With the progressive changes the globe is undergoing as a result of technological advancement, many terms, along with their cultural significance, tend to be forgotten. One such term that various researchers are uncovering is “Cevurı.”
It still raises the questions: What is Cevurı?, What is its importance today?, and where does it trace back to?
This post aims to complete a Cevurı analysis regarding its origin, meaning, and significance, in addition to providing perspectives that are not easily accessible elsewhere.
What Is Cevurı?
Cevurı is a Turkish word sharing its roots with Ottoman and Turkic languages. It could be equated with interpretation, transformation, or translation.
In modern Turkish, the more popular word for translation is “çeviri.” However, “Cevurı” represents a richer concept than a mere act of translating words from one language to another.
Key Meanings of Cevurı:
Cevurı can be defined under the following key meanings:
Translation: Word-for-word transfer of sentences from one language to another.
Conversion: A process whereby ideas, texts, or symbols undergo change in sophisticated forms for acceptance in other cultures.
Philosophical Change: It is a mental effort involving complex thinking to deal with simple ideas.
Historical Explanation: The updating and interpretation of ancient texts for new audiences is a form of modernisation and revision.
Cevurı is more than the translation process; it is a pattern of metamorphosis that manifests the changes between cultures, eras, and intellectual paradigms.
The Historical Origins of Cevurı
The geographical areas of Central Asia, Persia, and the Ottoman Empire constitute the territories that show the historical roots of Cevurı.
There was a kind of cevurı in antiquity where scribes and learned individuals would render texts written in foreign languages into the vernacular. This required a kind of cultural integration, an adaptation that is above translation.
Key Historical Periods:
Seljuk Period (11th-13th Century):
The eleventh to thirteenth centuries heralded the advent of Turkic scholars who used early forms of cevurı to translate Persian and Arabic texts into the Turkish dialects for religious, scientific, and philosophical purposes.
Ottoman Empire (1299–1922):
The Ottoman period saw the engagement of Windsor and other courts with professional linguists called mütercim (translators).
Cevurı was born out of their practice as the resultant work involved interpretation, context adjustment, and culture-level changes, all of which went beyond simple translation.
Islamic Golden Age (8th to 14th Century):
Throughout this time, the great majority of Greek philosophical texts were translated into Arabic, Persian, and subsequently into Turkish. This was done through a translation process called cevurı, which blended commentary with translation.
Why is Cevurı More Than Just Translation?
In this case, translation is defined as replacing words with phrases of a different language. Cevurı, on the other hand, is a method of social and cultural relations that occurs through the act of translation.
Key Differences Between Cevurı and Simple Translation:
| Cevurı | Standard Translation |
|---|---|
| Focuses on context, emotion, and culture | Focuses on word accuracy |
| Involves reinterpreting metaphors and idioms | Often sticks to literal meanings |
| Requires cultural, religious, and historical knowledge | Requires language proficiency |
| Used in philosophy, religion, and diplomacy | Used in business, legal, and daily interactions |
Cevurı in ancient texts and religious works
Historically, one of the main applications of Cevurı was in translating religious texts.
For example,
Quran Translations: Early Turkish versions tried to translate the text while ensuring contextual adjustments were made to keep the intended meaning.
Persian Poetry: The mystical verses of Rumi and Hafiz were rendered into Turkish by Cevurı.
Greek Philosophy: The works of both Aristotle and Plato were rendered into Ottoman Turkish to ensure their concepts were accessible to the intended audience.
The Impact of Cevurı on Diplomatic Affairs and Politics
In the Ottoman Empire, Cevurı was more than an academic endeavour. It functioned as a heuristic approach to global or regional geopolitics.
Diplomats practised cevurı when:
Drafting Treaties: Agreements involved translations, which needed to be culturally reframed to minimise the chances of misinterpretation.
Sending Correspondence: Letters to the royal households of Europe were ‘translated’ in terms of decorum and courtesy. This was essential for any respectful, diplomatic engagement.
Propaganda: For overseas readership, politically sensitive documents were purged by safe phrases tailored to the prevailing power structures of the intended audience.
Does it Exist Today?
Some might claim that the artistry of Cevurı has become obsolete with the advent of Google Translate, AI applications, and live interpretation services flooding the industry. This perspective certainly misses the mark.
Literary Translation:
The editions of “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones” published in other languages are not mere translations. They go through the process of internationalisation. It can be said that translators sometimes practice the art of cevurı when crucial humour, idioms, or cultural references need to be doktor пословице.
Marketing and Branding:
Pepsi’s “Come Alive” slogan translates into Chinese as “bring your ancestors back from the grave.” This is an example where Multinational Corporations use equidistance in translation for slogans and product names in other dialects.
Film Subtitling and Dubbing:
Subtitles must encapsulate the jokes, sentiments, and emotional expressions intertwined within the words. Hence, the words must be adjusted in the subtitles to capture the spirit of the phrases.
For International Diplomacy, the same rules apply:
To avoid a verbatim translation and interpretation that would trigger conflict or clash, countless skilled interpreters apply to geography sophisticated diplomatic translation as well as various methods of cevurı.
Primary and Advanced Scholarly Research:
Scholars use cevurı to reinterpret historical texts by incorporating contemporary frames that modernise layered meaning and nuanced understanding.
Other ‘Framing’ Strategies:
US C. Fish proposes and practices “framing” extending beyond cultural context into a multidimensional realm as a strategy of context.
Integrated Approach:
Regarding discourse analysis, sociolinguistics integrates the culture of a given society and its language.
Performing Cevurı Is Painstaking
For one to perform Cevurı, there is a need for socio-political awareness, cultural appreciation, and a certain level of linguistic competence, which makes it intricate.
Common Constraints:
Loss of Meaning: Numerous ideas do not exist in several different languages.
Universal Borders: Humour, idioms, and taboos are ethnically diverse.
Temporal Change: The passing of time complicates the handling of history.
Political Diplomacy: In diplomacy, conflict may arise from the use of unsuitable language.
Noteworthy Instances of Cevurı Throughout History
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The Rosetta Stone (196 BC)
Not to Turkish, but the Rosetta Stone is a verifiable example of cevurı and representation, representing cultures and people in translation. Culturally, it is inscribed in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek, which served as psychological bridges between cultures.
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Evliya Çelebi’s Travel Books
Evliya Çelebi, the Ottoman voyager, wrote extensive travel literature, and later on, translators used a form of cevurı to analyse and render his literature accessible to contemporary audiences.
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Yunus Emre’s Poetry
Yunus Emre emerged as one of the most celebrated Turkish poets of the 13th century. As with many artists, his life and works are appreciated more and more over time. His works are remade in ways that better suit contemporary society, and modern translators continue such reinterpretations of his work.
Today’s Approach to Learning Cevurı
The following are some suggestions for learners looking to hone their skills in Cevurı and the translation practice in general.
- Learning Multiple Languages:
Achieving fluency in a language involves mastering its history, culture, and other dimensions. Thus, with Cevurı, culture and history are indispensable parts of the process.
- Acquire Knowledge of Religious and Sociocultural Norms:
Spend time studying social beliefs and practices that exist on the periphery of the languages you intend to work with.
- Analyse Core Texts:
Read the texts in their original languages and reflect on the various translations they have undergone (ceviri) to appreciate the process and the challenges translators face.
- Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Translation or Linguistics:
Some universities have begun to provide tutorial information to their students on translation and transformational translation (ceviri), which is a positive development.
- Practising with Authentic Materials:
Working on translations for poetry and literary works, as well as speeches from political and religious figures, exemplifies authentic materials. When translating, select words that reflect the intended tone and emotion while remaining sensitive to cultural considerations.
The Future of Translation: Human Versus AI
Translation in real time is now a possibility due to the rapid evolution of AI with tools like ChatGPT, DeepL, and Google Translate. However, can AI truly perform translation functions?
Limitations of AI Translation:
Emotional Intelligence Gap: Culture and the human elements of emotions are absent in machines.
Contextual Errors: AI is prone to translating a considerable number of idiomatic words word-for-word.
Philosophical Gaps: AI hits a wall trying to make sense of deeply rich religious, poetic, and historical texts.
The need for human translators and culture specialists is clear for intricate translation tasks. Machines fail without context, culture, and nuance. The lack of these elements would render the work fundamentally deficient.
Conclusion
Cultures are coming into contact with each other as well as the necessity for translation. In this context, the importance of translation is paramount: it enables interaction through the internet, diplomacy, media, or literature. As such, there is no substitute for bare-bones language.
Translation is a multilayered process that requires depth and demands emotion, history, and culture. Translation is valuable for students and scholars, business executives, as well as anyone keen on languages.
Translation as a process helps in connecting with individuals and relationships, and in creating and fostering relationships both literally and metaphorically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Is translation the same as translation?
A: No. Above a simple mechanical interpretation of languages, translation sits. It integrates cultures, sentiments, and histories that cannot be achieved through word-for-word translations.
Q2: What is the need for translation in the present-day world?
A: In the present world scenario, translation prevents cultures from misunderstanding each other. In today’s world, where there are rapidly diminishing borders separating countries and cultures, respectful communication between societies becomes basic to civilisation.
Q3: Are machines able to perform translation functions?
A: No, a machine cannot undertake translation because it lacks comprehension of the human dimension of culture, which AI does not have compared to machines that are capable of translating words.
Q4: Where is translation taught?
A: Some institutions offer master’s degrees in translation and linguistics with concentrations in cultural adaptation.
Q5: Is translation restricted to languages?
A: No. Translation equally applies to the adaptation of an ideology, philosophy, or religion from one culture to another.