Abstract :
The aim of this study is to introduce the function of the translator in the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century through a concrete example within the framework of functional translation theories, and then to make a comparison between the status of translators of that era and present day. The study will deal with the second part of the work “Tedbîrât-i Pesendîde” by Ebû Sehl Nu’mân Efendi about the significance of the presence of a translator during the process of determining the boundaries between the Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire along the Danube in 1739 pursuant to the Belgrade Treaty. The wise Ottoman, Ebû Sehl Nu’mân was charged by the Ottoman government to define the boundaries. However, it was impossible to determine the boundary without a translator, about which he had difficulty to convince his superiors. On the other hand, he underlines the function of the translator who was employed for the process finally. In this study, the importance of translation for communication and for the representation of the rights of the parties is emphasized. The book is translated by Prokosch in the series entitle “The Ottoman Historiographers” in 1972. In 1999, it was also transcribed from Arabic letters into the modern Latin letters. However, the German translation is clearer and more decipherable than the Turkish transcribed version because of the incomprehensibility of the Ottoman Turkish language of that period. In this study, the importance of the translator will be exemplified by the opinion of Nu’man Efendi about translators and, it will be compared with the situation today and the rights of the translators in Turkey will be illustrated. The profession of translation was very significant in the multicultural Ottoman Empire. Wheras today, in the Republic of Turkey, although it is still widely practiced and although Translation Studies is a widespread discipline, this profession leaves the translator defenseless for it is an occupation whose legislation has not yet been stipulated properly. However, despite the lack of satisfactory arrangements and solutions, with the new regulations brought forward in the recent years, the profession has come to raise its status to a level it deserves.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Translation History , Translation in the Ottoman Empire , Functional Translation Theories , the function of the translator , translation as a profession in Turkey
