Applying Skopos Theory in Translating Excerpts of Iraqi Court Decisions into English - A Case Study

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the application of Skopos theory in translating Iraqi legal texts and how these texts achieve the translational action to achieve the legal purpose when translated into English. Skopos theory is the main focus in this study. It is used to show how the meaning of these texts are conveyed from Arabic into English through preserving their functions and purposes in comparable texts and perform these functions to produce the same impact in the target text readers. This study hypothesizes that the translators who studied two courses of legal translation are able to manage the translation task successfully when translating some selected judicial decisions issued by judges and how they reflect the function of the source text in the target text. To achieve the practical aspects of this paper, four final judicial decisions have been collected from Iraqi courts and are rendered by five student translators into English.