Translating as a Purposeful Activity Functionalist Approaches Explained

Introduction

1   Historical overview

1.1   Early views

1.2   Katharina Reiss and the functional category of translation criticism

1.3   Hans J. Vermeer: Skopostheorie and beyond

1.4   Justa Holz-Mänttäri and the theory of translatorial action

1.5   Functionalist methodology in translator training

2   Translation and the theory of action

      2.1 Translating as a form of translational interaction

      2.2 Translating as intentional interaction

     2.3 Translating as interpersonal interaction

     2.4 Translating as a communicative actdion

     2.5 Translating as intercultural action

     2.6 Translating as a text-processing action

3    Basic aspects of Skopostheorie

       3.1  Skopos, aim, purpose, intention, function, and translation brief

       3.2 Intertextual and intratextual coherence

       3.3 The concept of culture and culture-specificity

       3.4 Adequacy and equivalence

       3.5 The role of text classifications

4    Functionalism in translator training

       4.1 A translation-oriented model of communicative functions in texts

       4.2 A functional typology of translations

       4.3 Source-text analysis, translation briefs and identifying translation problems

       4.4 Translation errors and translation evaluation

5    Functionalism in literary translation

       5.1 Actional aspects of literary communication    

       5.2   Literary communication across culture barriers    

6    Functionalist approaches to interpreting

       6.1 The role of interpreting in Skopostheorie

       6.2 Translator training: from interpreting to translation

       6.3 A functionalist approach to simultaneous interpreting

       6.4 Functionalism in other forms of interpreting

7    Criticisms

      7.1 Criticism 1: not all actions have an intention

      7.2 Criticism 2: not all translations have a purpose

      7.3 Criticism 3: functional approaches transgress the limits of translation proper  

      7.4 Criticism 4: Skopostheorie is not an original theory

      7.5 Criticism 5: functionalism is not based on empirical findings

      7.6 Criticism 6: functionalism produces mercenary experts

      7.7 Criticism 7: functionalism does not respect the original

      7.8 Criticism 8: functionalism is a theory of adaptation

      7.9 Criticism 9: functionalism does not work in literary translation

      7.10 Criticism 10: functionalism is marked by cultural relativism

8   Function plus loyalty

9   Functionalism in the new millennium

      9.1 Spreading the word     

      9.2 Functionalism in the profession

      9.3 Adaptation and transfer studies

      9.4 Functionalism and AI

Glossary

Bibliographical references

Biography

Christiane Nord is Professor Emerita of Translation Studies and Specialised Communication at the University of Applied Sciences of Magdeburg, Germany, and Visiting Professor at several universities of the People’s Republic of China. She also holds the position of Professor Extraordinary and Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa. Her homepage can be found at www.christiane-nord.de.

“The third edition of Translating as a Purposeful Activity stands as a milestone in functionalist approaches to translation. This book combines theoretical depth with practical value, and its new content reflects cutting-edge insights, making it a well-deserved must-read classic in translation studies”

Bian Jianhua, School of Foreign Languages, Qingdao University, China

“This book on expert human translation is even more relevant now than it was when it was first published. In an age of AI where translation is seen as just one more data processing  technique, where human communication seems to comprise nothing more than randomly linked words susceptible to probabilistic autofill processes, understanding translation as a prospective, intentional, functional social act constitutes a statement of ethical principles more necessary than ever before. In this easy-to-read, highly didactic text, Professor Nord explains the theoretical, practical and pedagogical  bases of contemporary translation.”

Elisa Calvo Encinas, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain