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Article published In: Babel
Vol. 67:3 (2021) ► pp.255–272

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Gender identification in the portrayal of female roles in the remakes of American TV series in Turkey

 | Hacettepe University
 | Hacettepe University
Published online: 25 May 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00224.san
Abstract
The transfer of stories across borders in translation, adaptation, or remake is a common phenomenon in the globalized world. In Turkey, translating foreign audiovisual products to enrich the cultural repertoire has been a prominent practice. Focusing on the portrayal of female characters in contemporary remakes of several American TV series aired on primetime national channels in Turkey, this study aims to pinpoint audiovisual norms that guide the “transfer” of these characters for Turkish audience. The analysis seeks to exemplify how remakes deconstruct, reformulate, and thus (re)construct the representations of women’s identities in Turkey. The study initially concentrates on remakes as a genre, moves on to outline the practice in Turkey, and analyzes the reformulation of gender roles in line with Turkish societal norms within the scope of audiovisual translation from the gender perspective. The study singles out a series of norms that seem to guide and color the transfer of female characters in the remakes for the Turkish audience, elaborates on why it is necessary, and suggests the implications of such practices.
Résumé
Le transfert d’histoires à travers les frontières, sous la forme de traductions, d’adaptations ou de remakes, est courant dans le contexte de la mondialisation. Dans le cas de pays comme la Turquie, la tradition consistant à traduire des produits audiovisuels étrangers pour enrichir le répertoire culturel a toujours été une pratique importante. Cette étude porte sur la représentation de personnages féminins dans les remakes contemporains de plusieurs séries télévisées américaines diffusées en prime time sur les chaînes turques. Elle vise à déterminer les normes audiovisuelles qui semblent guider le « transfert » de ces personnages féminins vers le public turc. L’analyse cherche à illustrer le pouvoir des remakes dans la déconstruction, la reformulation et la (re)construction des représentations des identités féminines en Turquie. L’étude se concentre initialement sur les remakes en tant que genre télévisé, décrit cette pratique en Turquie et analyse la reformulation des rôles de genre conformément aux normes de la société turque sur base d’un corpus de séries étudié dans le cadre de la traduction audiovisuelle dans une perspective de genre. L’étude fournit une série de normes qui semblent guider et teinter le transfert des personnages féminins dans les remakes pour le public turc, démontre leur nécessité et suggère les implications de telles pratiques.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Appropriated audiovisual products and remakes
  • The appropriation of female characters in Turkish remakes
  • Gender and its interaction with translation studies
  • Intersection between Gender and AVT
    • Women as exemplary mothers and family members
    • Women as pillars that uphold social norms
    • Women as icons of purity in sex and relations
  • Conclusion
  • References
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