Savaş Alanında Dil: Rajiv Joseph’un Bağdat Hayvanat Bahçesindeki Bengal Kaplanı adlı Oyununda Çevirinin Gücü

11 Eylül saldırısının ardından Afganistan’ın ve Irak’ın işgali, İngiliz ve Amerikan oyun yazarlarına savaşın ve çatışmaların anlamsızlığını protesto eden politik oyunlar yazmaya konusunda ilham vermiştir. Rajiv Joseph tarafından yazılmış olan Bağdat Hayvanat Bahçesindeki Bengal Kaplanı (2009) adlı eser, işgal altındaki bir ülkenin ve vatandaşlarının durumunu anlatan oyunlardan biridir. Oyun, Iraklı tercüman Musa karakterinin etrafında döner. Savaş bağlamında çevirmen çok önemli bir role sahiptir çünkü dilsel beceriler somut bir güç kazanır. İşgalcilerin elinde bulunan çevirmenlerin güçsüz durumları ve onların istismarı üzerine yapılan birçok çalışma bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada ise Musa karakterinin çevirmen ve birey olarak güçlenmesinin hermenötik bir analizi yapılmaktadır. Bu çalışma, iki bakımdan önem taşımaktadır; ilki, çevirinin gerektirdiği potansiyel güce ilişkin tartışmalara öncülük etmesi; diğeri ise bu gücü kendileri, ülkeleri ve büyük ölçekte genel olarak daha iyi bir dünya yaratmak için kullanmaları amacıyla ihtiyaç duydukları eğitime dikkat çekmesidir.

Language in the War-Zone: The Power of Translation in Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

In the backdrop of 9/11, the two subsequent invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq sparked the imagination of British and American playwrights for creating political plays which protest the futility of wars and conflicts. Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (2009) by Rajiv Joseph is one of those plays which depict the plight of an invaded country and its inhabitants. The play revolves around the character of an Iraqi translator, Musa. The role of an interpreter in conflict zones is very significant because linguistic capability bequeaths palpable forms of leverages. Additionally, the very act of translation becomes more considerable and culturally evocative in the backdrop of war. There are many studies conducted on the powerlessness of translators and the exploitation of interpreters at the hands of invaders; however, this paper will conduct a hermeneutic descriptive analysis of the growing empowerment of Musa’s character—both as a translator and as an individual. This study is significant as it initiates the debate into the potential power which the act of translation entails and the need to train interpreters to utilize this power to create a better world for themselves, their country and the world at large.

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