A critique of culture transfer theory: The role of translation in Turkey's civilization process

It is observed that culture oriented theories have increased in translation studies since 1980s. As the linguistic centered approach which claims translation is a lingual transfer weakened, approaches which claim translation is a cultural transfer is highlighted. Even though accepting translation activity as a cultural transfer, conceptual dimension, role and function of culture transfer in terms of translation studies were not evaluated transparently. It is clear that translation approaches relating to cultural transfer were handled at micro level and cannot be evaluated at macro level theoretically. In this study which handles culture transfer theory in terms of a critical angle, as the role of the translation during the civilization of Turkey dating from 19th century was evaluated, transfer process from the West was evaluated. In order to justify the connection between culture and civilization with translation within the context of translation studies, literatures relating to culture and civilization concept were scanned in the first part of the study and historical processes of both concept were determined. Especially classifications relating to culture concept were ranked and it is generally reflected that which dimension of the culture concept was dealt by different dimensions of social sciences. In the second part of the study, culture transfer theory was examined closely theoretically and conceptually with the aim of associating culture transfer and civilization transfer; the approaches of 20th Century Turkish Philosophers were evaluated in order to justify the civilization transfer approach in the translation. In the last part of the study, the role of the translation on the civilization process of Turkey and effects of these role on the transformation of the target culture were determined by examining culture transfer approaches in translation studies with the aim of preparing a substructure of civilization transfer in the translation. In the translation theory which places culture transfer concept in the center, culture transfer is handled at micro level. Because of that reason, intense translation activities which appears during the westernization or civilization periods can be identified as civilization transfer at macro level.