Functional theories of translation 1
• Text type. Katharina Reiss (she is preoccupied with equivalents-text typology)
• “Text identify the type of text”: it is her basic moto.
• Text type influences the translation but it is not the only method. That’s why it is
limited.
• She introduced 4 types of texts:
1) Informative: offers, relays info
2) Expressive: literary texts, especially in poetry, aesthetic effect
3) Operative: induce a certain response in the reader (political speeches, ads,
sermons)
4) Audiomedial: TV ads, films, visual-spoken ads
• We are going to focus on 3 types of texts
Text type
Informative
Expressive
operative
Language function
Represents objects, facts
Expresses attitudes
Makes an appeal
Language dimension
logical
aesthetic
dialogic
Text focus
Content focused
Form focused
Appellative focused
T.T. should
Transmit the content
Transmit the aesthetic
Elicit the desired respon
Translation method
Plain prose with elicitation as
required: leave sth out or add
Identifying and adopt
author’s perspective
Adaptive, achieve the
desired effect
Functional theories of translation 2
•
Hybrid e.g. texts that are both informative, expressive and operative (satire). Ads
are also hybrid texts because their predominant nature is operative but they also
try to inform us about sth.
Informative: reference work, report, lecture, manuals/operating instructions
Expressive: Play, poem
•
•
Satire
Operative: sermon, electoral speech, ads
We should start our translation by identifying the type of text we have in front of
us
Examples of function change:
–
–
–
Language function changes when e.g. literary texts are used to teach. Gulliver’s travels started as
operative texts but became expressive.
The changes in function are decided by the commissioner, not us
In hybrid texts, we adopt the translation of the predominant text type
Texts form photocopies (handouts)
• Text 1: Upon the roof
Informative text, journalistic article. It also expresses the reader’s attitude. There
are also traces of operative text (hybrid text). There are many functions but the
predominant function is to inform.
• Text 2: New law on DNA testing
Purely informative text, legal text. We translate according to the Plain Prose.
• Text 3: Atomic fingerprinting
Informative, scientific text
• Text 4: Hepatocellular carcinoma
Informative, medical text
• Text 5: Linguistic theory and issues of prescription/description
informative text, author is against descriptivism. There are traces of expressive
text- Hybrid text
• Text 6: the picture of Dorian grey
expressive text, literary text
The predominant nature of ads is operative but they may also try to inform us about
issues  Hybrid
Functional theories of translation 3
• Skopos theory: (1984) Groundwork for a general Theory of Translation
• Hans Vermeer/ Katharina Reiss they claim that the translation is an action
Skopos = an intended purpose
Their theory dethrones the source text. They focus on the TT (translatum)
• The translation started with the translation of the Bible and general literary texts
• Functional approaches specialized texts
• Rules underlining Skopos theory:
1) A T.T. is determined by its skopos
2) A T.T. is an offer of info in the T.C. (target culture) and T.L. concerning an offer
of info in the S.C. and S.L. (we need to know the function of T.T.)
3) A T.T. is not clearly reversible
4) A T.T. must be internally coherent
5) A T.T. must be coherent with the S.T.
6) The above rules appear in a hierarchical order with rule 1 being predominant.
This theory really holds for specialized texts e.g. a medical-scientific text translated for
the general public.
Vermeer and Reiss talk about Adequacy and not Equivalence
Adequacy is the fulfillment of the skopos of T.T.
Functional theories of translation 4
• Holz Manttari (1984)
• Translational or translatorial action
• Her theory is based on action and communication theory. She suggests that
translation doesn’t involve translation of sentences of text but translation is a
communication process.
a) The initiator (the person or company that initiates translation)
b) The commissioner
c) S.T. producer (the author of the text)
d) T.T. producer (the translator)
e) T.T. user
f) T.T. receiver (the recipients: general public)
BUT if sb is the author of a text, the author might also be the commissioner,
producer, initiator and the user.
Functional theories of translation 5
[Holz Manttari (1984)]
MAIN POINTS OF THE THEORY
The translator should:
1) Produce a T.T. functionally for the T.T. receiver. This cannot be done by following the
S.T. We have ultimate freedom of translation
2) Negotiate with the commissioner the time and process of translation
3) Analyze the text in terms of content and form
Content a. factual information
b. overall communicative stategy (the strategy/ the way the author writes)
Form a. terminology
b. cohesive elements
e.g. cohesion: The council of Ministers= το συμβούλιο των υπουργών
synonyms
The council of the European= το συμβούλιο της Ε.Ε.
The Treaty of Maastricht
synonyms
The Treaty of European Union
• Terminology ≠ Register
e.g. For example= high register: επί παραδείγματι – low register: για παράδειγμα
IMPORTANTit’s the only theory which linked the translator with the commissioner. Freedom
to the translator (which is also dangerous)