Translating Kuzguncuk: A Site of Tolerance and Solidarity

This study has aims to explore the relationship between cities and texts. Benefiting from Jakobson’s notion of “intersemiotic translation”, some literary works on cities has been considered target texts of the nonverbal signs of cities. In other words, these narratives are analyzed as a translation process, underlining the interdisciplinary relationship between Urban Studies and Translation Studies. Cities are assumed to be translated into cultural texts with a specific discourse. As a methodological tool, Tymoczko’s notions of “translation” and “metonymics” have been adopted and Kuzguncuk has been chosen to present a partial representation of the city of İstanbul. After selecting some fiction and nonfiction works, these texts are analyzed in three different categories, namely translation of Kuzguncuk in prose, short stories and poetry, with an aim to reveal the various discourses reflected in the “translations”.