Popularization through Translation in the New Media: The Case of Düşünbil

Öz

This study aims to explore the opportunities the new media present for the popularization of scientific knowledge through translation, based on the case study of a Turkish website called Düşünbil (www.dusunbil.com). The article will touch upon debates on science popularization, new media, and the translation of social sciences texts, highlighting the role of online translation projects in circulating new and hybrid genres. The contribution combines two under-researched topics in translation studies: popularization, and the translation of social sciences and humanities texts. On the other hand, TS research on popularization has so far mainly focused on natural sciences whereas this study concerns social sciences and humanities texts. Düşünbil Portal relies on non-professional volunteer translators for the translation of popular texts. In this respect, the translational action undertaken may be considered a case of “community translation.” These texts, translated almost exclusively from English, represent a mix of social sciences and journalism, some leaning towards self-help in terms of content and style. It is the convergent aspect of digital media that make them particularly amenable for popularization: the functions of information and entertainment converge on the internet. The translation of social sciences and humanities texts, hitherto largely confined to conventional print media, helps extend knowledge in these fields thanks to projects like Düşünbil. After a conceptual discussion, the paper will elaborate on strategies of knowledge mediation through examples drawn from translated texts, their source texts as well as texts written originally in Turkish and published on Düşünbil. Proximity, regarded to be the distinctive feature of popular science texts, will be addressed not only as a textual-linguistic feature but also in terms of the wider strategies of presenting information. Aspects such as interactivity and conceptual clarification will also be illustrated, followed by an examination of translation strategies employed on texts originally written in Turkish. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Popularization through translation,translation in the digital media,translation of social sciences and humanities texts

Yeni Medyada Çeviri Aracılığıyla Popülerleştirme: Düşünbil Örneği

Öz

Bu çalışmada, Düşünbil adında bir internet sitesi (www.dusunbil.com) örneği üzerinden dijital mecralar aracılığıyla yapılan çeviri eyleminin popülerleştirme açısından sunduğu olanaklar ele alınacaktır. Bilim metinlerinin popülerleştirilmesi, yeni medya ve toplum bilimleri metinleri çevirisi konularındaki tartışmalara değinen makale, internetteki çeviri projelerinin yeni ve melez metin türlerinin dolaşıma sokulmasındaki rolünü vurgulayacaktır. Metin çeviribilim alanında yeterince araştırılmamış iki alana katkı sunmayı amaçlamaktadır: bilimin popülerleştirilmesi ve toplum ve insan bilimleri metinleri çevirisi. Öte yandan, çeviribilimde popüler bilim metinlerinin çevirisi çoğunlukla doğa bilimleri metinlerine odaklanmıştır; bu makale ise konuyu toplum ve insan bilimleri açısından inceleyecektir. Popüler metinlere odaklanan Düşünbil Portal’da profesyonel olmayan gönüllü çevirmenler çalışmaktadır. Bu açıdan burada yapılan çeviri eylemi “topluluk çevirisi” bağlamında değerlendirilebilir. Çoğunlukla İngilizceden çevrilmiş bu metinlerin toplum bilimleri ve haber metinleri arasında bir yere konumlandırılması mümkündür, bazıları ise içerik ve biçem bakımından kişisel gelişim metinleri kategorisine girmektedir. Dijital mecraları bilimin popülerleştirilmesi açısından özellikle elverişli kılan özellik, okurlara bilgi edinirken hoş vakit geçirme fırsatı sunmalarıdır. Şimdiye kadar çoğunlukla geleneksel basılı mecralar- la sınırlı olan toplum ve insan bilimleri metinleri çevirisi, Düşünbil gibi projeler sayesinde bu alandaki bilgi birikiminin halka indirgenerek yayınlaşmasını kolaylaştırmaktadır. Kavramsal tartışmanın ardından Düşünbil sitesinde yayınlanan çeviriler, bunların kaynak metinleri ve ayrıca telif metinlerden derlenen örneklerle sitedeki bilgi aktarımı stratejileri açıklanacaktır. Popüler bilim metinlerinin ayırıcı özelliği olarak görülen “yakınlık,” yalnızca bir metinsel-dilsel özellik olarak değil, portalda bilgi aktarımı için kullanılan genel stratejiler çerçevesinde ele alınacaktır. Bunun dışında etkileşimlilik ve kavram açıklaması gibi özellikler örneklenecek, telif metinlerde uygulanan çeviri stratejileri irdelenecektir. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• çeviri aracılığıyla bilimin popülerleştirilmesi,dijital mecralarda çeviri,toplum ve insan bilimleri metinleri çevirisi

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