Dr. Alaz Pesen served as the Head of the Organizing and Scientific Committee of the 1st National Song Translation Congress, which was held for the first time in the world and in our country by Atlas University in 2024.
Dr. Alaz Pesen, a faculty member in the Department of English Translation and Interpreting at Atlas University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, a musician, and a full member of the Turkish Music Copyright Holders' Association (MESAM), has published her new book, "Song Translation: Unforgettable Examples from Our Music History."
"Song Translation" is Examined from Different Perspectives.
Pesen doesn't view song translation as simply transferring lyrics from one language to another; in her book, she explores how melodies, lyrics, cultural memory, eras, and musical practices are reborn across different languages.
The book offers a comprehensive look at song translation, a field of research that has existed in Türkiye for many years but is relatively new from an academic perspective. It examines the cultural journey of songs within a broad framework, encompassing arrangements, cover versions, film scores, operas and musicals, reinterpretations in different languages, and the history of popular music.
Making the Historical and Cultural Memory Behind Songs Visible
Dr. Alaz Pesen states that the idea for writing the book took shape as a result of years of academic and musical studies. Bringing together Pesen's experiences gained in lectures, on stage, at conferences, and in his own music production process, the work aims to make visible the historical and cultural dimensions of song translation.
According to Pesen, song translation is not simply the transfer of words from the source language to the target language; it means the reconstruction of melody, rhythm, prosody, emotion, cultural connotations, and listener's memory all together.
The idea of developing a more in-depth and organic approach to counter the rapid content consumption of the digital age also played a significant role in the creation of this book. Today, songs, old recordings, covers, and adaptations in different languages can be accessed within seconds. However, this easy access can also lead to the historical and cultural background of the works being overlooked.
In his book, Pesen focuses precisely on this point, tracing the following questions: Where did songs come from? How did they transform? How were they reinterpreted in different cultures? What eras did they embody, and what do they say to listeners today?
Contribution to the Academic Foundations of Song Translation in Türkiye
Dr. Alaz Pesen's work, beyond the book itself, holds a significant place in the development of song translation as an academic research field in Türkiye. Pesen pioneered the inclusion of song translation in the curriculum by being the first to offer a "Song Translation" course at the university level in Türkiye. An academician who has conducted research at the master's and doctoral levels on song translation, he has also authored numerous academic publications on the subject.
Atlas University organized the 1st National Song Translation Congress.
A significant stage in these studies was the 1st National Song Translation Congress, organized by Atlas University in 2024. Held for the first time both in Türkiye and globally, the congress brought together experts from various disciplines to evaluate the historical development of song translation, its musical and semantic issues, its translation studies dimensions, and its relationship with copyright law.
At the congress, which was organized with the contributions of MESAM and the Söylem Philology Journal, MESAM General Secretary Ali Haydar Yıldız also made assessments regarding the legal aspects of song translation through the concept of "adapted work".
Song Translation: At the Intersection of Musicology, Literature, and Translation Studies
“Song Translation: Unforgettable Examples from Our Music History” also points out that song translation should not be evaluated solely within the scope of translation studies.
Dr. Pesen emphasizes that song translation stands out as an interdisciplinary field intersecting with musicology, literature, cultural studies, popular music history, opera and musical studies, performance studies, and political studies.
When a song is revived in another language, it's not just the words that change. The rhythm, melody, emphasis system, listener expectations, cultural references, and the spirit of the era all need to be recreated.
Therefore, this book examines works from different languages that have been translated into Turkish or reinterpreted with Turkish lyrics from an academic perspective, while also shedding light on the country's cultural memory.
“Song Translation: Unforgettable Examples from Our Music History” is an important resource for rethinking melodies that have circulated between different languages and cultures in Türkiye's music history; for evaluating the concepts of arrangement, adaptation, and translation within an academic framework; and for making visible the place of song translation in our cultural memory.
The book offers academics and researchers, as well as musicians, translators, music writers, and readers interested in Türkiye's music history, a different perspective on the journey of songs across languages and cultures.
He told the story of his book to MESAM Vision Magazine.
Academic and musician Alaz Pesen recounted the story of the book in an interview with MESAM Vizyon magazine.
You can find the details of the interview in the related links section below.
