Translation of a 106-year-old poem brought an award
Translation of a 106-year-old poem brought an award
Melike Soylu, student of Department of English Translation and Interpretation, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), came third in the "Poetry in Translation Competition" organized by Ankara Bilim University. Soylu, who translated the poem, "The Road Not Taken" written by poet Robert Frost from the United States (USA) in 1915, into Turkish, won the prize in a competition attended by about 100 people from various universities across the country and brought the award to Izmir.
Living in Karşıyaka, Izmir, Aslı Melike Soylu, a junior at IUE Department of English Translation and Interpretation, submitted her application for the competition online in May. Soylu, who studies at IUE with a full scholarship, completed the translation of the poem, emphasizing that life is full of crossroads and that life is shaped by the choices made during these crossroads, in two days, Soylu meticulously analyzed every sentence and word. Soylu, who successfully passed many criteria such as the correct understanding of the main idea of the poem, the fluency of the lines, ensuring the integrity of the meaning and the correct use of punctuation marks, came in third as a result of the evaluation of the jury.
MY EFFORTS WERE NOT IN VAIN
Stating that she was very happy to receive an award by translating a 106-year-old poem, Soylu said, “With the metaphor of a road diverging into two separate ways in the forest, the poem tells that life is actually shaped by the decisions we make when we come to crossroads. In particular, the poem emphasizes the difference made by walking on the path that few people walk. The translation of such a poem is different and very difficult than the translation of a technical text in English. For this, you need to be very careful, convey the message and emotion in the best way, and pay attention to the harmony of the words. I also do a minor in sociology and despite the intensive course marathon, I made time for translation, I focused on poetry as much as I could. I was confident in my translation, and I was hopeful even before the results were announced. My efforts were not in vain. I was very happy to receive an award in such a good competition. It gave me courage for my future work. I would like to thank my professors who raised me and contributed to my success.”