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Article published In: Translation and LGBT+/queer activism
Edited by Michela Baldo, Jonathan Evans and Ting Guo
[Translation and Interpreting Studies 16:2] 2021
► pp. 291–315

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An analysis on the role of activist translation/ translators in the LGBTI+ movement in Turkey

ORCiD logo with link | Dokuz Eylül University
Published online: 23 April 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.19059.dur
Abstract
The emergence of the LGBTI+ movement has faced considerable challenges in the Turkish sociopolitical context due to the dominance and oppression of the long-established traditional and conservative institutions such as religion, family, and state. In Turkey, translation occupies a central position in the way knowledge is produced and organized to subvert heteronormativity and homo/transphobia, and struggle for rights. LGBTI News Turkey is the most conspicuous LGBTI+ organization in relation to this, since the platform focuses exclusively on translation. I discuss the role of the activist translators in the representation of LGBTI+ individuals globally by constructing a “narrative” (Baker, Mona. 2006a. Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account. London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) for the LGBTI+ community in Turkey. I also elaborate the concepts of fidelity and invisibility within activist translation, and the methods activist-translators employ to create and disseminate a counter narrative against the dominant public narrative, and question how they position themselves in the LGBTI+ movement.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • A brief history of the LGBTI+ movement in Turkey
  • A narrative approach to activist translation
  • Virtual activism: LGBTI News Turkey
  • Constructing an alternative narrative for the marginalized and silenced
  • Translators manifesting their ideological stances
  • Fidelity in the context of activist translation
  • Invisible as translators, visible as LGBTI+ activists
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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