Translate to resist An analysis on the role of activist translation/translators in the LGBTI plus movement in Turkey


DURANER DİKMEN J. E.

TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING STUDIES, vol.16, no.2, pp.291-315, 2021 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 16 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.1075/tis.19059.dur
  • Journal Name: TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING STUDIES
  • Journal Indexes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Communication & Mass Media Index, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.291-315
  • Keywords: activism, LGBTI News Turkey, narrative theory, activist-translator, LGBTI plus movement in Turkey
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The emergence of the LGBTI+ movement has faced considerable challenges in the Turkish sociopolitical context due to the dominance and oppression of the long-established traditional and conservative institutions such as religion, family, and state. In Turkey, translation occupies a central position in the way knowledge is produced and organized to subvert heteronormativity and homo/transphobia, and struggle for rights. LGBTI News Turkey is the most conspicuous LGBTI+ organization in relation to this, since the platform focuses exclusively on translation. I discuss the role of the activist translators in the representation of LGBTI+ individuals globally by constructing a "narrative" (Baker 2006a) for the LGBTI+ community in Turkey. I also elaborate the concepts of fidelity and invisibility within activist translation, and the methods activist-translators employ to create and disseminate a counter narrative against the dominant public narrative, and question how they position themselves in the LGBTI+ movement.