Member profile: ILGIN YILDIZ

NAME: Ilgin Yildiz

Translator or interpreter (or both): translator

Language(s) and direction(s): English>Turkish

Location: Istanbul, Turkey

Practising as a T/I since: 2013

Member of AUSIT since: 2017

Main area(s) of practice: literary/non-literary translation (including history, popular science, contemporary philosophy), plus subtitle translation for streaming platforms

Q1: How did you come to be a translator and/or interpreter?

A1:

I always enjoyed the wide range of foreign works in translation published in Turkey, and during an internship with a literary magazine while at university, I tried my hand at translating an essay about the relationship between Martin Heidegger and Hannah Arendt. I struggled with the jargon and the cultural references, and the couple were so mysterious to me, I had to do extensive research about them and the cultural and historical context of their relationship ... thus learning that translation involves becoming familiar with figures, places and histories, before rewriting with fidelity to the source text. I was fascinated by the process, and loved the space it gave me to grow intellectually. I continued to translate for magazines, and in 2013 I quit my editing job to translate books full time.

Q2: Tell us about a project you have worked on that was especially interesting or challenging (within the bounds of confidentiality of course).

A2:

A recent project – translating 'The Courage of Hopelessness' by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek – was intellectually stimulating, as I had the chance to really prepare for it. I already knew his work (in both English and Turkish), so I was no stranger to his ideas on contemporary politics and thought, as well as his narrative and linguistic choices. I studied translations of earlier works (by talented practitioners whose work I also know well), watched his YouTube videos and listened to his speeches. The translation process itself took more time and effort than I’d foreseen but I didn’t mind, as I love the book and wanted to make its journey into my native language as smooth as possible. I enjoyed every minute of the process, although – as usually happens – I’ve since found a few mistakes I’d like to correct and sentences I’d like to rework before any second edition is published. Translating this book taught me a lot about both my own practice, and how I navigate my native language.