A comparative analysis of the georgian translation of Orhan Pamuk's Black Book

Being the first Turkish Nobel Prize winner in any field, Orhan Pamuk is one among few Turkish writers of worldwide renown. Well known for his exotic prose, use of post-modern literary techniques, love of Istanbul and controversial statements related to the history and social characteristics of the Turkish republic, he is one of the most (If not the most) translated Turkish writer alive – with writings available in tens of world languages and Georgian is no exception. First attempts to translate Pamuk into Georgian predate his worldwide fame and can be tracked back to the 1990s. Currently all the novels of Orhan Pamuk including the most recent one and most of his non-fiction writings are available in Georgian and we can say that he is, by far the most widely read Turkish writer in Georgia and from all of his fiction and non-fiction works, The Black Book occupies a special place. Translated by Nana Janashia, the translation demonstrates how a translator can overcome linguistical and idiomatic differences between two languages by a skillful use of language and knowledge of the source culture of the literary work. The goal of our work, undertaken as a part of obligations for MD, is to analyze both – the Turkish original and Georgian translation of the work in question and determine methods used during the translation process, similarities and differences between the translation and original and to analyze overall translatablity of certain culture specific words, sentences, proverbs and sayings. The main references for our research are the original and translation of the Black Book, various scientific works from the field of translation studies, dictionaries including The Dictionary of Turkish Idioms published in Tbilisi and when possible, various broadcasts and reportages conducted with those involved in the translation process.