To Be Literal or Not: On English Translations of Hikmet’s Saman Sarısı

This study examines two distinct English translations of Nazım Hikmet’s poem “Saman Sarısı” within the frame of literal and free translation. The framework for this analysis emerges from critical debates among translators, who have evaluated one another’s renditions for being either excessively literal or insufficiently faithful to the source text. Based on this discourse, the article adopts a descriptive comparative approach to examine the translations, situating the discussion within the broader theoretical concepts of literal and free translation as well as translation criticism. By analyzing the strategies employed in each version, the study seeks to determine the extent to which the translations align with either approach, as suggested by prior critiques. This focus enables an understanding of how translators strike a balance between fidelity to the source text and interpretive freedom. Ultimately, the study aims to shed light on the methods and decisions underlying the translation of Hikmet’s poetry and to synthesize these findings into a coherent assessment of the practical applications and relative merits of literal and free translation strategies. In doing so, it also contributes to ongoing debates in translation studies by showing how even seemingly opposed strategies can coexist within the same text, complicating strict binaries of “literal” versus “free.”