Universidad Popular Autnoma de Veracruz

Licenciatura en Idioma Ingls

Seventh term

Skopos theory
Subject:

Traduccin Literaria

Teacher:

Edn Esteban Silvano

Student:

Dmaris Carrillo Marrufo

Coatzacoalcos Ver, December 5th 2015

Skopos
Theory

Skopos theory is a theory of translation by the German translator

Vermeer in 1978. This is a new perspective of looking at translation,
which is no longer limited by conventional source-text oriented views.
Vermeer finds that, according to action theory, every action has a
purpose, and, since translation is an action, it must have a purpose too.
The purpose is assigned to every translation by means of commission.
To some extent, Skopos theory makes up, or at least tried to, for
the deficiency of conventional translation theories. In Skopos theory,
there

are

not

such

things

as

right

or

wrong,

faithfulness

or

unfaithfulness, and the translation Skopos decides the translation

process. Skopos theory accounts for different strategies in different
situations, in which the source text is not the only factor involved.
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. Hans Vermeer believes that the purpose of a text determines
the translation strategies. He objects to the traditional equivalencebased theories, which speak of the source text, or its effects on the
source text reader, or the purpose of the source text author as a decisive
factor in translation and raises the Skopos of the translation action to the
center.
In

Christiane

Nords

Translating

as

Purposeful

Activity-

Functionalist Approaches Explained, she defines the Skopos theory in

this way: Skopos is a Greek word for purpose. According to Skopos
theorie (the theory that applies the notion of Skopos to translation), the
prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose
(Skopos) of the overall translational action. This fits in with intentionality
being part of the very definition of any action. Skopos theory focuses

above all on the purpose of the translation, which determines the

translation methods and strategies that are to be employed in order to
produce a functionally adequate result. This result is the TT, which
Vermeer calls the translatum. Therefore, in Skopos theory, knowing why
an ST is to be translated and what the function of the TT will be crucial
for the translator.
The Skopos theory experienced four stages:
(1) Katharina Reiss and the functional category of translation criticism
(2) Hans J.Vermeer: Skopos theorie and beyond
(3) Justa Holz-Manttari and the theory of translational action.
(4) Christiane Nords Function plus Loyalty Principle
The book Possibilities and Limits of Translation Criticism, written by
Katharina Reiss, can be regarded as the starting point for the scholarly
analysis of translation in German. In her opinion, the ideal translation
would be one in which the aim in the TL (target language) is
equivalence as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and
communicative function of a SL (source language). However, she finds in
some situation equivalence is impossible.
Function is yet another term that refers to what a text means. The
meaning of the text is viewed by the receiver. Another related term to
skopos is intention which is regarded as an aim- oriented plan of action
on the part of both the sender and the receiver. This points towards an
appropriate way of producing or understanding the text.
The skopos rule is the following: Each text is produced for a given
purpose and should serve this purpose. The skopos rule thus reads as
follows: translate/interpret/speak/write in a way that enables your

text/translation to function in the situation it is used and with the people

who want to use it and precisely in the way they want it to function.
It is worth mentioning that translation is normally done 'by
assignment' .A client needs a text for a particular purpose and calls upon
the translator for a translation, thus acting as the initiator of the
translation process. The initiator is the person who initiates the process
of translation because he wants the ST to be translated. He can be the
ST author, the TT recipient, the translator, a private company, an agent
from the government etc.
A text in skopostheorie approach is considered as an offer of
information. This offer is directed from the producer of the text to its
recipient. Translation is then is a secondary offer of information about
information originally offered in another language within another culture.
Translators are aware of the fact that the norms of the target language
will not necessarily go in line with those of the source language. That is
why a kind of accommodation (adjustment) in the target text is needed
so as to arrive at a solution for the problem. Consequently, a TT is an
offer of information formulated by a translator in a target culture and
language about an offer of information in the source culture and
language. A translator is in a position to produce a text that is
meaningful to target culture receivers. In Vermeer's terms, the TT
should conform to the standard of 'intratextuality coherence'. This is
explained in his book in collaboration with Reiss (Reiss and Vermeer,
1984 b:109ff). For a text to be communicative and understandable, it
has to be coherent with the receivers' situation. Being 'coherent with' is
synonymous with being 'part of' the receivers' situation and context of
use.
What is significant is that there is a relationship between a ST and TT
since a translation is an offer of information about a preceding offer of

information. Vermeer calls this relationship ' intertextual coherence ' or

'fidelity' ( Nord , 1997 :32 ). The intertextual coherence relationship
holds between source and target texts. The form of this coherence
depends on:
a. the translator's interpretation of the ST and
b. the translation skopos.

Basic concepts of skopos theory

A. Theory of Action
The theory of action provides the foundation for Skopos theory.
Action is the process of acting, which means intentionally (at will)
bringing about or preventing a change in the world (in nature). Action
can thus be defined as an intentional change or transition from one
state of affaires to another. If there are two or more agents, the theory
of action can become a theory of interaction.
B. Skopos, Aim, Purpose, Intention, Function
Skopos is a Greek word for purpose. According to Skopostheorie,
the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose
(Skopos) of the overall translational action. This fits in with intentionality
being part of the very definition of any action. We can distinguish
between three possible kinds of purpose in the field of translation: the
general purpose aimed at by the translator in the translation process,
the communicative purpose aimed at by the target text in the target
situation, and the purpose aimed at by a particular translation strategy
or procedure.
Nevertheless, the term Skopos usually refers to the purpose of the target
text.

C. Intertextual and Intratextual Coherence

Intratextual coherence specified that a translation should be acceptable
in the sense that it is coherent with the receivers situation, that is, the
target-text receivers should be able to understand the target text and
interpret it as being sufficiently coherent with their own communicative
situation and culture.
Intertextual

coherence

is

considered

subordinate

to

intratextual

coherence, and both are subordinate to the Skopos rule.

D. Culture
Translating

means

comparing

cultures.

Translators

interpret

source-culture phenomena in the light of their own culture-specific

knowledge of that culture, from either the inside or the outside,
depending on whether the translation is from or into the translators
native language-and-culture

Rules of Scopos Theory

1. A trunslatum (or TT) is determined by its Skopos.
2. A TT is an offer of information (Informationsangebot) in a target
culture and TL concerning an offer of
information in a source culture and SL.
3. A TT does not initiate an offer of information in a clearly reversible
way.
4. A TT must be internally coherent.
5. A TT must be coherent with the ST.
6. The five rules above stand in hierarchical order, with the Skopos rule
predominating.

Conclusion
It is often said, especially by laymen, that translation does not
really have a theory. Not true: it has lots! But at least it does not have a
general theory. Translation Studies has produced at best only a mixture
of fragmentary theories.
The

function

of

translation

depends

on

the knowledge,

expectations, values and norms of the target readers, who are again
influenced by the situation they are in and by the culture. These factors
determine whether the function of the source text or passages in the
source text can be preserved or have to be modified or even changed.
The skopos theory had helped to make traduction more realistic.

References
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 2, No. 10, pp. 2189-2193,
October 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.
http://www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&aId=50013
http://www.helsinki.fi/~chesterm/2010a.skopos.html