SÖZCÜKLERDEN SAVAŞA: İSTİHBARAT OPERASYONLARINDA ÇEVİRİ HATALARININ GÜVENLİĞE ETKİSİ

Öz

Bu çalışma, istihbarat döngüsünde çeviri hatalarını stratejik düzeyde bir operasyonel risk kaynağı olarak incelemektedir. 1945’teki mokusatsu çeviri hatasından 11 Eylül öncesi dilsel başarısızlıklara ve Avrupa’daki terörle mücadele operasyonlarına uzanan on vaka üzerinden yapılan analiz, yanlış çevirilerin istihbarat değerlendirmelerini, diplomatik sonuçları ve askerî stratejileri nasıl etkilediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, Çeviribilim’den üç kuramsal çerçeveyi—Nida’nın dinamik ve biçimsel eşdeğerlik ayrımı, House’un çeviri kalite değerlendirme modeli ve Nord’un Skopos kuramı—uygulayarak hataları dört tipe ayırmaktadır: sözcüksel, deyimsel, kültürel ve teknik. Bulgular, küçük dilsel kaymaların dahi savaşların uzamasına ya da yakın tehditlerin gözden kaçmasına yol açabileceğini göstermektedir. Yöntemsel olarak araştırma, doküman incelemesi ve kuramsal kodlamayı birleştiren nitel bir vaka çalışması tasarımı benimsemektedir. Sonuçlar, çevirinin ikincil bir destek faaliyeti değil, kültürel uzmanlık, doğrulama protokolleri ve analistlerle yakın iş birliği gerektiren stratejik bir istihbarat işlevi olduğunu vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çeviri Hataları
• İstihbarat Operasyonları
• Dilsel Yanlış Yorumlama
• Çatışma ve Güvenlikte Çeviri
• Disiplinlerarası Çeviribilim
• Güvenlik Bağlamında Çeviri

FROM WORDS TO WARFARE: THE IMPACT OF TRANSLATION ERRORS ON SECURITY IN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS

Öz

This study examines translation errors within the intelligence cycle as a distinct source of strategic risk. Through ten historical and contemporary cases—ranging from the mistranslation of ‘mokusatsu’ in 1945 to linguistic failures preceding the 9/11 attacks and European counterterrorism operations—the analysis demonstrates how mistranslations have repeatedly shaped intelligence assessments, diplomatic decisions, and military strategies. The study applies three frameworks from Translation Studies—Nida’s dynamic vs. formal equivalence, House’s translation quality assessment, and Nord’s Skopos theory—to categorise translation failures into four types: lexical, idiomatic, cultural, and technical. The findings reveal that even minor linguistic distortions can escalate into major security consequences, from prolonging wars to overlooking imminent threats. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative case study design, combining documentary analysis with theoretical coding to systematically trace the security implications of mistranslation. The results highlight that translation should not be treated as a secondary support task but as a strategic intelligence function requiring cultural expertise, verification protocols, and close collaboration between linguists and analysts.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Translation Errors
• Intelligence Operations
• Linguistic Misinterpretation
• Translation in Conflict
• Interdisciplinary Translation Studies
• Translation in Security Contexts

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