Translating narratives and counter-narratives in Ahmet Ümit’s
When Pera Trees Whisper
This study analyzes the translation of political narratives in Beyoğlu’nun En Güzel Abisi, a 2013
detective novel by the best-selling Turkish author Ahmet Ümit. Translated into English by Elke Dixon as When Pera Trees
Whisper (2014), the novel addresses the events of 6–7 September 1955 that
led to the exodus of non-Muslim communities from Istanbul as well as the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The source text reproduces
the competing public narratives on issues including ethnic diversity in Turkey, the public mobilization at Gezi, and police
intervention during the protests. These narratives play a crucial role, particularly in light of the framing of the protagonist,
Chief Inspector Nevzat, as a “good cop” in previous installments of the detective series. In the target text, Elke Dixon
translates narratives and counter-narratives for an international readership, conveying the variety of narrative perspectives and
framing choices through explicitations, shifts, and other strategies.
Article outline
- Introduction
- History, politics, and translation
- Moral ambivalence
- Narratives on multiculturalism and citizenship
- Rum – Greek/Turkish Greek
- Vatandaş – citizen / compatriot
- Narratives on the protests and police conduct
- Participant tracking
- Örgüt – organization
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
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Cited by (1)
Cited by 1 other publications
ERKAZANCI DURMUŞ, Hilal
2022.
Elveda Güzel Vatanım’ın İngilizce çevirisi ışığında tarihî roman çevirisinde kültürel unsurlar.
RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi :31
► pp. 1709 ff.
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