their - The University of Texas at Dallas

Sallasana, sallasana mendilini
akşam oldu
göndersene sevdiğimi (p. 87).
An einem Ast zwei Kirschen
ach, mein Geliebter,
eine ist rot, die andere ist weiß,
wenn du mich liebst, schreib deine Briefe
öfter
winke, winke, dein Taschentuch
es ist Abend geworden
Schick’ mir deine Geliebte (p. 129)
The translation:
Two cherries on a branch
oh, my loved one,
one is red, the other white
if you love me write your letters more often,
wave, wave your handkerchief it is evening
send me your loved one (p. 97)
The translation is done literally. The rhyming and
rhythm in the source text are not reflected in the target
language. A part from the melody and the rhythm
there is a myth in the song. This is completely about
Turkish life and culture. In other words, how lovers
behave when they are in love are mentioned in the
song. The way of communication in those times is
achieved by sending letters very often. To wave a
handkerchief means saying goodbye and its also
reflects nostalgia. When evening comes the lover
wants his loved one in return.
An excerpt from another song:
Nereden sevdim o zalim kadını
Bana zehretti hayatın tadını (p. 87)
Warum habe ich diese
schwarzaugige Frau geliebt
Sie hat mir den Geschmack des lebens
vergiftet (p. 129)
The translation:
Why did I love that black-eyed woman
She poisoned my taste for life. (p. 97)
In this excerpt also, the translation is done literally,
and the rhyming is not preserved. The word “zalim”
means “cruel” in English, but instead of using the
adjective “cruel,” the translator has interpreted the
meaning and used “black-eyed” for the word used,
maybe thinking that black-eyed women are cruel. The
male lover is so much in love that he cannot see
anything except his lover, though she is cruel.
In addition to children’s jingles, songs, and proverbs,
the concept of religion and how Islam is perceived is
also emphasized in the novel. Prayers, to perform the
namaz, tomb visits, fasting, ramadan, dawn breaking
one’s fast, and the fasting table are the motifs related
to religion.
To give examples for performing the namaz and
praying to God:
Meine Großmutter legte zwei kleine
Teppiche auf den Boden. “Man betet
Richtung Mekka” sagte sie. Wir standen mit
großen Tüchern auf dem Kopf auf diesen
Teppichen in Richtung Mekka. (p. 79)
Mein Allah, bitte hilf, daß die Arbeit meines
Vaters auf einen Weg kommt, mein Allah,
bitte hilf, daß meine Mutter, Großmutter,
Vater, mein Bruder Ali, mein Bruder Orhan
gesund bleiben und von bösen Blicken
geschützt sind. (p. 80)
The translation of this part:
My grandmother put two small rugs on the
floor. “You pray in the direction of Mecca,”
she said. We stood there on the rugs with big
scarves on our heads facing in the direction
of Mecca. (pp. 56–57)
My Allah please help my father’s work get
on the good path, my Allah, please help my
mother, grandmother, father, my brother Ali
and my brother Orhan stay healthy and
protected from the evil eye. (p. 57)
As is understood from the translation of the excerpts,
the translator with her interpretation has translated the
cultural features literally. Though the translated text
preserves the translator’s subjective point of view, the
translator has been loyal to the text and the style of the
author. The Arabic version of the prayers is even
preserved throughout the novel. Similar to this, the
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