Speaker
Description
This paper examines the Turkish translation of Chanel Miller’s autobiographical rape narrative Know My Name, published as Benim Bir Adım Var, through the lens of feminist translation studies. Within the framework of the conference theme “Crisis and Translation”, the study argues that translating trauma narratives constitutes a site of ethical, political, and affective crisis, where the translator must navigate issues of representation, agency, and power. Building on feminist translation theories the analysis explores how the translator’s choices shape the visibility of the survivor’s voice and the text’s resistance to patriarchal discourse.
A comparative textual analysis focusing on three dimensions: (1) the rendering of Miller’s self-assertive narrative voice, particularly in moments where she reclaims linguistic and bodily agency; (2) the translation of culturally embedded concepts related to rape culture, institutional violence, and victim-blaming; and (3) the extent to which feminist translation strategies are employed to preserve the political charge of the target text.
Findings indicate that Benim Bir Adım Var largely maintains the ethical stance and emotional intensity of Miller’s testimony, successfully conveying her insistence on naming, witnessing, and resisting silencing. However, certain lexical and stylistic choices introduce subtle shifts that soften confrontational passages, potentially reducing the text’s critical edge in the target culture. These shifts are interpreted as points of “translational crisis”, revealing tensions between cultural legibility and feminist resistance.
By situating the translation of Know My Name within broader debates on trauma, gender-based violence, and translational ethics, the paper argues that feminist translation offers not only an analytical framework but also a reparative methodology.
| Keywords | feminist translation, trauma narratives, translational ethics, gender-based violence, crisis in translation |
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| melda.enginsu@uskudar.edu.tr |