The author proposes a holistic communication model. The goal determines the communication strategy and as the translator or interpreter is the "expert", it is the who knows how to behave culturally adequate, both verbally and non-verbally, in a specific situation. The translator/interpreter translates/interprets what he believes to be the skopos (goal) of his task. He translates/interprets in a way that he believes to be optimal for the realisation of the skopos. The translator/interpreter can only act adequately, if he knows what he has to produce and in which way. He therefore needs a specific foreknowledge for his output. The better the translator/interpreter is acquainted with the facts, the author and the situation, the better he will be able to translate/interpret. It will also enable him to distance himself from the source text and work more skopos oriented.