Preserving The Ambiguity of Gender in a Language with Grammatical Gender

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Denissova N.

MTM JOURNAL, no.11, pp.45-61, 2019 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2019
  • Journal Name: MTM JOURNAL
  • Page Numbers: pp.45-61
  • Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Abstract
This work presents the results of experimental translation of a ‘transgender text’, i.e. a target text,
translated from a language without categories of either natural or grammatical gender (Turkish) into a
language with both of these categories (Russian). The case study is a short story, The Tears of Love or
Rapunzel and a Vagabond by a contemporary Turkish writer, Murathan Mungan. The gender of one
of the protagonists is not specified until the last chapter, producing an effect of surprising disclosure.
The main purpose of this translation is to preserve the ambiguity of gender and to reproduce the same
effect. The results of the experiment show that techniques such as transposition, modulation,
equivalence, deletion, and addition make this task possible, at least to a certain extent, thereby
enhancing the prospects of gender-inclusive language and once again demonstrating the power of
translation in the propagation of ideas and images across borders.
Keywords: gender in translation, ambiguity of gender, Turkish literature, Murathan Mungan