The periodical as a site of translational inquiry into hollywood-driven vernacular modernism: the Turkish Film Magazine Yıldız (1938–1954)

Abstract

Contemporary research in translation studies is marked by a focus on textual production in book form at the expense of other publishing genres. The present study challenges this focus and centers on a ‘marginal’ genre: the periodical. Rather than considering the periodical as container of discrete elements and construing translation and translators within it as detached from the surrounding context, the study sets out to introduce a broader perspective on the connections of translation and the periodical. Since one of the major aims of the study is to draw attention to the relevance of periodicals to translation studies research, it starts off by proposing concepts and methodological tools for analyzing the links between translation and the periodical. It appears that translation studies and periodical studies as young and developing disciplines have much to offer each other. The investigation of the film fan magazine, Yıldız [Star] adds further layers to the research and allows for an unusual multidisciplinary cross-fertilization. The findings of the study suggest that without a comprehensive perspective on the translational features of the magazine, it is impossible to arrive at a thorough understanding of it. Revealing that translation is linked to Yıldız in a number of different ways, the study points out the key role extrafilmic translation practices played in the reception of modernity that came along with classical Hollywood films and places Yıldız within a broad culture planning framework.