Çeviri Stratejilerinde Kültür, Etik ve İşlevsellik: Yapay Zekâ Araçlarının ve İnsan Çevirmenin Çevirilerinin Karşılaştırması

Zenginaloğlu K.

Turkish Studies-Language and Literature, cilt.21, sa.1, ss.2071-2139, 2026 (TRDizin)

Özet

Abstract: This study presents a comparative analysis of the human translation of Gustave Flaubert’s A SimpleHeart (Un Cœur Simple) alongside translations generated by the AI tools ChatGPT and Gemini, situated at theintersection of the translation approaches of Venuti (1995), Newmark (1988), and Aixelá (1996). The strategiesemployed were examined through the lenses of Venuti’s translator visibility, Newmark’s semantic andcommunicative translation models, and Aixelá’s frameworks of cultural mediation and interpretation. Byutilizing an open-source work, the study evaluates translator visibility levels, semantic transfer strategies, andthe representation of cultural context in both human and AI-generated translations. To eliminate the risk ofdecontextualized output, the source text was translated by AI tools in its entirety rather than in isolatedsegments. Subsequently, analysis was performed on selected sentences and paragraphs rich in cultural themes.Findings indicate that, within Venuti’s framework, the human translator functions as an invisible subject,whereas AI translations exhibit a frequent use of foreignization strategies, reflecting a marked tendency tomirror the source culture rather than pursuing neutral visibility. Regarding Newmark’s theory, humantranslation demonstrates semantic depth and communicative fluency; however, AI tools occasionallyexperience disruptions in meaning due to a lack of semantic depth. From Aixelá’s perspective, while the humantranslator tends to reinterpret cultural elements, AI translations reflect the source cultural context more directlyand intensely. The study concludes that human emotions and experiences render translation effective andfunctional, yet AI tools demonstrate an undeniable proficiency in conveying direct narration and reflecting thesource culture. Ultimately, translation ethics should be evaluated within a holistic framework that manages thesocio-cultural implications of human-machine collaboration rather than being limited to traditional debates ontextual fidelity. The study emphasizes the necessity of redefining the translator as an active agent providingethical oversight of technological outputs. Future research should address AI tools as multi-actor ethical agentsand examine distributed responsibility mechanisms in human-machine interaction, alongside their impacts onprofessional autonomy and cultural representation, to more comprehensively reveal the evolving roles of bothhumans and AI in literary and cultural translation.Keywords: Artificial Intelligence Translation, Human Translation, Translation Strategies, Translation Ethics,Cultural Translation, Flaubert/A Simple Heart.