Translational norms in Galatât-ı Terceme Defterleri

The purpose of the present study is to analyse Galatât-ı Terceme Defterleri (Notebooks of Translation Errors) written by one of the prominent translators of the Tanzimat period Kemalpasazade Mehmed Said Bey with a descriptive method in order to reveal the translational norms of the period and the translational norms proposed by its writer. In this context this study discusses the quality of the ?tercemes? (translations) in the Tanzimat period and the translational problems occured due to the unique nature of ?terceme?, a concept used to describe the translational activities of the period. In this study it is observed that Said considered the linguistic equivalence problem as the main problemeatic aspect of tercemes and discussed this problem in his notebooks through a linguistic perspective. In the notebooks Said illustrated the linguistic errors in tercemes and proposed the correct Turkish equivalents of the French words. The analysis of the ?galatât? (translational errors) reveales both directly and indirectly the dominant translational norms of the period. Using Gideon Toury?s norm classifications, this study compares the dominant preliminary and operational norms of the period with the norms proposed/imposed by Said. Thus it is concluded that Said tried to intervene the dominant translational norms of the period and proposed new linguistic and structural norms .