German functionalist is the mainstream of the modern functionalist translation theory which sprung up in 1970S in Germany. There have been four outstanding contributors to form this theory: Reiss (1971- Possibilities and Limitations in Translation Criticism), H.J.Vermeer (1986-Skopostheory), Justa Holz Manttari (1988-Translatrional Action) and Nord (2001) . In 1971, in the book Possibilities and Limits of Translation Criticism, Reiss put forward a model of translation criticism which based on the functional relationship between source and target texts in he book Possibilities and Limits of Translation Criticism. She still held to the equivalence principle ,therefore her theory was based on the functional equivalence between source and target texts. Vermeer, the student of Reiss, defined translation as a purposeful human activity that takes place in a given situation based on action theory. He put forward Skopostheorie which serves as the foundation of the functionalist translation theory. Skopos is a Greek word for “purpose”, and Skopostheorie means the theory of purposeful action. Skopostheorie theory includes three principal rules: namely, the Skopos rule, the coherence rule (intratextual coherence) and the fidelity rule (intertextual coherence). On the basis of Skopostheorie, Justa Holz Mănttări put forward the notion of “message transmitter” which is composed of textual materials combined with other media such as sounds ,pictures and body movements. Placing special emphasis on the actional aspects of the translation process, she analyzed the roles of the participants (initiator, translator, user, message receiver) and the situational conditions (time, place, motive) in which their activities take place. Nord then put forward his two principles about “skopos” and “loyalty”, which constitute the two basic principles of Skopostheory. 2.2 Skopos Theory skopos theory, serving as the central theory of Germany functionalism, is an approach to translation which developed in Germany by Vermeer in the late 1970s, and the word skopos, derived from Greek, is used as the technical term for the purpose of a translation. Skopos theory plays an important role in translation of non-literary text types. In the translation of scientific and academic papers, instruction, contracts, tourist guides, etc., the contextual elements surrounding the translation cannot be neglected. These elements include the culture of the intended readers of the target text and the culture of the client who has authorized it, and particularly the function that the text is to represent in that culture for those readers. Skopos theory emphasize the interactional, pragmatic aspects of translation, advancing that the shape of the target text should be determined by the function chiefly or "skopos" that it is intended to fulfill in the target context. Vermeer assumes that as a general rule, Skopos theory intended purpose of the of the target text that determines methods and strategies of translation. From this hypothesis he conclude skopos rule: Human (and its subdivision: translation) is determined by its purpose (skopos), and therefore it is a function of its purpose. The main point of this functional method is that the prospective function or skopos of the target text as determined by the initiator’s, i.e. Client’s needs. Consequently, the skopos is largely restricted by the target text reader and his/her place and cultural background. In the view of Vermeer, the source text is re-conceptualized and is also seen as an information offer, which the translator must interpret through selecting those features that most closely cater for the requirements of the target situation. 2.3 Text Typology Grounded on Buhler‘s classification of language functions (i.e. presentation, expression and appeal) and Reiss‘s early text typology theory, Peter Newmark makes a further research and classifies all the texts into three textual functions: informative, expressive and vocative functions 40. (1) The Informative Function The informative function texts mainly refer to non-literary works including scientific papers, newspaper reports,textbooks, academic theses, and journal articles. The first purpose of translating these texts is to fully render the "extra-linguistic" information of the text. If the target text conveys all the necessary information of the source text correctly and masterly, it can get corresponding effect. Consequently, sometimes it is necessary for us to have several different translated versions to express the same source text, and all these versions are worth while to accept. (2) The Expressive Function The expressive function texts generally includes authoritative statements, literary works, autobiography, personal correspondence, etc. Newmark argues that a ideal translation of expressive function text is a resurgence of the author‘s writing style. This function is author-oriented, and the translator should stick by the original author.” The author uses the verbalism to express his feelings unaware of any response. (3) The Vocative Function |
