功能翻译理论目的论

《功能翻译理论目的论》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《功能翻译理论目的论（15页珍藏版）》请在装配图网上搜索。

1、方梦之主编：译学词典，上海外语教育出版社，第 29 页功能翻译理论 functionalist translation theory又称“功能目的论(Skopos theory )。1971年，德国的莱斯(K。Reiss)首先提 出“把翻译行为所要达到的特殊目的”作为翻译评价的新模式。 1 984年她在与费米 尔(H。 J. Vermeer)合写的 General Founda tion of Transla tion Theory 一 书中 声称：译者在整个翻译过程中的参照系不应是“对等”翻译理论所注重的原文及其 功能，而应是译文在译语文化环境中所预期达到的一种或若钟交际功能. 20世纪90

2、 年代初，德国学者克利斯蒂安诺德(Christiane Nord)进一步拓展了译文功能 理论。她强调译文与原文的联系，但这种联系的质量与数量由译文的预期功能确定。 这就是说，根据译文语境，原文中的哪些内容或成分可以保留，哪些需调整或改写， 该由译文的预期功能确定。功能目的理论的两项基本原则是：1. 翻译各方面的交互作用受翻译目的所决 定；2。目的随接受对象的不同而变化。按照这两项原则，译者可以为了达到目的 而采用任何他自己认为适当的翻译策略 .换句话说，目的决定方式 (The end justifies the means)。作为受文化制约的语言符号,原文语篇和译文语篇受到各自交际环境的影响，

3、译 文功能与原文功能可相似或保持一致，也可能完全不同。根据不同的语境因素和预 期功能，选择最佳的处理方法，这是功能翻译理论比以对等为基础的翻译理论或极 端功能主义的翻译理论更为优越之处。翻译功能理论指导下的翻译方法表现出较大 的灵活性,较高的科学性和易操作性。Toury把“功能目的论看作是“译文文本中 心论”的翻版。Skopos theory (plural Skopos theories)1.(translation studie) The idea that translating and interpretingshould primarily take into account the

4、 functionof both the source and target text。o 1995， Paul Kussmaul，Training The Translato,r John Benjamins Publishing Co， p。 149：The functional approach has a great affinity withSkopos theory。 The functionofatranslationisdependentontheknowledge， expectations, values and norms of the target readers， w

5、ho 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.Introduction to the Skopos TheoryThe Skopos theory is an approach to transla

6、tion which was put forward by Hans Vemeer and developed in Germany in the late 1970s and which oriented a more functionally and socioculturally concept of translation。Translation is considered not as a process of translation， but as a specific form of human action。In our mind， translation has a purp

7、ose， and the word “Skopos was from Greek。 Its used as the technical term for the purpose of thetranslation。翻译目的论，skopos是希腊语“目的”的意思。其核心概念是翻译过程的最主要 因素是整体翻译行为的目的。1. Introduction to the Skopos TheoryThe Skopos theory is an approach to translation which was put forward by Hans Vemeer and developed in Ger

8、many in the late 1970s and which oriented amorefunctionallyandsocioculturallyconceptoftranslation.Translation is considered not as a process of translation， but as a specific form of human action。 Inourmind，translationhasapurpose,andtheword“Skopos was from Greek. Its used as the technical term for t

9、he purpose of the translation. In the frame work of this theory, one of the most important factorsdeterminingthepurposeofatranslationistheaddress,whoisthe intended receiver or audience of the target text with their world language. Everytranslationis directed at an intended audience 。 The theoryfocus

10、es 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. Vermeer regards it as an “offer of information” that is partly or wholly turned into an “offer of information” for the

11、target audience. From this view, the status of the source is clearly much lower in Skopos theory than the equivalence theory丨。Introduction of the Skopos TheorySkopos theory is the nucleus of German Functional Schoolo The main idea of Skopos theory is that translators should hold the thought from the

12、 perspective of the target readers during the process of translation. Therefore, translators should bear in mind what the function of translation text is, what the target readers demand is and even what communicative situation is。 Consequen tly, t he choice o ft ransla tionstrat egies is decided by

13、the purpose of the translation text,in order to achieve a better function text.There are three main rules which are skopos rule coherence rule and fidelity rule。I.Skopos RuleSkopos is a Greek word for”aimorpurpose”. The top-ranking rule for any translation is thus theskopos rule,which means that a t

14、ranslation action is determined by its skopos; that is, the end justifies the meansby Reiss and Vermeer.Vermeer also stresses on many occasions that the skopos rule is a general rule,and translation strategies and methods are determined by the purpose and the intended function of the target text。2o

15、Coherence RuleThe coherence rule states that the target text must be interpretable as coheren t with the t arge t text receivers situatio n.ln ot her words ,the（完整word版）功能翻译理论目的论 target text must be translated in such a way that it is coherent for the target text receivers,given their circumstances

16、and knowledge.In terms of coherence rule，the source text is no longer of most authority but only part of the translation beliefe。It is only an offer of information forthetranslator，whointurnpicksoutwhatheconsiderstobemeaningful in the receivers situation.2. Fidelity RuleTranslationisaprecedingoffero

17、finformation。 Itisexpectedtobear some relationship with the corresponding source text。 Vermeer calls this relationship”intertextualcoherence”or”fidelity。 Thisispostulated as a further principle, referred to as the”fidelity rule” by Reiss and Vermeer in 1984。The fidel ity rule merely states that ther

18、e must be coherence between the translated version and the source text4。 The Relationship among the RulesFidelity ruleis consideredsubordinate tocoherencerule,and bothare subordinate to the skopos rule。If the skopos requires a change of function, the criterion will no longer be fidelity to the sourc

19、e text but adequacy or appropriateness with regard to the skopos。And if the skopos demands intratextual incoherence,the standard of coherence rule is no longer vivid.Skopos theory(完整word版)功能翻译理论目的论Skopos theory is an approach to translation which was developed inGermany in the late 1970s (Vermeer 19

20、78), and which reflects a general shift from predominantly LINGUISTIC and rather formal translation theories to a more functionally and socioculturally oriented concept of translation。 (cf. ACTION (THEORY OF TRANSLATORIAL ACTION) ； COMMUNICATIVE/FUNCTIONAL APPROACHES). This shift drew inspiration fr

21、om communication theory, action theory， text linguistics and text theory， as well as from movements in literary studies towards reception theories (see for example Iser 1978)。 Apart from Hans Vermeer, the founder of skopos theory, other scholars working in the paradigm include Margret Ammann (1989/1

22、990)， HansH nig and Paul Kussmaul (1982)， Sigrid Kupsch-Losereit (1986)， Christiane Nord (1988) and Heidrun Witte (1987a)； see also articles in the journal TEXTconTEXT, published since 1986 by Groos in Heidelberg.Skopos theory takes seriously factors which have always been stressed in action theory，

23、 and which were brought into sharp relief with the growing need in the latter half of the twentieth century for the translation of nonliterary text types. In the translation of scientific and academic papers ， instructions for use, tourist guides ， contracts, etc.， the contextual factors surrounding

24、 the translation cannot be ignored。 These factors include the culture of the intended readers of the target text and of the client who has commissioned it, and, in particular， the function which the text is to perform in that culture for those readers. Skopos theory is directly oriented towards this

25、 function.Translation is viewed not as a process of transcoding， but as a specific form of human action. Like any other human action， translation has a purpose, and the word skopos, derived from Greek， is used as the technical term for the purpose of a translation. Skopos must be defined before tran

26、slation can begin； in highlighting skopos, the theory adopts a prospective attitude to translation, as opposed to the retrospective attitude adopted in theories which focus on prescriptions derived from the source text.In addition to its purpose ， any action has an outcome. The outcome of translatio

27、nal action is a translatum （Vermeer 1979:174; translat in Reiss and Vermeer 1984/1991：2）, a particular variety of target text.Vermeers skopos theoryVermeer （1978：100） postulates that as a general rule it must be the intended purpose of the target text that determines translation methods and strategi

28、es. From this postulate, he derives the skopos rule： Human action （and its subcategory： translation） is determined by its purpose （skopos）， and therefore itis a function of its purpose. The rule is formalized using the formula: IA（Trl） = f（Sk）.The main point of this functional approach is the follow

29、ing： it is not the source text as such, or its effects on the source-text recipien，t or the function assigned to it by the author ， that determines the translation process， as is postulated by EQUIVALENCEbased translation theories， but the prospective function or skopos of the target text as determi

30、ned by the initiators， i.e。 clients, needs。 Consequently, the skopos is largely(完整word版)功能翻译理论目的论 constrained by the target text user (reader/listener) and his/her situation and cultural background.Two further general rules are the coherence rule and the fidelity rule. The coherence rule stipulates

31、that the target text must be sufficiently coherent to allow the intended users to comprehend it， given their assumed background knowledge and situational circumstances, The starting point for a translation is a text as part of a world continuum， written in the source language. It has to be translate

32、d into a target language in such a way that it becomes part of a world continuum which can be interpreted by the recipients as coherent with their situation (Vermeer 1978:100)。The fidelity rule concerns intertextual coherence between translatum and source text, and stipulates merely that some relati

33、onship must remain between the two once the overriding principle of skopos and the rule of (intratextual) coherence have been satisfied.The general translation theory of Reiss and VermeerIn combining Vermeers general skopos theory of 1978 with the specific translation theory developed by Katharina R

34、eiss ， Reiss and Vermeer (1984/1991) arrive at a translation theory that is sufficiently general (allgemeine Translationstheorie)， and sufficiently complex， to cover a multitude of individual cases. They abstract from phenomena that are specific to individual cultures and languages an account of gen

35、eral factors determining the translation process， to which special theories that concern individual problems or subfields can be linked consistently。A text is viewed as an offer of information (Informationsangebot) made by a producer to a recipient。 Translation is then characterized as offering info

36、rmation to members of one culture in their language (the target language and culture) about information originally offered in another language within another culture (the source language and culture )。 A translation is a secondary offer of information， imitating a primary offer of information。 Or, t

37、o be more precise， the translator offers information about certain aspects of the source-text-in situation, according to the target text skopos specified by the initiator (Reiss and Vermeer 1984/1991:76)。 Nei ther the selection made from the information offered in the source text, nor the specificat

38、ion of the skopos happens at random; rather， they are determined bytheneeds, expectations, etc.of thetargettext receivers。 Translation is by definition interlingual and intercultural, it involves both linguistic and cultural transfer; in other words, it is a culturetranscending process (Vermeer 1992

39、：40)。Since skopos varies with text receivers, the skopos of the target text and of the source text may be different. In cases where the skopos is the same for the two texts, Reiss and Vermeer (1984/1991：45) speak of Funktionskonstanz(functionalconstancy),whereascasesinwhichtheskopos differs between

40、the two texts undergo Funktions nderung (change of function)。 In cases of the latter type, the standard for the translation will not be intertextual coherence with the source text, but adequacy or appropriateness to the skopos, which also determines the selection andarrangement of content.Although a

41、 translatum is not ipso facto a faithful imitation of the source text， fidelity to the source text is one possible or legitimate skopos。 Skopos theory should not, therefore， be understood as promoting (extremely) free translation in all, or even a majority of cases.Although the terms skopos， purpose

42、 and function are often used interchangeably by Reiss and Vermeer(1984/1991)， function is also used in a more specific sense which derives mainly from Reiss. In this sense, it is linked to aspects of genre (Textsorte) and text type (Textty)p. The source text can be assigned to a text type and to a g

43、enre， and in making this assignment， the translator can decide on the hierarchy ofpostulates which has to be observed during target text production (Reiss and Vermeer 1984/1991:196). Reiss and Vermeers text typology, based on Buhler (1934)， includestheinformative， theexpressiveandtheoperativetext ty

44、pes, which derive from the descriptive, the expressive and the appellativefunctionsoflanguage, respectively.Suchatypologyishelpful mainly where functional constancy is required between source and target texts.However, both Vermeer (1989a) and Reiss (1988) have expressed reservations about the role o

45、f genre: the source text does not determine the genre of the target text, nor does the genre determine ipso facto the form of the target text, or, indeed, the skopos； rather, it is the skopos of the translation that determines the appropriate genre for the translatum, and（完整word版）功能翻译理论目的论 the genre

46、, being a consequence of the skopo，s is secondary to it （Vermeer 1989a： 187）。Status of source text and target textAccording to skopos theory， then， translation is the production of a functionally appropriate target text based on an existing source text， and the relationship between the two texts is

47、specified according to the skopos of the translation。 One practical consequence of this theory is a reconceptualization of the status of the source text 。 It is up to the translator as the expert to decide what role a source text is to play in the translation action. The decisive factor is the preci

48、sely specified skopos, and the source text is just one constituent of the commission given to the translator. The translator is required to act consciously in accordance with the skopos, and skopos must be decided separately in each specific case。 It may be ADAPTATION to the target culture， but it m

49、ay also be to acquaint the reader with the source culture。 The translator should know what the point of a translation is-thatit has some goalbut that any given goal is only one among many possible goals. The important point is that no source text has only one correct or preferable translation （Verme

50、er 1989a： 182）， and that, consequently, every translation commission should explicitly or implicitly contain a statement of skopos。 The skopos for the target text need not be identical with that attributed to the source text; but unless the skopos for the target text is specified， translation cannot

51、, properly speaking, be carried out at all.Criticism of skopos theoryObjections to skopos theory mainly concern the definition of translation and the relationship between source text and target text.It has been argued that Reiss and Vermeer， in their attempt to establish a truly general and comprehe

52、nsive translation theory ， force totally disparate cases of text relations into a frame which they attempt to hold together by means of the notion of information offer (SchreitmU Iler 1994:105). But there should be a limit to what may legitimately be called translationasopposedto,forexample， ADAPTAT

53、ION。 Intranslationproper (Ko l l er 1990)， thesourcetextistheyardstickbywhichalltranslations mustbemeasured， independentlyofthepurposeforwhichtheywereproduced。In this context it is also argued that, even though a translation may indeed fulfil its intended skopos perfectly well， it may nevertheless b

54、e assessed as inadequate on other counts, particularly as far as lexical， syntactic, or stylistic decisions on the microlevel are concerned (a point made by Chesterman 1994:153 ， who otherwise acknowledges the important contributions of skopos theory)。 Such objections come mainly from linguistically

55、 oriented approaches to translation that focus on bottom-up aspects of text production and reception。 For example， Newmark (1991b： 106) criticizes the oversimplification that is inherent in functionalis，m the emphasis on the message at the expense of richness of meaning and to the detriment of the a

56、uthority of the sourcelanguage text.However, proponents of skopos theory argue for a wide definition of(完整word版)功能翻译理论目的论 translation (e.g. Reiss 1990). As soon as one asks for the purpose of a translation，strategies that are often listed under adaptation，for example reformulation， paraphrase and te

57、xtual explication, will come in naturally as part of translation。 And critics of microlevel decisions usually lift the texts out of their respective environments for comparative purposes, ignoring their functional aspects。 Reiss and Vermeers cultural approach has also been judged less applicable to

58、literary translation， due to the special status of a literary work of art. Snell-Hornby (1990 ：84) argues that the situation and function of literary texts are more complex than those of nonliterary texts， and that style is a highly important factor. Therefore， although skopos theory is by no means

59、irrelevant to literary translation, a number of points need rethinking before the theory can be made fully applicable to this genre.It is also possible to argue that to assign a skopos to a literary text is to restrict its possibili ties of interpretation。 In literary theory a distinction is often m

60、ade between text as potential and text as realization, and skopos theory appears to see the text only as realization, and not as a potential which can be used in different situations with different addressees and having different functions. However, Vermeer(1989a: 181) argues that when a text is act

61、ually composed, this is done with an assumed function, or a restricted set of functions, in mind。 Skopos theory does not deny that a text may be used in ways that had not been foreseen originally， only that a translatum is a text in its own right, with its own potentialfor use.Skopos theory has help

62、ed to bring the target text into focus。 As a text， a translation is not primarily determined by a source text, but by its own skopos. This axiom provides a theoretical argument for describing translations in terms of original text production and against describing them in the more traditional terms

63、of EQUIVALENCE with another text in another language (see also Jakobsen 1993:156). Translation is a DECISION MAKING process. The criteria for the decisions are provided by the skopos, i o e。 the concrete purpose and aims in a concrete translation commissionThe shift of focus away from source text re

64、production to the more independentchallengesoftarget-textproductionhasbroughtinnovationto translationtheory。 Asattentionhasturnedtowardsthefunctionalaspects of translation and towards the explanation of translation decisions, the expertiseandethicalresponsibilityofthetranslatorhavecometothefore。 Tra

65、nslators have come to be viewed as target-text authors and have been releasedfromthelimitationsandrestrictionsimposedbyanarrowlydefined concept of loyalty to the source text alone.Further readingAmmann 1989/1990； Newma rk 1991b; Re i s s 1986, 1988， 1990;ReissandVermeer 1984/ 1991； Vermeer 1978, 1982, 1989a， 1992.CHRISTINA SCH FFNER中央电视台主持人：芮成钢 名言 世界上两件事情最难：一是把自己的思想装进别人的脑袋 ,二是把别人的钱装进自 己的口袋。前者成功了，叫老师,后者成功了，叫老板;两者都成功了。叫老婆.