FEATURES
14 The Linguist Vol/58 No/1 2019
ciol.org.uk/tl
With great power comes great responsibility: why
isn't just about finding the right word for 'kerblam'. By
GRAPHIC WORK
C
omics go by many names – graphic novels,
sequential art, bande dessinée (lit. 'drawn strip';
French), çizgi roman (lit. 'line/drawn novel';
Turkish). In Brussels, where I grew up, they are part of
the urban landscape – celebrated, venerated even.
After all, the bande dessinée is referred to as le 9ème
art. As a translator and curator of cultural programmes,
the comics I choose to read and work with represent a
certain urgency in telling stories about contemporary
issues that touch people globally, including women's
rights, gender-based violence, ageism, sexuality,
racism and the exclusion of anyone who is outside
the 'norm'.
Popular culture is still overwhelmingly male-oriented,
and far too white, so as a translator I tend to put the work
of marginalised people at the forefront. I focus on issues
that matter to me, and the works I translate tend to
reflect my own story and values as the daughter of
Turkish-Muslim immigrants, and a strong advocate for
freedom of expression and women's and LGBTQ rights.
Comics offer opportunities for authors to access wider
audiences. Work by international writers might explore
what it's like to grow up in Turkey, Poland, Iran or Syria,
for example, giving comic-book fans around the world
an insight into different cultures and societies. I first
learnt about the 1961 massacre of Algerians in Paris at
