TRIN Graduate Webinar: From Flintstones to AI: Years of Interpreting, What Really Changed – 2/2

The program featured TED-style talks by Barışcan Yılmaz, a current CINT graduate student, and Yiğit Bener, Conference Interpreter and Instructor at Bilkent University. A key highlight of the event was the panel discussion “Conference Interpreting in Transformation: Evolving Practices and Professional Realities,” Panelists included Ebru Kanık, Conference Interpreter, Trainer, and Former Program Coordinator; Aslı Alanat Kılıç, Conference Interpreter and Trainer (Bilkent CINT ’09) and Eray Karakuzu, Parliamentary Interpreter, Government of Canada (Bilkent CINT ’10).

A key highlight of the event was the panel discussion “Conference Interpreting in Transformation: Evolving Practices and Professional Realities,” Panelists included Ebru Kanık, Conference Interpreter, Trainer, and Former Program Coordinator; Aslı Alanat Kılıç, Conference Interpreter and Trainer (Bilkent CINT ’09) and Eray Karakuzu, Parliamentary Interpreter, Government of Canada (Bilkent CINT ’10). Simultaneous interpreting for the event was provided by CINT graduate students Barışcan Yılmaz, Göktürk S. Köme, and Öykü Naz Tez, under the coordination of Chief Interpreters Dilek Demirkol (Bilkent CINT ’09) and Safiye Bal Kuzucu (Bilkent CINT ’17). TRIN senior students Soner Kalın, Bilgesu Balcı and Deniz Aktaş provided technical support during the seminar.

Bilkent at Interpreting Europe 2025

The Interpreting Europe Conference 2025, the flagship event of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Interpretation (DG SCIC), took place on February 6-7, 2025, in Brussels. The conference brought together interpreter trainers, professionals, and policymakers to discuss the evolving landscape of conference interpreting, including training methodologies, technological advancements, and the challenges of multilingual communication. Duygu Duman, Head of the Department and Zeynep Şengel, Graduate Program Coordinator represented the department, participated in discussions with fellow course leaders, sharing insights on interpreter education and the profession’s future.

AUF Visit to TRIN

February, 2025 – It was a pleasure to host Laure Castin, Director of the Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), and Mihaela Alion, Regional Representative responsible for projects, in our department on February 24, 2025. As a member of the AUF since 2022, our university highly values this collaboration, and the visit provided a fruitful opportunity to explore new avenues for academic cooperation and exchange. We appreciate their time and valuable insights and look forward to further strengthening our partnership with the AUF in the future.

New Translation  from a senior student

2024 – We are proud to announce that the Turkish translation of Girl (Fille) by Camille Laurens, originally published by Gallimard, has been completed by one of our senior students, Giray Başbuğ. Giray is also pursuing a minor degree in English Language and Literature.

Camille Laurens is an award-winning French novelist and essayist. She received the Prix Femina, one of France’s most prestigious literary prizes, in 2000 for Dans ces bras-là, which was published in the United States as In His Arms in 2004. Her previous books include Who You Think I Am (Other Press, 2017) and Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Other Press, 2018). She lives in Paris.

We congratulate our student on this remarkable accomplishment and look forward to seeing more contributions to the field of literary translation

 Bilkent TRIN at the National Congress 

June 2024, 1st National Congress on Translation Studies, İzmir – Bilkent TRIN made its presence felt at the “1st National Congress on Translation Studies,” held from June 27 to 29, 2024, at İzmir University of Economics. Asst. Prof. Duygu Duman delivered an insightful presentation on the pivotal role of actors in community interpreting services within healthcare and education. She underscored the profound impact of international organizations on national systems and the necessity for collaborative efforts among these actors.

Büşra Kurt Uçar presented an innovative syllabus proposal for a localization course. Emphasizing the need for a structured syllabus that incorporates relevant and up-to-date materials, exercises, and technological tools, she presented compelling evidence drawn from feedback provided and a questionnaire filled out by students who had experienced the course. This evidence reinforced the relevance of her proposed syllabus in meeting the evolving demands of the contemporary localization sector. In another session, Zeynep Şengel provided a thorough analysis comparing international standards and guidelines pertaining to plain and easy language. She elaborated on the distinct target audiences, intended uses, and foundational principles of these approaches, while also proposing promising avenues for future research at the intersection of plain language and translation.

Celebrating Translation Day
with Yiğit Bener

02.10.2024 – Ankara / We had the pleasure of hosting renowned author and translator Yiğit Bener for a talk titled “Can literary works be translated without being a literary figure?” Yiğit Bener, who has translated the works of literary giants such as Albert Camus and Julio Cortázar, drew from his rich experience of over 40 years as both a literary figure and a conference interpreter. Bener’s background spans six novels, five collections of short stories, and notable translations, such as Louis Ferdinand Céline’s “Voyage au bout de la nuit” (Journey to the End of the Night) for which he received the 2002 World Translation Award. His work continues to bridge the cultural and artistic gap between France and Turkey, recently earning him the prestigious Chevalier of Arts and Letters award from the French Ministry of Culture.

During the talk, Bener shared his thoughts on how the depth of a translator’s literary knowledge and flexibility together with research capabilities can shape the accuracy, fidelity and creativity of a translated text. He also talked about censorship in literature; shared personal stories from his career, offering valuable insights into the challenging interplay between authorship and translation.

Şengel in Panel Discussion: Interpreting and Psychology in Crisis Settings

04.12.2024 – Ankara / TRIN instructor Zeynep Şengel participated in a panel discussion jointly organized by Hacettepe University’s Department of Translation and Interpreting and Department of Psychology. In her talk, Şengel explored the evolving role of interpreters in crisis situations, particularly in natural disasters, humanitarian aid operations, and work with refugees, trauma survivors, and other vulnerable groups. She presented a literature review on interpreting norms and various interpreting settings, examining how these factors interact with the risks of secondary and vicarious trauma.

This multidisciplinary event underscored the growing importance of interpreters as frontline communication professionals in emergency and crisis settings, reaffirming the necessity of a holistic approach that integrates linguistic expertise with psychological resilience

Publication from a graduate

2024 – Emin Ege Ünver (B.A., 2022) who completed his master’s at the College of Europe, has recently published a paper exploring German-Turkish defense cooperation. Published at the College of Europe and Polish National Library, the paper delves into German-Turkish defense cooperation through public and private sectors and offers policy options for both parties to establish a beneficial collaboration between the two.

Özkök’s reflection on translating
different genres

March 2024 – Hacettepe University French Cultural Community (Communauté Culturelle Française) invited our instructor Güçlü Özkök to their seminar on French literature, literary translation and particularly, children’s literature. He shared valuable insights on translating specific genres like children’s literature and comics. His expertise in language intricacies, cultural nuances, and storytelling techniques enriched the symposium, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of the challenges and creative opportunities in translating these unique genres.

Duman reflecting on mental healthcare interpreting

February 2024 – Dr. Duman participated as a trainer in the “Training on Mental Healthcare Interpreting” in Gaziantep, Turkey (7-9/02/2024) as part of the SIHHAT-II Project, funded by the European Union and executed by the Ministry of Health in Turkey. The training aims at improving interculturall communication in mental healthcare and psychosocial support through patient guides at Migrant Health Centers and Migrant Mental Healthcare Centers currently operational in 27 provinces of Turkey.

Award goes to Bilkent TRIN!

2024 – The Certificate Ceremony of the Directorate for EU Affairs “Young Translators Competition” was held at the Directorate on 16 April 2024. The aim of this year’s competition, organized for the twelfth time, is to increase awareness about universities and young translators preparing for careers related to Turkey’s accession process to the European Union (EU) and to contribute to the development of well-trained professionals in this field. The competition drew 125 students from 41 universities. Certificates of achievement were awarded to 14 successful young translators by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs, Ambassador Mehmet Kemal BOZAY. Göktürk Sina Köme, a fourth-year student, secured the first prize in French-Turkish translation, showcasing his exceptional linguistic and translation skills as well as his comprehensive knowledge of the field. Moreover, Ece Bilgen, another fourth-year student received honorable mention in the same language pair contributing to the department’s legacy in outstanding trilingual training in translation and interpretation. Bilkent University congratulates its students on their outstanding achievements.

A Student’s Achievement: Giray Başbuğ’s Poetry Translation Published

2024 – It is with great pride that we announce the achievement of one of our own students, Giray Başbuğ. Giray recently unveiled his translation book, which is a collection of poetry from the English Renaissance.

The book features major poets of the period such as Thomas Wyatt, Edmund Spenser, and Samuel Daniel, as well as granting a unique perspective to Philip Sidney and William Shakespeare through retranslations, including the second Turkish translation of the narrative poem A Lover’s Complaint.

Şengel presented in Accessibility Conference

December 2023 – Green Digital Accessibility Conference, Barcelona / The second edition of the GDA focused on bridging the gap in knowledge in accessibility and environmental sustainability, drawing together experts in the fields of media, accessibility, technology, environmental studies and education. Our instructor Zeynep Şengel presented the preliminary findings of her research titled: How meaningful is “can anybody hear me” during a disaster? By conducting interviews with key stakeholders, namely the chairperson of the Association of Turkish Sign Language Interpreters and the Turkish National Federation of the Deaf, the study aims to gain firsthand insights into the experiences and difficulties encountered by the deaf and HoH community in terms of accessibility during a natural disaster.

  Şengel reflecting on sectoral reception at Boğaziçi University

September 2023 – Our instructor Zeynep Şengel was invited to speak at the roundtable meeting of the First National Congress on Translation and Interpreting Technologies organized by the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies and Computer Engineering at Boğaziçi University. The session moderated by Jonathan Ross featured a lively discussion with the participation of Prof. Ebru Diriker, Prof. Levent Arslan, Prof. Aymil Doğan, Prof. Dr. Oktay Eser, and Assoc. Prof. Şeyda Kıncal. Şengel presented the sectoral reception towards technologies used in conference interpreting settings through the survey carried out by the Conference Interpreters Association of Turkey.

Dr. Duygu Duman Presented a Paper on Mental Healthcare Interpreters in Turkey at PSIT8 Conference

September 2023 – Dr. Duygu Duman was honored to represent her colleagues and their joint endeavor for mental healthcare interpreters in Turkey from an institutional perspective at the 8th International Conference on Public Service Interpreting and Translation (PSIT8). Dr. Duman’s representation of mental healthcare interpreters in Turkey at the PSIT8 conference highlights the importance of providing access to mental healthcare for individuals who do not speak the same language as their healthcare provider. Her work serves as a reminder of the need for qualified interpreters in the healthcare industry, particularly in mental healthcare, and the impact they can have on patient outcomes.