Translation theories
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Eugene Nida Katharina Reiss et al Newmark
Hervey and Higgins
Eugene Nida (1964)
• Equivalence • Two types of equivalence: formal & Dynamic • Formal: form and content • Dynamic: equivalent effect, to make the TT conform to target culture conventions and read like TL original texts • content should always take priority over form if an equivalent effect is to be achieved (Poetry?)
Hans Vermeer
Katharina Reiss
What is skopos?
• Skopos is the Greek word for ‗aim‘ or ‗purpose‘ and was introduced into translation theory in the 1970s by Hans. J. Vermeer as a technical term for the purpose of a translation and of the action of translating
Translation brief (翻译纲 要）, client
• The information provided by a client about such details as the purpose, the addressees, time, place, occasion, medium of the intended communication, and the function the text is intended to have.
What is equivalence?
• A relationship f equal commmunicative value or function between a source and a target text or, on lower ranks, between words, phrases, sentences, syntactic structures etc. of a source and a target language.
Basic underlying ‘rules’ of the theory (Reiss & Vermeer 1984:119).
• a. A translatum (or TT) is determined by its skopos • b. A TT is an offer of information in a target culture and TL concerning an offer of information in a source culture and SL. • c. A TT does not initiate an offer of information in a clearly reversible way. • d. A TT must be internally coherent. • e. A TT must be coherent with the ST. • f. The five rules above stand in hierarchical order, with the skopos rule predominating.
The Theory
• The prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the overall translational action.
Equivalence-based vs. skopos-based
Translation and culture
• Translation is culture-transcending process. • Translation means comparing cultures.
– Concept of culture: The entire setting of norms and conventions an individual as a member of his society must know in order to be ‘like everybody‘ – or to be able to be different from everybody.
The characteristics of functionalist approaches
• Oriented towards cultural rather than linguistic transfer • To view translation not as a process of transcoding, but as an act of communication • Oriented towards the function of TT (prospective translation) rather than the prescriptions of ST (retrospective translation) • To view the text as an integral part of the world, not as an isolated specimen of language(SnellHornby, 2001: 43)
Three rules
• Coherence rule: a translation should be acceptable in a sense that it is coherent with the receivers‘ situation, being part of the receivers‘ situation. • Fidelity rule: a translation should be as faithful as possible to the original. • The Skopos rule: translate/interpret/speak/write in a way that enables your text/translation to function in the situation in which it is used and with the people who want to use it and precisely in the way they want it to function.
Skopos Theory:德国功能学派
+Fidelity principle
Christiane Nord
Theory of translation action
Justa Holz Manttari
Achieve the desired Purposes of the target text Text types
科普类文本翻译
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Popular Science Articles Translation Theories Pre-translation Preparations
Translation Strategies
科普类文本定义及特点
• 定义：科普类文章是指通过通俗易、懂深入 浅出的语言传播和普及科学知识和技术技能， 提高大众科学素养的文章。 • 类型：科普说明文、科学小品文 • 文体特征： 科学性、知识性、通俗性、文 学性、趣味性、娱乐性为一体 • 目的：丰富知识、开拓视野、活跃思维 • 理解和翻译：当做科技说明文（内容的科学 性）；当做散文式的文学作品 （文笔的生 动性）
Nida’s equivalence
• Formal equivalence: a faithful reproduction of ST form elements • Dynamic equivalence: the degree to which the receptors of the message in the receptor language respond to it substantially the same manner as the receptors in the source language. • Functional equivalence: seeks to translate not only the text itself, but the effect of the text on its readers; more satisfatory to describe the degrees of adequacy of a translation. (Jan de Waard and Eugene A. Nida)
– Or: Human action (and its subcategory: translation) is determined by its purpose, and therefore it is a function of its purpose.
Adequacy and equivalence
• Equivalence-based theories: ST, effects on ST recipients, function assigned by the author determining translation process. • Skopos-based theories: prospective function or skopos of TT determining translation process.