Development of Skopos Theory in Translation

In 1970s, the theory of functional translation rose in Germany. Its development has gone through the following stages.

The first stage: catherina Rice introduced functional category into translation criticism for the first time, and linked language function, text type and translation strategy to develop a translation criticism model based on the functional relationship between the source text and the target text, thus putting forward the embryonic form of functionalism theory. Rice believes that the ideal translation should be a comprehensive communicative translation, that is, it is equivalent to the original in concept, content, language form and communicative function, but in practice, the functional characteristics of the translation should be given priority.

In the second stage, Vermeer put forward Skopostheorie, which liberated translation studies from the bondage of text-centered theory. According to this theory, translation is a purposeful and fruitful behavior based on the original text, which must be completed through negotiation, and translation must follow a series of rules, among which the Skopos rule is the first. In other words, translation depends on the purpose of translation. In addition, translation must follow the "intralingual coherence rule" and "interlingual coherence rule". The former means that the translation must be internally coherent and understandable by the target readers, while the latter means that the translation and the original text should also be coherent. After these three principles are put forward, the criterion for judging translation is no longer "equivalence", but the adequacy of the translation to achieve the expected goal. Vermeer also put forward the concept of translation entrustment, that is, the translator should decide whether, when and how to complete the translation task. In other words, translators should adopt corresponding translation strategies according to different translation purposes, and have the right to decide which contents of the original text can be retained and which contents need to be adjusted or modified according to translation purposes.

Fermir believes that the highest criterion of translation should be the "purpose criterion". In other words, different translation purposes lead to different strategies and methods. In other words, the purpose of translation determines the strategies and methods of translation. Skopos theory provides a good explanation for the dispute between domestication and foreignization in the history of translation between China and the West, and even for the formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence that have been widely discussed in the translation field in recent twenty or thirty years. Domestication or foreignization in translation depends on the purpose of translation. Since Skopostheorie is the highest criterion of functional translation theory, any translation activity has a purpose, so the ultimate goal and main function of film title translation is to help people understand the main content of the film and stimulate the audience's desire to watch it. Therefore, we need to have a brief understanding of functional translation theory, especially skopos theory.

In the third stage, Justa Hotz-Mantari put forward the translation behavior theory on the basis of communication and behavior theory, and further developed the functional translation theory, which holds that translation is the interaction between people driven by purpose and oriented by translation results. There are many similarities between this theory and teleology, and Vermeer later fused them together.

The fourth stage: Christina Nord comprehensively summarized and perfected the functionalism theory. Christina Nord systematically expounded for the first time the internal and external factors that should be considered in text analysis in translation, and how to formulate translation strategies suitable for translation purposes on the basis of the functions of the original text. Christina Nord combs the functionalism theory and puts forward that translators should follow the guiding principle of "function plus loyalty", thus perfecting the theory.