Kokinşiu: One of the First Book Translations from Japanese Literature to Turkish -A Translation Archeology Approach


This study deals with one of the first book translations from Japanese literature into Turkish, and especially with the first poem offered in the book. The book is titled "Kokinşiu Japon, Çin ve Hint Edebiyatı Örnekleriyle Bir Çeviri Denemesi" [Kokinşiu, An Attempt to Translate Japanese, Chinese, Indian Literature Examples] by Sönmez Kantman, printed in 1966. Translation archeology method is applied in the study to bring to light the unclear aspects of the translation, and to search for the answers to the following questions: who translated what, how, where, when, for whom, and with what effect?" The following conclusions were reached: Kokinşiu is not only a translation but also a compilation of Japanese literature works from multiple sources by Sönmez Kantman. Two of the source texts is discovered by now: a) Aston’s 1899 book A History of Japanese Literature and b) Japanese Poetry: The Uta by Arthur Walley dating to 1919. The title Kokinşiu is most probably derived from Aston’s book. On the back cover there was scarce and somewhat misleading information about the author, as a result of detailed searches online and in archives and after contacting people related to the author, a detailed life story was formed. The research revealed that the author knew English as well as French, which made it possible to reach some of the source texts used for the translations. The source text of the first poem of the Kokinşiu titled “Uyartı” was determined: It is translated from Arthur Walleys book Japanese Poetry:The Uta. It was also discovered the Japanese original the poem: Ki no Tsurayuki’s work takes place in Shūishū Anthology, poem number 1322. The poem is translated in “extremely pure” Turkish, which can be thought of as the reflection of the rising national spirit, as well as the secondary influence of the circle of some Turkish elites supporting this. What really makes Kantman's translation different is the unique style of language usage in translating a waka poem. Comparison of Turkish, English and Japanese translations reveals that although the translation has strong connections with the English text, it merely resembles the Japanese original, but it still conveys some part of the original meaning. This article revealed one of the first translations of Japanese literature in Turkish focusing on different aspects of the translation utilizing the translation archeology method. This study contributes to Japanese studies, to translation studies and to the history of translation from Japanese into Turkish world wide.


Keywords


Japanese literature, Japanese translation, translation archeology, translation studies, Sönmez Kantman.

Author : Esin ESEN
Number of pages: 695-712
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/TurkishStudies.41648
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Turkish Studies - Language and Literature
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