Analysis of Military Terminology in the Translation of War Literature: A Descrıptive Study on Retranslations of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine the translations of Catch-22 by Levent Denizci (1976) and Niran Elçi (2006) in terms of military terminology. The methodological and theoretical framework is based on Antoine Berman's translation criticism theory. Berman argues that translation criticism should be constructive. According to him, deforming tendencies in the target text should be examined since they can shed light on translator’s choices and help the critic analyze the text in a productive way. He also thinks that every translation ages in time and therefore needs retranslation (Berman, 2009). Catch-22, written by Joseph Heller, is a cult post-war novel rich in military terminology. In this thesis, the military terms in Catch-22 were analyzed according to Berman’s twelve deforming tendencies and the results were examined in the light of his retranslation theory. In the analysis part, military terms randomly selected from both target texts were shown in tables and analyzed with a descriptive method over fifty examples. The findings of the analysis show that the first translation made by Levent Denizci aimed to introduce the source text to the target culture. So, the strategy of ‘’domestication’’ is observed in his translation. In addition, Niran Elçi's retranslation exhibits fewer deforming tendencies observed in the initial translation. Therefore, Niran Elçi’s retranslation is closer to the source text, and the strategy of "foreignization" is observed in this translation. Also, it can be concluded that quantitative impoverishment, the destruction of underlying networks of signification, and the destruction of linguistic patternings are the tendencies that are observed the most in both target texts when the results are checked.