A woman is no man. A translator is (no) author? Resisting the shared subordination of women and translators through translatorhandling
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.25.2.2Keywords:
translatorhandling, feminist translation, translator's visibility, Arzu Altınanıt, A Woman is No Man, Kadının Sesi YokAbstract
This article proposes translatorhandling as a conceptual framework to theorize the intentional and strategic interventions made by feminist translators across textual, peritextual, and epitextual realms. It aims to expand the current understanding of translator visibility and reframe the role of the feminist translator within the evolving field of Feminist Translation Studies (FTS). This study argues that through translatorhandling, feminist translators not only 'womanhandle' texts to amplify silenced women's voices and make language speak for women but also assert their creative agency and professional visibility primarily through epitextual channels. Etaf Rum's A Woman is No Man and its Turkish translation, Kadının Sesi Yok ['A woman has no voice'] by Arzu Altınanıt, constitute the case of this research. Thematic analysis of Altınanıt's blog, Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası ['A Translator's World'], and her X (formerly Twitter) posts demonstrates how she engages in translatorhandling as a form of dual resistance: amplifying women's voices and challenging the systemic invisibility of translators. The findings reveal how she publicly claims interpretive agency, contests the industry's erasure of translators, and positions herself as a co-creator. Mapping this emerging practice, the article highlights translatorhandling as a powerful feminist intervention that transcends textual boundaries, positioning translator's voice as a force of solidarity and transformation in public discourse.
References
Altınanıt, A. (n.d.). Merhaba [Hello] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/
Altınanıt, A. (2014a, December 15). Neden? [Why?] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/neden/
Altınanıt, A. (2014b, October 26). Diren çevirmen [Resist translator] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/diren-cevirmen/
Altınanıt, A. (2015, November 29). Kitap satış sitelerinin büyük saygısızlığı [The great disrespect of online book retailers] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/kitap-satis-sitelerinin-buyuk-saygisizligi/
Altınanıt, A. (2017, June 27). Kayıp Rıhtım için yazdım: Çevirmenin çemberi [I wrote for Kayıp Rıhtım: The translator’s circle] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/kayip-rihtim-icin-yazdim-cevirmenin-cemberi/
Altınanıt, A. (2018, January 23). Onunla evlendim sevgili okurum [Reader, I married him] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/onunla-evlendim-sevgili-okurum/
Altınanıt, A. (2020a, March 30). Corona günlerinde çeviri [Translation in times of coronavirus] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/corona-gunlerinde-ceviri/
Altınanıt, A. (2020b, September 26). Kadının sesi yok [Woman has no voice] [Blog post]. Bir Çevirmenin Dünyası. https://bircevirmenindunyasi.wordpress.com/2020/09/26/kadinin-sesi-yok/
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2020c, September 9). Sevgili @DRdunyasi ve @idefixcom, bir çevirmen sizin çevirmen adı dışında her tür bilgisini yazdığınız kitabı düzgün çevirmek için uykusuz kalıyor [Dear @DRdunyasi and @idefixcom, a translator stays up all night to translate properly the book for which you list every detail except the translator’s name] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1303681192798154752
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2021a, August 18). Dünya liderlerine sesleniyoruz: Afgan kadınların ve kız çocuklarının güvenliğini, hak ve özgürlüklerini koruyun! [We call upon world leaders: Protect the safety, rights, and freedoms of Afghan women and girls!] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1427995700655177728
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2021b, August 27). Genelde hep çevirmenlere çevirdikleri yazarların onları nasıl beslediği soruluyor. Bence asıl çevirmenlerin o eserlere ne kattığı önemli. [Translators are often asked how the authors they translate nourish them. I think what translators contribute to those works is what really matters.] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1431249636606595073
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2022a, March 22). Aldığım en güzel övgülerden biri: “Çevirmenin Etaf Rum’la iyi bir ikili olduğu kesin.”@literaedebiyat [One of the most meaningful compliments I’ve ever received: “It is clear that the translator and Etaf Rum are a good duo] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1506239164311912453
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2022b, March 8). Şöyle bir baktım da ne çok kadın yazar çevirmişim. Bir de bunlara çevirmen kopyaları henüz elime geçmeyen Kadının Sesi Yok #benkadınım #8mart [I just realised how many women authors I’ve translated. Also among them is A Woman is No Man, whose translator copies I haven’t received yet #IAmAWoman #March8][Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1501116185861099521
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2022c, September 21). Kadının sesi var. [A woman has a voice] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1572625062016032769
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2022d, March 7). Sevgili @DRdunyasi, Etam Rum Kadının Sesi Yok adlı kitabını Türkçe yazmış sanırım. Emeğe saygı lütfen. Kadının sesi, çevirmenin adı yok. [Dear @DRdunyasi, it seems Etaf Rum wrote Kadının Sesi Yok in Turkish. Please show some respect for labour. The woman has no voice, and the translator has no name.] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1500814233780563978
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2022e, March 4). Yine aynı özensizlik. @DRdunyasi’na göre çevirmenin adı yok. Ve ben her yeni kitapta bunu yaşamaktan çok sıkıldım. [Yet again, the same carelessness. According to @DRdunyasi, the translator has no name. And I am utterly tired of experiencing this with every new book] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1499791316523397123
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2024, November 21). Çok severek çevirdiğim bir yazar Etaf Rum. İlk kitabı Kadının Sesi Yok’u İthaki Yayınları için çevirmiştim. [Etaf Rum is an author I truly enjoyed translating. I translated her first novel, Kadının Sesi Yok, for İthaki Publishing.] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1859640211703202262
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2025a, February 21). Biz bıktık, @DRdunyasi bıkmadı. Yine emeğe saygısızlık. Çevirmen adı yine yok. Sadece ben değil, tüm meslektaşlarım şikayetçi ama dinleyen kim? [We’re exhausted, but @DRdunyasi is not. Yet again, disrespect for labour. Once again, the translator’s name is missing. It’s not just me, my colleagues are complaining too, but who cares?] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1892971608874123738
Altınanıt, A. [@ArzuAltinanit]. (2025b, February 7). Çevirmen adı yazmaya tenezzül etmeyen, emeği hiçe sayan satış siteleri: Devamı geldikçe listeye ekleyeceğim. Sizler de katkı sağlarsanız sevinirim. [Sales sites that do not bother to write the translator’s name, disregarding labour: I will add them to the list as more come. I would appreciate contributions from you all] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/ArzuAltinanit/status/1887896352102695365
Andone, O.-H. (2002). Gender issues in translation. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 10(2), 135-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2002.9961439
Arkın, Y. (2022, February 8). Kadının bedeni yok [Woman has no body]. Litera Edebiyat. https://www.literaedebiyat.com/post/kadinin-sesi-yok-etaf-rum-inceleme-yavuz-arkin
Asena, D. (1987). Kadının adı yok [Woman has no name]. Doğan Kitap.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Castro, O., & Ergün, E. (2018). Translation and feminism. In F. Fernández & J. Evans (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of translation and politics (pp. 125-143). Routledge.
Castro, O., & Spoturno, M. L. (2022, May 19). Translation and feminisms. In Dictionnaire du genre en traduction / Dictionary of Gender in Translation / Diccionario del género en traducción. CNRS. https://worldgender.cnrs.fr/notices/translation-and-feminisms
Castro, O., Ergun, E., Bracke, M. A., Spurlin, W. J., & Fonseca, L. C. (2024). Transnationalizing feminist translation studies? Insights from the Warwick School of Feminist Translation: A roundtable. Journal of Feminist Scholarship, 24(Spring), 4-26. https://doi.org/10.23860/jfs.2024.24.02
Çeviri Kitabı. (n.d.). Yazarlar. [Authors] https://www.cevirikitabi.com/yazarlar
Desjardins, R. (2024). Social media and translator visibility: The rise of the translator-activist. In P. J. Freeth & R. Treviño (Eds.), Beyond the translator’s invisibility: Critical reflections and new perspectives (pp. 95-110). Leuven University Press.
Federici, E., & Fortunati, V. (Eds.). (2011). Translating gender. Peter Lang.
Freeth, P. J. (2024). The self-mediatization of the literary translator: Visibility through paratext and social media. In P. J. Freeth & R. Treviño (Eds.), Beyond the translator’s invisibility: Critical reflections and new perspectives (pp. 55-74). Leuven University Press.
Genette, G. (1997). Paratexts: Thresholds of interpretation (J. E. Lewin, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1987)
Godard, B. (1989). Theorizing feminist discourse/translation. Tessera, 6, 42-53.
Koskinen, K. (2000). Beyond ambivalence: Postmodernity and the ethics of translation. University of Tampere.
Rum, E. (2019). A woman is no man. HarperCollins.
Rum, E. (2022). Kadının sesi yok (A. Altınanıt, Trans.). İthaki Yayınları. (Original work published 2019)
Rum, E. (2023). Evil eye. HarperCollins.
Rum, E. (2025). Kem göz (A. Altınanıt, Trans.). Koridor Yayınları. (Original work published 2023)
Simon, S. (1996). Gender in translation: Cultural identity and the politics of transmission. Routledge.
Venuti, L. (1995). The translator’s invisibility: A history of translation. Routledge.
von Flotow, L. (1991). Feminist translation: contexts, practices and theories. TTR:Traduction, Terminologie, Rédaction, 4(2), 69-84. https://doi.org/10.7202/037094ar
von Flotow, L. (1997). Translation and gender: Translating in the “era of feminism”. St. Jerome.
von Flotow, L. (2023). Feminist translation and translation studies: In flux toward the transnational. PMLA, 138(3), 838-844. https://doi.org/10.1632/S003081292300072X
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ayşe Saki Demirel
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Access Policy and Content Licensing
All published articles on the ESNBU site are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, even for commercial purposes. The terms on which the article is published allow the posting of the published article (Version of Record) in any repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Note that prior to, and including, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2024, articles were licensed under the Non-commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The transition to CC BY 4.0 is effective as of Volume 11, Issue 1, 2025.
In other words, under the CC BY 4.0 license users are free to
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Under the following terms:
Attribution (by) - You must give appropriate credit (Title, Author, Source, License), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notice: No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
If the law requires that the article be published in the public domain, authors will notify ESNBU at the time of submission, and in such cases the article shall be released under the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver CC0 1.0 Universal.
Copyright
Copyright for articles published in ESNBU are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. Authors retain full publishing rights and are encouraged to upload their work to institutional repositories, social academic networking sites, etc. ESNBU is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
Exceptions to copyright policy
Occasionally ESNBU may co-publish articles jointly with other publishers, and different licensing conditions may then apply.
