Several Reflections of Dracula: A Case for (Re)Defining and De-centering (Re)Translation[eh1

Abstract

Postcolonial approaches have brought new insights into translation studies. To date, translation has centered on Western thought and should be decentralized for better understanding. From this perspective, it can also be argued that retranslation requires a new definition. This new definition has been proposed by Şehnaz Tahir-Gürçağlar and Özlem Berk Albachten (2019) in form of “mutability in retranslation,” which regards translation not in terms of dichotomies like East or West or as strictly involving word-for-word or sense-for-sense conversion to the target language; rather, it perceives translation as a cluster term. Through the concept of mutability of (re)translation, this article aims to analyze different Turkish (re)translations of the gothic classic Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker, a well-known Irish author. The novel has been adapted into several films and translated into various languages worldwide. It has also been translated into the Turkish language. However, although there was a Turkish fictional character of a vampire that derived from Stoker’s imagery, a complete Turkish translation of Dracula had not existed until 2003, when Niran Elçi’s version of the classic was released. Until then, only concealed translations, pseudo-translations, adaptations, illustrations, and other forms of translation had existed in Turkish. This analysis questions these translational acts and attempts to re-define (re) translations of this work. My current findings indicate that although several (re)translations of Stoker’s Dracula to Turkish had existed in the past, a proper translation of the text was presented by Niran Elçi in 2003.