An_introduction_to_the_Skopos_Theory

AnintroductiontotheSkoposTheoryMajorsource:ChristianeNord,TranslatingasaPurposefulActivity,Functionalistapproachesexplained,JeromePublishing,1997.Aretheytranslators?林纾严复傅东华孙致礼杨宪益、戴乃迭FuDonghuadeletedalargenumberofparagraphsoftheSTwhentranslatingGonewiththeWind《飘》.SunZhilideletedthedescriptionsofsexwhentranslatingWidow《寡妇》.YangXianyiandGladysYangtranslatedButterfly(50,000words)into《蝴蝶》withonlyabout20,000words.Doesitmeanthatfamoustranslatorscandeleteatwill?Arethesetranslations?LinShuasanexampleYanFuasanexampleExample:LinShuSomethingwithinthesilentblackmanansweredNo!and,asitrepeatedbyaninvisiblevoicecamethewordsofanoldpropheticscroll,asEvahadoftenreadthemtohim,--“Fearnot!ForIhaveredeemedthee.Ihavecalledtheebymyname.ThouartMine!”(p377)汤姆素崇基督之教，闻言极不谓然，特不敢出口(p162)–LegreeclaimsviolentlythatheisGod,whichinsultsTom’sreligiousbeliefgreatly.TheSTdescribesTom’sfeelingthenindetailInhistranslations,heoftendeletedsomeoftheSTormadeotherchanges.Forexample,whentranslatingUncleTom’sCabin,hedeletedmostofsuchpagesas29(13,TT),289(141,TT),359(173,TT),392(188,TT).LinShu(1852-1924)translatedover200worksalthoughhedidnotknowanyforeignlanguagesatall.Heisconsideredas“文学家,翻译家”(《中国大百科全书》).LinShu’stranslationsareabsolutelynotfaithfultotheST,butheisstillconsideredagreattranslator.Whyso?Example:YanFuItmaybesafelyassumedthattwothousandyearsago,beforeCaesarsetfootinsouthernBritain,thewholecountrysidevisiblefromthewindowsoftheroominwhichIwrite,wasinwhatiscalled‘stateofnature’.赫胥黎独处一室之中，背山而面野，槛外诸景，历历如在机下。乃悬想二千年前，当罗马大将恺彻未到时，此间有何景物。计唯有天造草昧，人功未施。Evolution:–progressivedevelopment–indefinitepersistenceinthesameconditionandwithretrogressivemodification.ThesecondpartofthedefinitionwastotallydeletedbyYanFu.Why?YanFu(1854-1921)finishedtranslatingEvolutionandEthicsandOtherEssaysinTianjinin1895.Thetranslation《天演论》wasthenpublishedin1898.HenryHuxley(1825-1895),1894,EvolutionandEthicsandOtherEssays.“启蒙思想家，翻译家”(《中国大百科全书》)YanFudidnotfollowhisownprinciples“faithfulness,expressiveness,andelegance”inhistranslations.Whyso?Whatisskopos?SkoposistheGreekwordfor‘aim’or‘purpose’andwasintroducedintotranslationtheoryinthe1970sbyHans.J.VermeerasatechnicaltermforthepurposeofatranslationandoftheactionoftranslatingThecharacteristicsoffunctionalistapproachesOrientedtowardsculturalratherthanlinguistictransferToviewtransltionnotasaprocessoftranscoding,butasanactofcommunicationOrientedtowardsthefuntionofTT(prospectivetranslation)ratherthantheprescriptionsofSS(retrospectivetranslation)Toviewthetextasanintegralpartoftheworld,notasanisolatedspecimenoflanguage(Snell-Hornby,2001:43)TheoreticalBasesActiontheoryTextlinguisticsCommunicationtheoryBasicallyanattemptatbringingtogetherequivalencetheoryandVermeer’saction-orientedapproach.Vermeer’sdefinitionofactionForanactofbehaviourtobecalledanactionthepersonperformingitmust(potentially)beabletoexplainwhyheactsashedoesalthoughhecouldhaveactedotherwise(Venuti,2000:221)Nida’sequivalenceFormalequivalence:afaithfulreproductionofSTformelementsDynamicequivalence:thedgreetowhichthereceptorsofthemessageinthereceptorlanguagerespondtoitsubstantiallythesamemannerasthereceptorsinthesourcelanguage.Functionalequivalence:seekstotranslatenotonlythetextitself,buttheeffectofthetextonitsreaders;moresatisfatorytodescribethedegreesofadequacyofatranslation.(JandeWaardandEugeneA.Nida)Whatisequivalence?(synthesis)Arelationshipofequalcommmunicativevalueorfunctionbetweenasourceandatargettextor,onlowerranks,betweenwords,phrases,sentences,syntacticstructuresetc.ofasourceandatargetlanguage.TheTheoryTheprimeprincipledetermininganytranslationprocessisthepurpose(Skopos)oftheoveralltranslationalaction.Equivalence-basedvs.skopos-basedEquivalence-basedtheories:ST,effectsonSTrecipients,functionassignedbytheauthordeterminingtranslationprocess.Skopos-basedtheories:prospectivefunctionorskoposofTTdeterminingtranslationprocess.Aim,purpose,function,intentionAim:thefinalresultanagentintendstoachievebymeansofanaction.Purpose:aprovisionalstageintheprocessofattaininganaim.Function:whatatextmeansorisintendedtomeanfromthereceiver’spointofview.Intention:functionoftheaction,fromviewpointofthesenderwhowantstoachieveacertainpurpose.PurposesGeneralpurpose(justforliving)Communicativepurpose(forinstruction)Purposeaimedatbyaparticularstrategyorprocedure(toshowsth.oftheST)–Islifeworthliving?–Itdependsupontheliver!–生命值得活下去吗？–那得看你怎么个活法。–（那得看你是否心满意足。）Translationbrief,clientTheinformationprovidedbyaclientaboutsuchdetailsasthepurpose,theaddressees,time,place,occasion,mediumoftheintendedcommunication,andthefunctionthetextisintendedtohave.IntratextualcoherenceandintertextualcoherenceIntratextualcoherence:acommunicativeinteractioncanonlyberegardedassuccessfulifthereceiversinterpretitasbeingsufficientlycoherentwiththeirsituation.Intertextualcoherence:thetranslationshouldbearsomekindofrelationshipwiththecorrespondingST.ST:anofferofinformationT:anofferofinformationaboutaprecedingofferofinormation.Basicunderlying‘rules’ofthe