1. Translation and Interpreting Studies II Functionalism 19 April 2010

2. Functionalist Approaches “focusing on the function or functions of texts and translations” (Nord 1997:1) Translation as an activity, embedded in a theory of human action

3. Functionalism Functionalist Approaches  Text Typology (Reiss)  Skopostheorie (Reiss and Vermeer)  Translational Action (Holz-Mänttäri)  Hypertext (Pöchhacker)

4. Text Typology Informative texts  Emphasis on content.  New texts, business correspondence etc Expressive texts  various literary genres, eg poetry, novels, short stories  Informative aspect overruled by aesthetic effect Operative texts  advertisements, political propaganda  Both content and form are subordinate to extralinguistic effect  Persuasive

5. Skopostheorie Skopos (purpose)  An action is determined by its purpose  Translation is an offer of information in a target culture and its language about a source culture and its language  A TT is not clearly reversible  A translation needs to be coherent in itself  A translation needs to be coherent with the source text The five rules above stand in hierarchical order, with the skopos rule predominating

6. Skopostheorie “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 in which it is used and with the people who want to use it and precisely in the way they want it to function (Vermeer, cited in, and translated by, Nord 1997:29)

7. Skopostheorie Skopos can be described as a recipient dependent variable Different parts of the text can have different skopoi Text as ‘offer of information’

8. Skopostheorie Aim (Ziel)  the final result an agent intends to achieve by an action. Purpose (Zweck)  provisional stage in the process of attaining an aim Intention (Intention or Absicht)  an aim-oriented plan of action, defined from the point of view of the sender Function (Function)  the way the receivers of the text actually use it, irrespective ofthe aims of the translation

9. Skopostheorie Reaction as adaquate to the situation  Adequacy In the translation of a source text or element, adequacy refers to the relationship between the source and target text in relation to the skopos that followed in the translation process  Intratextual coherence over intertextual coherence

10. Skopostheorie Action is deemed successful if no protest arises  Successful action (also partially successful) vs protest  An interaction is successful when it is interpreted by a recipient as being sufficiently coherent with the situation and no protest in whatever form ensues about the transfer, language and sense of the interaction

11. Theory of Translatorial Action Focus on agents (individuals playing roles)  Initiator (person who needs TT)  Commissioner (person who asks the translator to produce a TT for a particular purpose and addressee)  Translator  ST producer  TT producer  TT user  TT receiver

12. Hypertext Application to the conference situation for simultaneous interpreting The conference as ‘hypertext’ (Poechhacker 2005:5)  an ‘overarching sort of text comprised of a number of individual texts’  Hypertext skopos (assignment contract)  Conference typologies  Communicative context

13. Criticisms of Functionalism Source text is ‘dethroned’ Applicability to literary translation? No distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ purposes Fascination with terminology and inconsistent use of this Not based on empirical studies Concepts of source and target culture underdefined Not all actions have an intention (works of art)