Author(s): Ceylan YILDIRIM
Translations are bridges between cultures, and have a prominent role in transcultural interactions. Inspired by history, Amin Maalouf's works reached different cultures via translation and carried by the voice of their author within. Turkish translations of Leo Africanus and Samarkand became bestsellers, and created a high reputation of Maalouf in Turkish literature. In this study, Turkish translations of these novels are examined through translation tools which Newmark suggested for translation of cultural elements, and through domestication and foreignisation strategies of Venuti. “Adaptation”, “addition”, “deletion”, “functional equivalent” methods give attention to norms of target language and culture, and so evaluated through Venuti's “domestication” strategy. “Literal translation”, “explanation”, “transference” methods provide the basis for preservation of concepts peculiar to the source culture and observed through Venuti's “foreignization” strategy. Domestication strategy is dominant in translations of Maalouf, which created an impression of originality of these translated works as if they were uniquely Turkish, and increased the popularity of Maalouf, mentioned together with renowned Turkish authors in Turkish literary polysystem.
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