Beyond the Book: The Periodical as an ‘Excavation Site’ for Translation Studies

Abstract

The present study starts with a theoretical and methodological discussion in an effort to approach the periodical as a composite genre formed through a range of interacting discourses and networks including translations and translators. It traces the position and role of translation and translators within the broader makeup of the periodical and its metanarrative. In light of the framework outlined in the first part, the second part elaborates on a popular, long-lasting Turkish film magazine, Yıldız [Star] (1938-1954) as a translational product and institution. The analysis of a film magazine as a case study adds further layers to the study and allows for multidisciplinary cross-fertilization and dialogue across translation, periodical, and film studies. Siting Yıldız vis-à-vis the socio-cultural and political context of the era and a large network of relations, this part reveals the substantial contribution of the translational habitus of the magazine to the construction and maintenance of its “common habitus” (Bourdieu 273; Philpotts). It also becomes evident that translation does not only contribute to the formation of the heteroglossic structure of Yıldız but also plays a significant part in shaping its metanarrative, which is highly relevant to the Turkish experience of American modernity presented by classical Hollywood films and stardom.
 
 Keywords: translation history, periodical studies, film magazine, translational habitus, common habitus