功能翻译理论Skopos theory

德国学者克利斯蒂安·

诺德

（

< br>Christiane Nord

）

进一步拓展了译文功 能理论。

她强调译文与原文的联系，

但这种联系的质量与数量由 译文的

预期功能确定。

这就是说，根据译文语境，原文中的哪些 内容或成分可以保留，哪些需调整

或改写，该由译文的预期功能确定。

< br>

功能目的理论的两项基本原则是：

1.

翻译各方面的交互作用受翻译目的所决定；

2.

目

的随接受对象的不同而变化。

按照这两项原则，< /p>

译者可以为了达到目的而采用任何他自己认

为适当的翻译策略。换 句话说，目的决定方式（

The end justifies the means

）

。

作为受文化制约的语言符号，原文语篇和译文语篇受到各自交际环境的影响，译文功

能与原文功能可相似或保持一致，

也可能完全不同。

根据不同的 语境因素和预期功能，

选择

最佳的处理方法，

< br>这是功能翻译理论比以对等为基础的翻译理论或极端功能主义的翻译理论

更为优越 之处。

翻译功能理论指导下的翻译方法表现出较大的灵活性，

较 高的科学性和易操

作性。

Toury

把“功能目的论”看作是“译文文本中心论”的翻版。

Skopos theory

(

plural

Skopos theories

)

1.

(

translation studies

) The idea that

translating

and

interpreting

should primarily

take into account the

function

of both the

source

and

target text

.

o

1995

, Paul Kussmaul,

Training The Translator

, John Benjamins

Publishing Co, p. 149:

The functional approach has a great affinity with

Skopos theory

. The function

of a translation is dependent on the knowledge, expectations, values and

norms of the target readers, who are again influenced by the situation they are

in and by the culture. These factors determine whether the function of the

source text or passages in the source text can be preserved or have to be

modified or even changed.

Introduction to the Skopos Theory

The

Skopos

theory

is

an

approach

to

translation

which

was

put

forward

by

Hans

Vemeer

and

developed

in

Germany

in

the

late

1970s

and

which

oriented

a

more

functionally

and

socioculturally concept of translation. Translation is considered not as a process of translation, but

as a specific form of human action. In our mind, transla

tion has a purpose, and the word “Skopos”

was from Greek. It?s used as the technical term for the purpose of the translation.

1

翻译目的论，

< br>

是希腊语

“

目的

”

的意思。其核心概念是翻译过程的最主要因素是整体

翻译行为的目的。

1.

Introduction to the Skopos Theory

The

Skopos

theory

is

an

approach

to

translation

which

was

put

forward

by

Hans

Vemeer

and

developed

in

Germany

in

the

late

1970s

and

which

oriented

a

more

functionally

and

socioculturally concept of translation. Translation is considered not as a process of translation, but

as a specific form

of human action. In our mind, translation has a purpose, and the word “Skopos”

was from Greek. It?s used as the technical term for the

purpose of the translation.

In the frame

work of this theory, one of the most important factors determining the purpose of a translation is

the address, who is the intended receiver or audience of the target text with their world language.

Every translation is directed at an intended audience. The theory focuses above all on the purpose

of the translation, which determines the translation methods and strategies that are to be employed

in order to produce a functionally adequate result. Vermeer regards it as an “offer of information”

that

is

partly

or

wholly

turned

into

an

“offer

of

information”

for

the

target

audience.

From

t

his

view, the status of the source is clearly much lower in Skopos theory than the equivalence theory.

Ⅰ

.Introduction of the Skopos Theory

Skopos theory is the nucleus of German Functional School. The main idea of Skopos theory is that

translators should hold the thought from the perspective of the target readers during the process of

translation. Therefore, translators should bear in mind what the function of translation text is, what

the target readers' demand is and even what communicative situation is. Consequently, the choice

of translation strategies is decided by the purpose of the translation text,in order to achieve a better

function text.

There are three main rules which are skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule.

Rule

Skopos

is

a

Greek

word

for

top-ranking

rule

for

any

translation

is

thus the'skopos rule',which means that a translation action is determined by its skopos;that is,'the

end justifies the means'

Vermeer also stresses on many occasions that the skopos rule is a general rule,and translation

strategies and methods are determined by the purpose and the intended function of the target text.

nce Rule

The

coherence

rule

states

that

the

target

text

?

be

interpretable

as

coherent

with

the

target text

?receiver's situation

it is coherent for the target text receivers,given their circumstances and knowledge.

In terms of coherence rule,the source text is no longer of most authority but only part of the

translation is only an offer of information for the translator,who in turn picks out what he

considers to be meaningful in the receiver's situation.

2.

Fidelity Rule

Translation is a preceding offer of information. It is expected to bear some relationship with

the corresponding source r calls this relationship

This is postulated as a further principle, referred to as the

fidelity rule merely states that there must be coherence between the translated version

and the source text

2

Relationship among the Rules

Fidelity

rule

is

considered

subordinate

to

coherence

rule,and

both

are

subordinate

to

the

skopos the skopos requires a change of function,the criterion will no longer be fidelity to

the

source

text

but

adequacy

or

appropriateness

with

regard

to

the

if

the

skopos

demands intra-textual incoherence,the standard of coherence rule is no longer vivid.

Skopos theory

Skopos

theory

is

an

approach

to

translation

which

was

developed

in

Germany

in

the

late

1970s (Vermeer 1978), and which reflects a general shift from predominantly LINGUISTIC and

rather

formal

translation

theories

to

a

more

functionally

and

socioculturally

oriented

concept

of

translation.

(cf.

ACTION

(THEORY

OF

TRANSLATORIAL

ACTION);

COMMUNICATIVE/FUNCTIONAL

APPROACHES).

This

shift

drew

inspiration

from

communication theory, action theory, text linguistics and text theory, as well as from movements

in

literary

studies

towards

reception

theories

(see

for

example

Iser

1978).

Apart

from

Hans

Vermeer, the founder of skopos theory, other scholars working in the paradigm include Margret

Ammann

(1989/1990),

Hans

H?

nig

and

Paul

Kussmaul

(1982),

Sigrid

Kupsch-Losereit

(1986),

Christiane Nord (1988) and Heidrun Witte (1987a); see also articles in the journal TEXTconTEXT,

published since 1986 by Groos in Heidelberg.

Skopos theory takes seriously factors which have always been stressed in action theory, and

which

were

brought

into

sharp

relief

with

the

growing

need

in

the

latter

half

of

the

twentieth

century for the translation of non-literary text types. In the translation of scientific and academic

papers, instructions for use, tourist guides, contracts, etc., the contextual factors surrounding the

translation

cannot

be

ignored.

These

factors

include

the

culture

of

the

intended

readers

of

the

target text and of the client who has commissioned it, and, in particular, the function which the

text is to perform in that culture for those readers. Skopos theory is directly oriented towards this

function.

Translation is viewed not as a process of transcoding, but as a specific form of human action.

Like any other human action, translation has a purpose, and the word skopos, derived from Greek,

is

used

as

the

technical

term

for

the

purpose

of

a

translation.

Skopos

must

be

defined

before

translation can begin; in highlighting skopos, the theory adopts a prospective attitude to translation,

as opposed to the retrospective attitude adopted in theories which focus on prescriptions derived

from the source text.

In

addition

to

its

purpose,

any

action

has

an

outcome.

The

outcome

of

translational

action

is

a

translatum (Vermeer 1979:174; translat in Reiss and Vermeer 1984/1991:2), a particular variety of

target text.

Vermeer?s skopos theory

Vermeer (1978:100) postulates that as a general rule it must be the intended purpose of the target

text that determines translation methods and strategies. From this postulate, he derives the skopos

rule: Human action (and its subcategory: translation) is determined by its purpose (skopos), and

therefore it is a function of its purpose. The rule is formalized using the formula: IA(Trl) = f(Sk).

The main point of this functional approach is the following: it is not the source text as such, or its

effects on the source-text recipient, or the function assigned to it by the author, that determines the

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