism can be immortal. The most outstanding example is Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets. Is it not? On the other hand, are there not countless number of poems and works which have gone out like a flimsy flame of straw, in each land and language, in spite of the fact that they were dedicated to the principles emphasized by Tansel?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am concerned about something else: By means of the aesthetic formulated by Tansel, a work of art can either be long lasting or short lived. Leaving this aside, the three points A, B, C which I have quoted from Tansel seem to lay out the map of \u201cuntranslatability\u201d before us. The more poetry or (literature in general) is molded with local and national elements and images, the more it limits or hinders itself in terms of translation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first two points A and B \u00a0embrace the work with \u201clocal colors\u201d to such an extent that, in many instances point C can no longer project it towards universality. In a sense, it is this local quality in Ya\u015far Kemal\u2019s magnificent works which prevents them from being wholly evaluated in the Anglo-American sphere. The fact that O\u011fuz Tansel\u2019s works have not been sufficiently translated into other languages is also intertwined with the same problem. Because, Tansel poetry, folk tales, children\u2019s literature and humor is so intimately wrought with the particularities of the Turkish language, of our popular culture and of our world of myths that translators are left helpless. To find the same characteristics, the same tastes in other languages is not so easy or perhaps impossible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Take for instance the beautiful yield of poems in his complete poems published under the title of Sar\u0131k\u0131z Yolu. <\/strong>For the translator, they are a \u201cHarvest Waiting to be Winnowed.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>But too many translators would consider it a futile winnowing action to attempt translating them and realize that they would be spoiled as they were hurled into another language. Would it ever be possible to translate poems like \u201c\u00c7ar\u015f\u0131\u201d , \u201c Mavu Bo\u011faz\u201d, \u201cYol\u201d , \u201cKeler G\u00f6z\u201d without ill-treating them?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A brilliant translator would be able to translate majority of the tales of Tansel, \u201cthe maestro of tales\u201d into another language brilliantly and fluently, I believe. But, as for his\u00a0 book of tales Al\u2019l\u0131 ile F\u0131rf\u0131r\u0131<\/strong> which is a masterpiece and which received the Children\u2019s Literature Award given by the Society of the Turkish Language, I am afraid it would lose of its beauty and power, whoever were to translate it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bekta\u015fi Dedikleri <\/strong>which he prepared together with Metin Elo\u011flu is an outstanding work of satire in poetry form. These Bektashi gems which I have read time and again over the years, go hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with the Nasreddin Hoca F\u0131kralar\u0131<\/strong> by Orhan Veli Kan\u0131k and Kemal \u00d6zer and La Fontaine\u2019den F\u0131kralar <\/strong>by Sabahattin Ey\u00fcbo\u011flu in the Turkish language. During these days when bigotry is running high, I wish that it be published again and let the Bektashi satire project its light upon the deepening darkness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, can one transfer the Bektashi culture -these witty remarks molded with the characteristics of Turkish and the smiling face of a nation- to a different climate? Would they not wilt and would that face not droop? Perhaps an extraordinary translator or a an adapter or a transcriber can succeed. Yet it is obvious that the task is unusually difficult. Take for instance, the humorous anecdote titled \u201cDebt.\u201d Who would dare to translate it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hat\u0131r\u0131 say\u0131l\u0131rlardan biri, namaz-niyaz sohbetinde<\/p>\n Bekta\u015fiye sorar, i\u011fneli az\u0131c\u0131k:<\/p>\n \u201cBorcun var m\u0131 Erenler*\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVar ya, k\u00f6\u015fedeki bakkala on lirac\u0131k\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYok can\u0131m \u00f6ylesi de\u011fil, namaz borcun diyecektim de\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Bizimkinin i\u011fnesi \u00e7uvald\u0131zdan beter:<\/p>\n \u201cHa bak onu Tanr\u0131 sorabilir ancak;<\/p>\n Senin soraca\u011f\u0131n bakkal-\u00e7akkal borcudur,\u201d der.<\/p>\n (Tansel, Elo\u011flu 2008)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n DEBT<\/em><\/p>\n An influential man in his chat on prayers and such,<\/em><\/p>\n Asks Bektashi needling him a little:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDo you have debts Father?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYes I do, 10 or so lira to the corner grocer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNot that, I meant to say your prayer debt.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Our man\u2019s reply is worse that the sacking needle:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHey Look, that\u2019s for God to ask;<\/em><\/p>\n what you can ask is corner grocery debts and the like.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Jacobson, Joseph Dervish Bektashi Gems <\/strong>(unpublished).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Can \u201cAyd\u0131n O\u011flu Ayd\u0131n,\u201d one of the most forceful \u00a0poems of satire of our language be conceived in another language?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Koyun bak\u0131\u015fl\u0131 \u00e7atal dilli<\/p>\n S\u00f6zde ayd\u0131n o\u011flu ayd\u0131n<\/p>\n Kep\u00e7e kep\u00e7e kar\u0131\u015ft\u0131r\u0131r ortal\u0131\u011f\u0131<\/p>\n Sade suya tirit d\u00fc\u015f\u00fcnceleri<\/p>\n Kazan\u0131 yalan dolan kaynar<\/p>\n G\u00fcnd\u00fcz\u00fc gece eder ku\u015f beyni<\/p>\n \u0130sterse \u00f6k\u00fcz alt\u0131na buza\u011f\u0131 kor<\/p>\n Fil do\u011furtur kar\u0131ncaya<\/p>\n Ayd\u0131n o\u011flu ayd\u0131n<\/p>\n Karga o\u011flu karga\u00a0\u00a0 (Tansel, 1962, 1986 and 2013)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perhaps a creative translator who excels both in Turkish and in the English language might adapt \u201cAyd\u0131n O\u011flu Ayd\u0131n\u201d as if writing it anew\u2026 A master in adaptation like Prof. J. Jacobson might perhaps come up to treat skillfully some of the Bektashi anecdotes; but, to express Tansel\u2019s lyrical poetry seething with Anatolia and Turkish,\u00a0 in English is full of insurmountable obstacles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is, I believe, because of these difficulties that Tansel has not so far been translated into English and other languages.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As far as I know, it was \u0130lyas Halil who had, many years ago, done the first translation:\u00a0 The English translation of this poem titled \u201cMayku\u201d was published only in Turkey.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Six poems -\u201cMutluluk Pe\u015finde\u201d, \u201cSalk\u0131ms\u00f6\u011f\u00fct\u201d , \u201cMayku\u201d , \u201cSel\u00e2m\u201d , \u201cMavu Bo\u011faz\u201d ,\u00a0 and \u201c\u00c7a\u011fr\u0131\u201d \u2013 translated into English by Tansel\u2019s daughter Prof. Dr. Ays\u0131t Tansel have been included in a separate section at the end of his volume of collected works titled \u00a0Sar\u0131k\u0131z Yolu. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Two translations \u201cTutsa\u011f\u0131n T\u00fcrk\u00fcs\u00fc\u201d\u00a0 and Salk\u0131ms\u00f6\u011f\u00fct- which Ays\u0131t Tansel did with assistance from J. D. McClatchy, Nil\u00fcfer Mizano\u011flu Reddy and J. Ian Richards, were set to music by Chairman of the Music Department of the University of Wilkes Barre in Pennsylvania Dr. Bruce Reiprich and performed by soprano Eileen Hanisch in accompaniment of the String Quartet DaPonte in 1994 and the translations appeared in the concert program. In 1990, again Dr. Reiprich\u2019s compositions -where he used Tansel\u2019s poems translated into English- were performed not only in Pennsylvania but also in North Dakota.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tansel\u2019s poem \u201cD\u00fc\u011f\u00fcm\u201d translated by me under the title \u201cKnot\u201d appeared on page 412 of the anthology of Turkish poems \u201cContemporary Turkish Literature\u201d which I published in 1982 in the United States.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The fact that so little of Tansel\u2019s work plus hundreds of our other poems, folk tales and humor has been translated or is in the process of being translated into widely used languages troubles me and remains as bitterness inside me.\u00a0 Tansel\u2019s merit has not been recognized and is not being recognized in Turkey either. I hope that the book you are holding removes this injustice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Turkish literature is still a disregarded son in-law on the world stage\u2026 Much of the reasons behind this is related to the grudge fostered against our history and culture; to the differences in civilization and awareness and to the discrepancies between languages\u2026Some generate from Tansel\u2019s conception of the aesthetics of poetry; namely, the obstinate untranslatability of unique values, characteristics and originality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Based on a trust for the value and power of our literature, we can look forward with optimism to the future of the art of translation.\u00a0 The Turkish creativity shall sooner or later be liberated from remaining in darkness in so many corners of the world. We can have faith on poetry and translation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the dramatic life of the French poet Robert Desnos we can perhaps find a similitude.<\/p>\n A Frenchman disclosed Desnos to the Nazis, saying that \u201che is a dangerous man. He is a terrorist and a communist!\u201d The Nazis took the renowned poet first to Buchenwald and then to Auschwitz. When Germany surrendered, a young Czechoslovakian student of medicine named Josef Stuna was deployed to the concentration camp to treat the sick prisoners. Going over the list of prisoners he noted the name Desnos and said to himself: \u201cCould this, by any chance, be the poet, translations of whose poems\u00a0 I had read in the Czech language before the war?\u201d Among hundreds of prisoners he searched for and spotted Desnos. He asked him: \u201cDo you happen to know poet Robert Desnos?\u201d What a far-fetched coincidence. The poet was amazed and joyfully he said, \u201cI am poet Robert Desnos!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Turkish literature will sooner or later be recognized, studied and be liberated from the continuing external darkness.<\/p>\n Translator\u2019s Note:\u00a0 Some of the poems in this essay are not translated since they are deemed as untranslatable by the author.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bibliography:<\/p>\n Halman Talat S. (1996) \u201cTansel\u2019de \u00d6z ve \u00d6zg\u00fcnl\u00fck,\u201d \u00dc\u00e7 Kanatl\u0131 Masal Ku\u015fu O\u011fuz Tansel, <\/strong>(Edited by<\/p>\n Metin Turan), First edition, Ankara: \u00dcr\u00fcn Yay\u0131nlar\u0131.<\/p>\n Jacobson, Joseph \u201cDebt,\u201d Dervish Bektashi Gems, <\/strong>(unpublished)<\/p>\n Tansel, O\u011fuz, Elo\u011flu, Metin (2008) \u201cBor\u00e7\u201d Bekta\u015fi Dedikleri, <\/strong>\u0130stanbul: Evrensel Bas\u0131n Yay\u0131n.<\/p>\n Tansel, O\u011fuz (1962) \u201cAyd\u0131n O\u011flu Ayd\u0131n,\u201d G\u00f6z\u00fcn\u00fc Sevdi\u011fim, <\/strong>Ankara: Dost Yay\u0131nlar\u0131.<\/p>\n Tansel, O\u011fuz (1986) \u201cAyd\u0131n O\u011flu Ayd\u0131n,\u201d Sar\u0131k\u0131z Yolu, <\/strong>Ankara: Yaz Yay\u0131nlar\u0131<\/p>\n Tansel, O\u011fuz (2013) \u201cAyd\u0131n O\u011flu Ayd\u0131n,\u201d Mutluluk Pe\u015finde, <\/strong>\u0130stanbul: Evrensel Bas\u0131m Yay\u0131n<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tal\u00e2t S. HALMAN \u00a0Translated by \u00dclk\u00fcn Tansel \u00a0 The question of the Turkish literature appearing in foreign languages is one that has occupied the minds and mouths for decades. In spite of the increasing efforts in recent years, our written and verbal literature has not had the opportunity to enjoy the attention it deserves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[64],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13322"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13445,"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13322\/revisions\/13445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oguztansel.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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