Yücel’s words prove that translation was regarded as an official
instrument of culture planning by the state. The ideological dimensions
become evident in the minister’s identification of western culture with the
“civilised world” and the kind of role he foresaw for translation within this
context: translation was expected to convey western modes of thinking to
Turkey, which would, in turn, result in a stronger Turkish identity.
The meetings of the Translation Committee bore fruit in the drafting of
several recommendations which were expected to lead to “method and order”
in translation activity. The recommendations included the setting up of an
official translation bureau, extending state aid to private publishers for their
translation activity and the launch of a translation journal. The committee also
prepared a list of recommended titles for translation (Birinci Türk Neriyat
Kongresi 0000: 000-000). The report of the committee was met with general
approval and led to no significant debate or opposition while it was read out
for the participants of the Congress. The proposal to set up a translation
bureau and the selection of titles for translation meant that the state was taking
over the field of canonical translations and was entering into a phase of
translation planning. This step met with a positive response from the writers
and journalists who commented on the proceedings of the Publishing
Congress in dailies and magazines.