Dr. Duygu Duman, Department Chair
Duygu Çurum Duman received her PhD from Yıldız Technical University in 2018. Her research interests include community interpreting, health interpreting, interpreting education, hermeneutic approach to translation, qualitative research approaches, terminology and specialised field communication. Having worked at Hacettepe, Yıldız Technical and Haliç Universities, Dr Duman has also been involved in various EU projects.
Güçlü Özkök
Özkök completed his master’s degree at Hacettepe University in 1995. His area of specialization is grammar in French language teaching. He contributed to the establishment of a video conferencing system for simultaneous interpreting courses in the conference interpreting master’s program and the implementation of Melissi software. Özkök translates comics, narratives and story books from French into Turkish for pre-school and primary school children.
Alican Demir
Demir earned his master’s degree from Stendhal-Grenoble 3 University in 2003, where he developed a strong foundation in French language and pedagogy. With years of experience in language instruction, Demir is a dedicated educator at the French Preparatory Unit, where he teaches Basic French. His teaching approach focuses on equipping students with essential linguistic skills and fostering a supportive learning environment to build their confidence in using the French language effectively.
Bahtınur Gündoğdu
Gündoğdu is currently a PhD student at Hacettepe University with a specialization in French Language Literature. She is experienced and authorized in administrating and evaluating assessments in preparation for DELF exams. She has vast experience in teaching French as a foreign language to students of different ages and backgrounds. Her master’s thesis focused on demonstrating “The effect of literary texts on the development of writing skills in French as a foreign language.”
Büşra Kurt Uçar
Uçar has been working as a freelance translator for 12 years, providing translation, proofreading, localisation and transcreation services for various international companies. Her translation-related areas of specialisation include pharmaceuticals, pharmacovigilance, clinical trials, medical devices, technical equipment, law, IT and video games. She earned both her M.A. (2019) and Ph.D. (2025) in Translation and Interpretation from Hacettepe University. Her research explores the impact of digitalization on translation and interpreting practices, the sociology of translation with a particular focus on professional identity, and the evolving status of translators. She is especially interested in how technological innovation, institutional frameworks, and social dynamics shape the role and recognition of translators and interpreters.
Cahide Ekiz
Ekiz completed her graduate degree at the University of Surrey, specializing in the translation of texts related to economics, finance, politics, law, and the European Union, as well as other international organizations. She has gained extensive professional experience, having worked at Atılım University, Hacettepe University, TÖMER, and the Turkish Standards Institute.
Esmaeil Kalantari
Esmaeil Kalantari holds a Ph.D. in Translation Studies from the University of Montreal. He has experience working as a researcher at the Department of Human Sciences, Arts and Communication at TÉLUQ University, Montréal, Canada. His main research interests are journalistic translation, sociology of translation in the news media and critical discourse analysis His work has appeared in renowned journals such as Meta: Translators’ Journal, The Translator, and Journalism.
Fatma Aksoy
Fatma Aksoy holds a Ph.D. in Translation Studies from Hacettepe University (2024). Her dissertation examined the representation of Turkish identity in British and French media through the lens of social systems theory. Her research interests include translation sociology, identity politics, and the role of translation in shaping national and global narratives in the media. She has taught courses in Turkish, French, and English at Hacettepe University (2005-2017) and has extensive translation experience across genres such as children’s literature, academic writing, and social sciences. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Ottawa (2007–2009). She is currently co-authoring a book on the social role of translation in Turkey from the Ottoman era to the present and conducting research on the reception of literary narratives in the media. Beyond academia, she has held positions at Charles de Gaulle French High School (2021–2025) and the Embassy of Luxembourg (2018–2021).
Safiye Bal Kuzucu
Safiye BAL KUZUCU graduated from the dual language degree programme (French and English) of the Department of Translation and Interpreting, Hacettepe University. Since then, she has worked with various institutions as a translator and interpreter, and has also served as a freelance conference interpreter at multiple levels, covering a wide range of topics in both high-level and technical settings. In 2017 she received her M.A. in conference interpreting at Bilkent University. She is currently working on the perception of remote interpreting working conditions in Turkey.
Zachary Murphy King
Zachary Murphy King received his Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Chicago in 2023, specializing in literature, aesthetic theory and translation in the Soviet Union and its engagements with modernism. His research focuses on the reception of Western modernism in early Soviet culture, exploring the role of translation and reception in shaping socialist realism. He is also an active translator of poetry, literary and academic writing, working with texts from Russian, German and Polish, and a recipient of the Compass Translation Award for Russian Poetry and grants from the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, among others. Dr. King’s current book project investigates Soviet debates over authors Marcel Proust, John Dos Passos and James Joyce and their broader implications for literary theory and social politics.
Zeynep Şengel
Şengel has been working as a freelance conference interpreter for 18 years, delivering interpreting services at technical meetings, international conferences, and high-level bilateral, multilateral meetings. She received her B.A in Translation and Interpreting from Bilkent University in 2005 and M.A. in Conference Interpreting from Bilkent University in 2008 and recently completed her Ph.D. in Translation and Interpretation at Hacettepe University (2025), with a dissertation focusing on accessibility through plain language translation in the context of migration. Her research interests also include interpreting and interpreter training, conference interpreting and technology use in T&I. Şengel currently serves as the Vice-President of the Turkish Conference Interpreters Association (TKTD).
İlknur Kaya – Administrative Assistant
İlknur KAYA received her MA from Bilkent University in 1998. A true plant and animal lover, she also conducts charity activities for children.