Skopos and commission in translational action

Vermeer, Hans J.; Chesterman, Andrew

doi:10.4324/9780429280641-26

Cited by 151 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…One of the most notable theory developed in this period is the Skopos theory (skopos in Greek means "purpose"), which was introduced by Vermeer into translation theory in the 1970s. The Skopos theory regards translation as a specific kind of communicative action with specific purpose and suggests that translation methods are determined by the communicative purpose (Vermeer, 1989(Vermeer, /2000. Based on genre features which are constrained by communicative purposes, Reiss (1977Reiss ( /1989) divides text types into four categories (i.e., informative, expressive, operative, and audiomedial) and holds that translation methods should be linked to the textual features of different text type, shedding light on the relationship between text type and translation strategies.…”

Section: Genre Perspective In Translation Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Genre Approach to the Translation of Political Speeches Based on a Chinese-Italian-English Trilingual Parallel Corpus

2020

SAGE Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using a trilingual parallel corpus, this article investigates the translation of Chinese political speeches in Italian and English, with the aim to explore cross-linguistic variations regarding translation shifts of key functional elements in the genre of political speeches. The genre-based methodology includes a rhetorical move analysis, which is used to highlight key functional elements of the genre, and a functional grammar analysis of translation shifts of the lexico-grammatical elements identified in the previous stage. The findings show that the core communicative function of the genre is “Proposing deontic statements,” and modality of obligation is essential for the realization of this rhetorical function. Afterwards, the analysis of translation shifts of deontic modality reveals that the English translation is characterized by higher modality value shifts in comparison to the Italian translation. This difference may be related to the degree of autonomy in translation choice and understanding of the communicative purposes of the translation genre. In terms of methodological implications, this functionalist approach attempts to providing insights into the communicative purposes of the translation genre by focusing on how key functional elements are translated.

show abstract

Section: Genre Perspective In Translation Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Genre Approach to the Translation of Political Speeches Based on a Chinese-Italian-English Trilingual Parallel Corpus

2020

SAGE Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Since cultural awareness is crucial for advertising that often includes metaphors and idioms in its SL, Skopostheorie by Hans J. Vermeer [1989] will be applied in this study. In commercial translation, "phonetic appeal, suitable meaning, socio-cultural adaptation, and consumer acceptance" is important for products to reach target consumers from different cultures and be successful in international markets [cf.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The researcher has been collecting Taiwanese promotional translation texts for over ten years. This research utilizes an empirical inductive method and is supported by relevant translation theories such as Skopostheorie by Vermeer [1989] and re-contextualization theory by House [2008]. The article analyzes the difficulties in translating promotional materials from Chinese as the source language (SL) into English as the intermediary language (IL) and then from English into Russian as the target language (TL).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Figurative Language in Translation of Taiwanese Commercial Advertisement

Yakovleva¹

2020

Вест. ПГУ. Филол.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study is an analysis of Taiwanese companies’ promotional texts. The products advertised include computer programs and games, high-tech computer equipment, machinery, spare parts for cars, LEDs, cosmetics, and other goods for distribution in Russian-speaking markets of CIS countries. Therefore, the target language (TL) of translation was Russian. The researcher has been collecting Taiwanese promotional translation texts for over ten years. This research utilizes an empirical inductive method and is supported by relevant translation theories such as Skopostheorie by Vermeer [1989] and re-contextualization theory by House [2008]. The article analyzes the difficulties in translating promotional materials from Chinese as the source language (SL) into English as the intermediary language (IL) and then from English into Russian as the target language (TL). The article demonstrates how an intercultural competence can be developed in doing international business when there are language barriers. Data analysis has revealed that Taiwanese promotional texts frequently use epithets, metaphors, idioms, sayings and proverbs which are integral to Chinese culture and speech. This type of figurative language is often difficult to translate due to cultural differences and lack of equivalent meanings or insufficient encyclopedic knowledge. In order to accurately convey the essence of the text translated, deliver effective promotional materials, and maintain the attractiveness of the product being advertised for the companies and their end users, a translator must become an intercultural mediator. This research will provide a greater insight into the interlingual and intercultural challenges and offer translation strategies that can assist translators in producing more accurate translations and maintaining more positive intercultural relations between Taiwan and other countries. This intercultural research will contribute to a greater understanding of how Taiwanese products can be better promoted in Russian- speaking markets.

show abstract

“…Skopos was established by Hans Vermeer and Katharina Reiss, whereby they regard the target of the translation is what matters. This approach is adopted basically by functionalists such as Vermeer (1989). With few exceptions (e.g., Reiss, 1971Reiss, /2000, most functionalists (e.g., Vermeer, 1989) do not believe that equivalence between ST and TT is achievable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach is adopted basically by functionalists such as Vermeer (1989). With few exceptions (e.g., Reiss, 1971Reiss, /2000, most functionalists (e.g., Vermeer, 1989) do not believe that equivalence between ST and TT is achievable. According to this approach, the target-side purpose, or communicative Skopos, is the dominant factor in the translation process, and hence, one ST can be translated into different TTs to achieve different functions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faithfulness in the Translation of the Holy Quran: Revisiting the Skopos Theory

Abdelaal

2019

SAGE Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Faithfulness and equivalence are two issues that gained the attention of many scholars in the translation field. It has always been presumed that a faithful translation is the one that could achieve equivalence at its maximum level. However, one theory of translation, namely, the Skopos theory, suggests that the aim or Skopos of a translation should be the target of a translator. Adopting such a theory, equivalence does not mean sameness; it rather means achieving the least dissimilarness. In relation to this, a translation of the Holy Quran is supposed to target conveying the primary meaning of the source text (ST) and its function rather than unachievably aiming at rendering its stylistic features. This study aims to highlight the problems faced in the translation of some verses of the Holy Quran and how they can be handled from a different theoretical and practical perspective and in regard to the Skopos theory. To this end, six verses ( ayahs) from the Chapter of the Heights and the Chapter of Cattle were purposively selected and analyzed. Frequent problems and loss in translation were found in the translations of Abdel Haleem, Pickthall, Shakir, and Sarwar. This study, guided by the Skopos theory with some modifications, suggests a new perspective in the translation of the Holy Quran. It also provides a more applicable definition of faithfulness in the translation of the Holy Quran.

show abstract

Skopos and commission in translational action

Cited by 151 publications

References 0 publications

A Genre Approach to the Translation of Political Speeches Based on a Chinese-Italian-English Trilingual Parallel Corpus

A Genre Approach to the Translation of Political Speeches Based on a Chinese-Italian-English Trilingual Parallel Corpus

Figurative Language in Translation of Taiwanese Commercial Advertisement

Faithfulness in the Translation of the Holy Quran: Revisiting the Skopos Theory

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About