Translating Popular Fiction: A Descriptive Study on the Turkish Translation of The Hunger Games*

Abstract

Translating Popular Fiction: A Descriptive Study on the Turkish Translation of The Hunger Games* Selen Tekalp, Aslı Özlem Tarakçıoğlu Abstract The main purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between popular fiction and translation through literary and translation theories. The basic premise of this research is that translation of popular fiction necessiates the awareness of social, cultural, historical and political implications. It is argued that generic features of the texts affect the translators’ decision processes. For the theoretical framework, the literature on popular fiction, literary genres and translation are investigated. The case study is conducted using Suzanne Collins’ first book of the The Hunger Games trilogy and Açlık Oyunları by Sevinç Seyla Tezcan. For the analysis, culture-specific items (CSIs) are specified in the source and target texts respectively. The detected items in both texts are compared to reveal the strategies used by the translator in order to solve the problems related to the generic and cultural aspects of the text. Ultimately, the translator’s tendency either to domesticate or foreignize the text is revealed on the basis of Venuti’s theory. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v4n2a14