Mertcan Okul
Biography
Mertcan Okul is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Translation Studies Program in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies at Kent State University. In this capacity, Okul has served as instructor of record for Diversity in Today's Russia (MCLS 22217-001, Fall 2025), Introduction to Structural Concepts for Language Students (MCLS 10001, Spring 2026), and Global Literacy and Cultural Awareness (MCLS 20001-002, Fall 2026). Okul holds a Master of Arts (MA) in English Translation and Interpreting from Hacettepe University, where the master's thesis examined the role of translation in introducing queer nonfiction book covers into the Turkish market. Prior to this, Okul graduated as the valedictorian of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) program in English Translation and Interpreting at Trakya University.
Okul's research interests include queer translation studies, multimodal translation studies, and the sociology of translation. Okul's published work comprises two Turkish-language articles: the first examines queer representation strategies in the dubbing and subtitling of the Netflix animated series Q-Force, and the second investigates othering discourse in three Turkish translations of Michael Cunningham's The Hours. In addition, Okul's English-language master's thesis proposes a multimodal analytical framework for examining queer representation on translated book covers. Further information about Okul's research and academic background is available on Academia.edu at https://kentstate.academia.edu/MertcanOkul.
Research Keywords:
Queer Translation, Multimodal Translation, Sociology of Translation
Education
B.A. Trakya University, Edirne, Türkiye, 09/2018-06/2023, English Translation and Interpreting
Publications
- Okul, M. (2026, April 10–12). Uncovering queer identity: Translating queer non-fiction book covers to geopolitical crossroads [Conference presentation]. American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association Conference (ATISA XII), New Paltz, NY.
- Okul, M. (2025). Uncovering multimodality: A multimodal analysis of book covers in translation [Unpublished master's thesis]. Hacettepe University, Institute of Social Sciences.
- Okul, M. (2025). Görsel-işitsel çeviride kuir temsiller: Q-Force örneği. Çeviribilim ve Uygulamaları Dergisi, (TÜÇEVAS Özel Sayısı), 65–85. https://doi.org/10.37599/ceviri.1636504
- Okul, M. (2025). Edebi dizgede söylemin çeviri yoluyla inşası: Saatler eseri üzerine bir çözümleme. Söylem Filoloji Dergisi, (Çeviribilim Özel Sayısı II), 827–846. https://doi.org/10.29110/soylemdergi.1601978
- Okul, M. (2024, October 10–11). Görsel-işitsel çeviride aktarım sorunları üzerine bir inceleme: Q-Force örneği [Conference presentation]. Symposium on Translation Studies in Türkiye, İstanbul, Türkiye.
- Okul, M. (2024, September 30–October 2). Saatler eserinin çevirilerinde ötekileştirici söylem [Conference presentation]. 2nd International Congress on Academic Studies in Translation and Interpreting Studies, Bolu, Türkiye.
- Okul, M. (Primary Investigator). (2023). Assessment of the translation competence and readiness for the translation market of the 4th grade translation and interpreting students: The case of Trakya University [TÜBİTAK 2209-A research project].
- Kumlu, D., & Okul, M. (2023). Yapay zekâ ile çeviri uygulamaları: Kültürel unsurların çevirisinde ChatGPT. In E. Barut (Ed.), Contemporary translation studies: Bridging cultures, technologies and societies (pp. 24–45). Çizgi Kitabevi.
Awards/Achievements
- Domestic Travel Award (2025–2026 academic year). Graduate Student Senate, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States. Awarded to support presentation at the Twelfth Biennial Conference of the American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association
