Chapter published in:
Reflections on Translation Theory: Selected papers 1993 - 2014Andrew Chesterman
[Benjamins Translation Library 132] 2017
► pp. 55–70
Skopos theory
A retrospective assessment
This is a critical assessment of skopos theory, looking at its basic assumptions, its problematic empirical and ontological status (descriptive or prescriptive?), and its conceptual and pedagogical contributions.
Keywords: skopos, metaphor, descriptive adequacy, explanatory adequacy, value-free science, action theory, relevance theory, prescriptive theory