Plagiarism of translations is still one of the problems haunting the Turkish book market. It is particularly widespread among publications of the classics, popular novels of nineteenth century French and Russian authors such as War and Peace by Tolstoy, Dead Souls by Gogol or Flaubert’s Madame Bovary . Nearly all classic novels are published by more than one publishing house – for instance there are at least twelve editions of War and Peace available. →
The Turkish Association of Literary Translators, Çevbir, condemns the arrests of intellectuals and the climate of intimidation in Turkey
This is a press release from our Turkish member organisation, Çevbir (http://www NULL.cevbir NULL.org/).
ÇEVBİR – The Turkish Association of Literary Translators, condemns the arrests of intellectuals and the climate of intimidation
Turkey is currently witnessing a period as dark as that of the oppressive regimes which have left so many scars on its history. →
Two more court cases against Turkish translators and publishers of foreign novels
Two court cases are pending for a hearing at Istanbul’s Second Penal Court of Peace. In each case proceedings are started against a Turkish publisher and a translator of a recently published foreign literary work:
- publishing house Sel Yayınları and translator Mr Süha Sertabiboğlu will be prosecuted for the publication/translation of the novel The Soft Machine (http://www NULL.ceatl NULL.eu/legal-investigations-concerning-turkish-translation-of-william-burroughs-novel-the-soft-machine) (Yumuşak Makine) by the American novelist William Burroughs;
- publishing house Ayrıntı Yayınları and translator Ms Funda Uncu will be prosecuted for the publication/translation of the novel Snuff (Ölüm Pornosu) by the American novelist Chuck Palahniuk.
Legal investigations concerning Turkish translation of William Burroughs’ novel ‘The Soft Machine’
The office of the Attorney General of Istanbul recently started legal investigations concerning Yumuşak Makine (http://www NULL.selyayincilik NULL.com/kitaptanitim NULL.asp?kod=697), the translation of William Burroughs’ novel The Soft Machine, translated into Turkish by Mr. Süha Sertabiboğlu, and published by publishing house Sel in Istanbul.
Notwithstanding the literary acknowledgement William Burroughs has received all over the world, the Prime Minister’s Council for the Protection of Children from Harmful Publications decided in a report, issued on the request of Istanbul’s Attorney General, that The Soft Machine had no literary value. →
Irish call for translator bursary applications 2011 (Russia and Turkey)
Ireland Literature Exchange/Idirmhalartán Litríocht Éireann (ILE) invites applications from literary translators from Russia and Turkey who are working on the translation of a work of contemporary Irish literature and wish to spend a period of up to three consecutive weeks in Ireland during the period 1st March 2011 to 30th June 2011. →
Çevbir present at new Turkish book fair
From 17 to 22 December 2010 the first edition of the Bosphorus Book Fair will be held in the centre of Istanbul. The book fair will be organised annually, with a different guest country and an accompanying theme every year. This year’s focus will be ‘Japan – Tradition and Future’. The next edition will be held from 15 to 22 September 2011, with the theme ‘Germany – Migration’. →
Turkish translator and publisher discharged
On 7 December 2010 İrfan Sancı of Turkish publishing house Sel Yayınları and translator İsmail Yerguz were acquitted from charges of publishing/translating obscene books. The books at stake in the court case that was instituted earlier this year involved a Turkish work entitled Perinin sarkacı by Ben Mila, and two works translated from French by İsmail Yerguz: Genç Bir Don Juan’ın Maceraları (‘Les exploits d’un jeune Don Juan’) written by Guillaume Apollinaire, and Görgülü ve Bilgili bir Burjuva Kadının Mektupları (‘Correspondance d’une Bourgeoise Avertie’) by P.V. →