Functionalist approaches to translation are derived from a general theory of translation called Skopostheorie, brought forward by the German scholar Hans J. Vermeer in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was soon taken up by several scholars who were teaching at the schools for translator and interpreter training in Germersheim (University of Mainz) and Heidelberg, who applied it to their translation classes. It has now followers all over the world, particularly in countries, where translation needs are pressing for various reasons, like South Africa or China. After a short overview of the development of Skopostheorie (for a more detailed account see Nord 2012), the article will describe the basic concepts of the theory and the various fields of application, which are usually referred to as “Functionalist Approaches” (cf. Nord 1997a). The last section will give a short outlook on present and future functionalist research.
References
Göpferich, Susanne
1995“A pragmatic classification of LSP texts in science and technology.”Target 7 (2): 305–326. TSB
Holz-Mänttäri, Justa
1984Translatorisches Handeln: Theorie und Methode. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakademia. TSB
Hönig, Hans G. & Kußmaul, Paul
1982Strategie der Übersetzung. Ein Lehr- und Arbeitsbuch. Tübingen: Narr.
Nida, Eugene A
1964Toward a Science of Translating. With special reference to principles and procedures involved in Bible translating. Leiden: Brill. TSB
Nobs, Marie-Louise
2006La traducción de folletos turísticos. ¿Qué calidad demandan los turistas?Granada: Comares. TSB
Nord, Christiane
1988/2005Textanalyse und Übersetzen. Heidelberg: Groos. English translation: Text Analysis in Translation. Amsterdam: Rodopi. TSB
Nord, Christiane
1997aTranslating as a Purposeful Activity. Functionalist Approaches Explained. Manchester: St. Jerome. TSB
Nord, Christiane
1997b“A functional typology of translations.” In Text Typology and Translation, Anna Trosborg (ed.), 43–66. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. TSB
Nord, Christiane
2003a“What about function(s) in Bible Translation?”ATA Chronicle vol. XXXIII, 03/2003: 34–38..
Nord, Christiane
2003bKommunikativ handeln auf Spanisch und Deutsch. Ein funktionaler übersetzungsorientierter Sprach- und Stilvergleich. Wilhelmsfeld: Egert. TSB
1995“Simultaneous interpreting: a functionalist perspective.”Hermes – Journal of Linguistics 14: 31–53.. TSB
Prieto Ramos, Fernando
(2002): “Beyond The Confines Of Literality: A Functionalist Approach To The Sworn Translation Of Legal Documents.”Puentes 2: 27–35. TSB
Reiss, Katharina
1971Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Übersetzungskritik – Kategorien und Kriterien für eine sachgerechte Beurteilung von Übersetzungen. Munich: Hueber. [English translation: Translation Criticism – the Potentials & Limitations. Categories and Criteria for Translation Quality Assessment. Manchester: St. Jerome.] TSB
Reiss, Katharina & Vermeer, Hans J
1984Grundlegung einer allgemeinen Translationstheorie. Tübingen: Niemeyer. [English translation: Towards a General Theory of Translational Action: Skopos Theory Expained. 2013. Trans. Christiane Nord. London/New York: Routledge.] The translator is human too: a case for instrumentalism in multilingual specialised communication. BoP
Risku, Hanna
1998Translatorische Kompetenz. Kognitive Grundlagen des Übersetzens als Expertentätigkeit. Tübingen: Stauffenburg. TSB
Schäffner, Christina
1997“From ‘Good’ to ‘Functionally Appropriate’: Assessing Translation Quality.”Current Issues in Language and Society 4 (1): 1–5. TSB
Schäffner, Christina & Wiesemann, Uwe
2001Annotated Texts for Translation: English – German. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. TSB
Schmitt, Peter A
1989“Kulturspezifik von Technik-Texten: Ein translatorisches und terminographisches Problem.” In Kulturspezifik des translatorischen HandelnsHans J. Vermeer (ed.), 53–87. Heidelberg: Institut für Übersetzen und Dolmetschen. TSB
Schopp, Jürgen F
1993“Der Übersetzer als ‘Typograph’: Von der druckreifen Übersetzung zum druckfertigen Translat.”TexTconText 8: 237–257.
Vermeer, Hans J
1978“Ein Rahmen für eine allgemeine Translationstheorie.”Lebende Sprachen 23: 99–102.
Vermeer, Hans J
1987“What does it mean to translate?”Indian Journal of Applied Linguistics 13(2): 25–33. TSB
Von Wright, Georg Henrik
1968An Essay in Deontic Logic and the General Theory of Action. Amsterdam: North Holland.