Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series

Seda Kuşçu Özbudak

doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1834648

EN TR

Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series

Abstract

This study examines the title translations of Turkish TV series into Arabic and Spanish, focusing on how these translations reshape the series as narratives. To this end, as a qualitative dataset, the translated titles of eleven Turkish series were comparatively analyzed within the framework of Narrative Theory in order to explore the narrative functions of translation. The findings indicate that Spanish translations tend to preserve the original titles or the core themes of the series, whereas Arabic translations frequently reframe the narratives to emphasize romance, emotionality, or cultural familiarity for the target audience. Overall, the study concludes that translating series titles is not limited to linguistic transfer alone; rather, it is shaped by audience expectations, marketing considerations, and socio-cultural adaptation. Accordingly, translated titles are evaluated as commercial and cultural tools for enhancing audience engagement. Future research conducted with different series, languages, and audience-oriented studies may broaden insights into title translation and the reframing of narratives in audiovisual products.

Keywords

audiovisual translation, narrative theory, title translation, Turkish series, narrative framing

Kültürler arası anlatı: Türk dizi isimlerinin çevirileri

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Türk dizilerinin Arapça ve İspanyolca’ya yapılan dizi adı çevirilerini, bu çevirilerin anlatıyı nasıl yeniden şekillendirdiği odağında incelemektedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, çeviride anlatı işlevlerini ortaya koyabilmek için nitel bir veri seti oluşturulmuş ve on bir Türk dizisinin isim çevirileri Anlatı Teorisi çerçevesinde karşılaştırmalı olarak analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda, İspanyolca çevirilerin büyük ölçüde orijinal isimleri ya da dizinin temel temalarını koruma eğiliminde olduğu görülmüştür. Buna karşılık Arapça çevirilerin, dizinin anlatısını daha sık biçimde romantizm, duygusallık veya hedef kültürde aşinalık duygusunu güçlendirecek şekilde yeniden çerçevelediği tespit edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, dizi isimlerinin çevirisinin yalnızca dilsel bir aktarım olmadığını; izleyici beklentileri, pazarlama stratejileri ve sosyo-kültürel uyum gibi etkenlerle birlikte şekillendiğini göstermektedir. Bu nedenle çeviri yoluyla üretilen dizi adları, izleyici etkileşimini artırmaya yönelik ticari ve kültürel araçlar olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Gelecekte farklı diziler, farklı diller ve izleyici araştırmalarını da içeren çalışmalar, görsel-işitsel ürünlerde isim çevirisi ile anlatıların yeniden çerçevelenmesine ilişkin öngörüleri daha da genişletebilir.

Keywords

görsel-işitsel çeviri, anlatı kuramı, dizi isimleri çevirisi, Türk dizileri, anlatı çerçeve-leme

Ethical Statement

This study does not involve human participants, personal data collection, or any form of experimental intervention. Therefore, ethical approval was not required.

Thanks

I sincerely thank Assist. Prof. Dr. Arife Eray and Res. Assist. Dr. Gülşen Kocaevli-Rezgui for their valuable support in Arabic and Spanish, respectively.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Communication and Media Studies (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Seda Kuşçu Özbudak ^*
0000-0003-3503-0958
Türkiye

Publication Date

January 7, 2026

Submission Date

December 3, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 5, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 23 Number: 2026

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1834648

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA27CZ95UK

APA

Kuşçu Özbudak, S. (2026). Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 23(2026), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1834648

AMA

1.Kuşçu Özbudak S. Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series. OPUS JSR. 2026;23(2026):1-15. doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1834648

Chicago

Kuşçu Özbudak, Seda. 2026. “Narrating across Cultures: Title Translations of Turkish Series”. OPUS Journal of Society Research 23 (2026): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1834648.

EndNote

Kuşçu Özbudak S (January 1, 2026) Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series. OPUS Journal of Society Research 23 2026 1–15.

IEEE

[1]S. Kuşçu Özbudak, “Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series”, OPUS JSR, vol. 23, no. 2026, pp. 1–15, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.26466/opusjsr.1834648.

ISNAD

Kuşçu Özbudak, Seda. “Narrating across Cultures: Title Translations of Turkish Series”. OPUS Journal of Society Research 23/2026 (January 1, 2026): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1834648.

JAMA

1.Kuşçu Özbudak S. Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series. OPUS JSR. 2026;23:1–15.

MLA

Kuşçu Özbudak, Seda. “Narrating across Cultures: Title Translations of Turkish Series”. OPUS Journal of Society Research, vol. 23, no. 2026, Jan. 2026, pp. 1-15, doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1834648.

Vancouver

1.Seda Kuşçu Özbudak. Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series. OPUS JSR. 2026 Jan. 1;23(2026):1-15. doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1834648

Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series

Abstract

Keywords

Kültürler arası anlatı: Türk dizi isimlerinin çevirileri

Abstract

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Thanks

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

DOI

IZ

Cite