Tanzimat ve Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemlerinde Girişilen Modernleşme Çabalarını Çeviri Kurumları Üzerinden Değerlendirmek: Encümen-i Daniş ve Tercüme Bürosu Örnekleri
Barbaros Uzunköprü, Neslihan DemezTanzimat Fermanı ve onun açtığı dönem gerek modernleşme gerekse de kurumsal çeviri faaliyetleri açısından tarihimizde önemli bir eşiği temsil eder. Benzer şekilde erken Cumhuriyet döneminde de yoğun bir modernleşme süreci takip edilmiş hem bireyler hem de Tercüme Bürosu aracılığıyla dinamik bir çeviri faaliyeti sürdürülmüştür. Bu çalışmada Tanzimat Dönemi’nde kurulan Encümen-i Daniş ve erken Cumhuriyet döneminde kurulan Tercüme Bürosu örneklerinde çevirinin modernleşme ve Batılılaşma çabalarıyla ilişkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Daha önce tarihsel süreçte var olan çeviri kurumları tekil olarak farklı bakış açılarıyla ele alınsa da farklı dönemlerden iki kurumun toplumsal değişim süreçlerine yapılan etki açısından karşılaştırmalı olarak birlikte incelenmesi bu çalışmanın literatüre özgün katkısını oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada çeviri toplumsal, tarihî ve kültürel bir olgu olarak ele alındığından kuramsal altyapıyı oluşturması amacıyla Çoğuldizge Kuramı seçilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgulara göre Encümen-i Daniş’in ve Tercüme Bürosu’nun modernleşme ve Batılılaşma çabalarını destekledikleri ve ilgili dönemlerde gerçekleştirilen çeviri faaliyetlerinin bu kavramlarla doğrudan ilişkili olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
Evaluating Modernization Efforts During the Tanzimat Era and Early Republican Period Through Translation Institutions: Examples of Encümen-i Daniş and Translation Bureau
Barbaros Uzunköprü, Neslihan DemezThe Tanzimat Edict and the period it opened represent an important threshold in our history in terms of both modernization and institutional translation activities. Similarly, an intense modernization process was followed in the early Republican period. A dynamic translation activity was conducted by both institutions, Encümen-i Daniş and the Translation Bureau. This study aimed to examine the relationship between translation and the modernization and Westernization efforts of Encümen-i Daniş established in the Tanzimat Era and the Translation Bureau established in the early Republican period. Although the translation institutions that existed in earlier periods were individually examined from different perspectives, this study provides a comparative analysis of their influence on social transformation processes. Because translation is a social, historical, and cultural phenomenon, the polysystem theory was selected as the theoretical basis. The findings indicated that Encümen-i Daniş and the Translation Bureau supported the modernization and Westernization efforts, and translation was directly related to these concepts.
Globalization of scientific studies and cooperation of different disciplines have yielded productive results and brought various fields of study closer to one another. The convergence of translation studies and history offers many potential subjects of study that include different perspectives. This study, which looks at the Tanzimat Era and early Republican period through the perspective of translation studies, is a product of this convergence. The first chapter presents the polysystem theory, which makes it possible to analyze the translation from a perspective that goes beyond the text and language boundaries. Through the chapter, concepts related to the theory are associated with translation studies; the relationship of translations with original works is examined, and the position of translation in the literary system is investigated. In addition to the basic structure of the theory, terms such as “invention,” “import,” and “transfer,” which were added to the theory later, and the concept of “culture repertoire,” which formed the basis of this study, are also examined closely. The second chapter provides a general summary of the Tanzimat Era in which radical changes were experienced in many social areas and intensive translation activities were conducted through individuals and institutions. Throughout this chapter, the main reasons that led to the declaration of the Tanzimat Edict are presented, and the important developments in the Tanzimat Era are mentioned. The issue of education is especially discussed because many developments in the field of education in this period formed the basis of the breakthroughs made in the early Republican period. In the third chapter, the scope and development of translation activities in Ottoman history is summarized. In this chapter, it has been mentioned in which fields and languages the translation was made, how the translation was used as a diplomatic tool, types of translations and the first attempt of founding a translation institution. In the fourth chapter, institutional translation activities in the Tanzimat Era were probed in the focus of Encümen-i Daniş. This chapter, which covers different translation institutions founded in this era, attempts to reveal how Encümen-i Daniş differs from these institutions. The path to the establishment of Encümen-i Daniş and its activities, members, and influence on Ottoman thought constitute the main part of this chapter. In addition, the activities of translators, who were not affiliate with institutions but played an important role in the diversification and development of translation, are also mentioned. In the fifth chapter, the period between Encümen-i Daniş and Translation Bureau is summarized in the context of translation. In this period, some translation organizations were founded, and they tried to produce translations especially in the field of literature although they could not create the desired effect. These institutions, which were established in the interim period, are summarized, and introduced with the translations they produced. Afterwards, the reasons which required Translation Bureau to be founded, the establishment process of the institution, translations made, members and function are discussed. This chapter, which presents a summary of the process of building a culture repertoire in the Republican era, also investigates the dominant ideologies such as Turkish Nationalism, Westernism and Humanism that guide translation activities. Moreover, data and the lists are used to determine the effects of the institution on the literary polysystem. In the sixth chapter, not only the Tanzimat Era and early Republican period but also Encümen-i Daniş and Translation Bureau are compared over their similarities and differences, translation activities, translation areas, translated languages, ideologies, institutional structures, and effects. The main purpose here is to determine whether similar causes lead to similar results and to reveal how much translation activities are related to modernization efforts. The final part provides the conclusion: Although Encümen-i Daniş and the Translation Bureau had some period-related and unique differences, they assumed similar functions in different periods. They were used as tools to support modernization efforts in the relevant periods, and translations were generally related to modernization efforts.
