NON-HUMAN ACTORS IN THE PROFESSIONAL AREA FOR TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS IN TURKEY: A LENS INTO THE SECTOR THROUGH ACTOR-NETWORK THEORY

Year 2024, Issue: 14, 74 - 91, 29.12.2024

Burçin Kef

https://doi.org/10.48131/jscs.1486868

Abstract

This paper examines the current status of the translation profession in Turkey through the lens of the primary actors involved in the professional area. It evaluates the institutions, organizations, and companies operating in the field from the perspective of non-human actors as conceptualized by sociologist Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory. In Turkey, various institutions, organizations, and businesses undertake professional activities and prepare translator candidates for the profession, while certain regulatory legislations and related laws contribute to the development of the profession. Each of these entities functions as non-human actors influencing the interactions and relationships of human actors within the translation field. This paper conducts a general examination of the sector, discussing the contributions of existing actors to professional activities and identifying the missing actors. It further explores how the integration of these missing actors, such as regulatory bodies like professional chambers and certification authorities, and legal frameworks like professional laws, could address fundamental issues such as specialization and oversight. The paper argues that the presence of these non-human actors could allow market actors to form new alliances and networks as outlined in actor-network theory, facilitate the employment of specialist translators, and potentially lead to some existing actors withdrawing from the networks. Additionally, these non-human actors could play a mediating role in the employment of specialist translators by companies, ultimately contributing significantly to the profession's development.

Keywords

translation, non-human actors, actor-network theory, profession, network

TÜRKİYE'DE ÇEVİRMENLİK MESLEĞİNDE İNSAN DIŞI AKTÖRLER: AKTÖR-AĞ KURAMI ÜZERİNDEN SEKTÖRE BİR BAKIŞ

Abstract

Bu makale, Türkiye’de çevirmenlik mesleğinin içinde bulunduğu konumu mesleğin icrasında yer alan temel aktörler üzerinden incelemektedir. Bu inceleme ile alanda faaliyetler yürüten kurum/kuruluş ve işletmeleri sosyolog bilim insanı Bruno Latour’un aktör-ağ kuramında yer alan insan dışı aktörler açısından değerlendirmektedir. Türkiye’de mesleki faaliyetleri gerçekleştiren ve çevirmen adaylarını mesleğe hazırlayan çeşitli kurum, kuruluş ve işletmeler ve mesleğin gelişimine katkı sunan bazı mevzuat düzenlemeleri ve ilgili yasal kanunlar söz konusudur. Bunların her biri insan dışı aktör olarak çeviri alanında insan olan aktörlerin etkileşimlerine, birbirleri ile olan ilişkilerine etki etmektedir. Sektöre dair genel bir inceleme yaparak var olan aktörlerin mesleki faaliyetlere olan katkısı ve sonrasında alandaki eksik aktörlerin neler olduğu ve bu aktörlerin alana kazandırılması ile kurulan mesleki ağların nasıl etkilenebileceği, alana ne katkılar sunabileceği tartışılmıştır. Eksik olan insan dışı aktörler olarak meslek odası ve sertifikasyon kurumu gibi düzenleyici örgütler ve meslek yasası gibi yasal mevzuat düzenlemelerinin alandaki uzmanlık ve denetim gibi temel sorunlara çözüm bulmak adına önemli bir boşluğu doldurabileceği gibi piyasadaki aktörlerin aktör-ağ kuramında belirtildiği şekilde yeni ittifaklar ve ağlar kurmalarına imkan tanıyabileceği, uzman çevirmenlerin istihdamı ile çevirmen olarak bazı aktörlerin var olan ağlardan uzaklaşabileceği gibi yeni aktörlerin devreye girebileceği, işletmelerin uzman çevirmen istihdam edebilmesi noktasında bu insan dışı aktörlerin arabulucu bir rol oynayacağı ve nihayetinde mesleğin gelişimi için ciddi katkı sunacağı düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

çeviri, insan dışı aktörler, aktör-ağ kuramı, meslek, ağ

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