MUNDAY, Jeremy. 2001.

Introducing
Translation Studies – Theories and
Applications. London and New York:
Routledge.

Ch 5. Functional theories of
translation
 Functional theories of translation:
focus on the function of the text
• Baker (1992) Chapter 7 - Pragmatic equivalence
• Reiss (1970s) – stresses equivalence at text level,
linking language functions to text types and translation
strategy
• Holz-Mäntarri (1984) – theory of ‘Translational action’:
a communicative process involving a series of players
• Vermeer (1970s) and Reiss & Vermeer (1984) –
‘Skopos’ theory of translation strategy depending on
purpose of TT
• Nord (1988/91) – Text Analysis in Translation; a
functional approach with more attention to ST
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis
Nord (1988/91)

The model incorporates elements of text

analysis, which examines text
organization at or above sentence level.
1. The importance of the translation
commission
2. The role of ST analysis
3. The functional hierarchy of translation
problems
Christiane Nord lecturing at the Chinese
University of Hong Kong
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis
A distinction is made between:
• Documentary translation which 'serves as a
document of a source culture communication
between the author and the ST recipient’;
• e.g. literary translation where the reader is well
aware that it is a translation.
• Other examples:
- word-for-word and literal translation;
- exoticizing translation (CSI left in the TT maintaining
the local colour): food items Quark, Roggenbrot, Wurst
from a German ST
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis
• Instrumental translation, which 'serves as an
independent message-transmitting instrument
in a new communicative action in the target
culture’.

• The TT receivers read the TT as though it were

an ST written in their own language.
• The function may be the same for both ST and
TT (e.g. a translated computer manual).
• Or may be not (Swift’s Gulliver’s travels for
children; or Homer’s translations into a novel)
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis
• Nord’s Text Analysis in Translation is aimed
• At providing translation students with a model of
ST analysis
• which is applicable to all text types and
translation situations.
• It is based on understanding of the function of
ST features
• and the selection of translation strategies
appropriate to the intended purpose of the
translation
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis: Nord’s 1997
book, Translating as a purposeful activity
It synthesizes many of the elements described in other
functional models and highlights three aspects of
functional approaches that are particularly useful in
translator training. Three main aspects:

(1) The importance of the translation commission (or

‘translation brief’): the translator needs to compare
ST and TT profiles to see where the two texts may
diverge.
(2) The role of ST analysis: to decide on functional
priorities of the translation strategy.
(3) The functional hierarchy of translation problems.
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis: Nord’s 1997 book
(1) The importance of the translation commission (or
‘translation brief’): the translator needs to compare
ST and TT profiles to see where the two texts may
diverge.
The needed information for both texts include:
• The intended text functions;
• The addressees (sender and recipient);
• The time and place of text reception;
• The medium (speech and writing);
• The motive (why the ST was written and why it is
being translated).
This information enables the translator to prioritize what
information to include in the TT.
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis: Nord’s 1997 book

Three main aspects:

(2) The role of ST analysis: to decide on functional
priorities of the translation strategy.
One possible model for the ST analysis includes:
• Subject matter
• Content (connotation and cohesion)
• Presuppositions (real-world factors of the
communicative situation presumed to be known to
the participants)
• Composition (microstructure, i.e. cohesion, modality,
word meaning etc.) and macrostructure, i.e. events,
time, space and other textual elements)
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis: Nord’s 1997 book

Three main aspects:

(2) The role of ST analysis: to decide on functional
priorities of the translation strategy (continued).

One possible model for the ST analysis includes:

• Non-verbal elements: illustrations, italics, etc.
• Lexis, including dialect, register and specific
terminology
• Sentence structure
• Suprasegmental features (stress, rhythm) and
‘stylistic punctuation’
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis: Nord’s 1997
book, Translating as a purposeful activity
The main aspects:
(3)The functional hierarchy of translation problems are
suggested as follows:

(a) The intended function of the translation (documentary

or instrumental)
(b) Functional elements that will need to be adapted to
the TT addressees’ situation have to be determined
(c) The translation type decides the translation style
(source- or target-culture oriented)
(d) The problems of the text can then be tackled at a
lower linguistic level
 5.4 Translation-orientated text analysis: Nord’s 1997
book, Translating as a purposeful activity
This approach brings together strengths of the
various functional and action theories:

• Translation commission (Holz-Mänttäri’s work

on the players within the translational action)
• The intended text functions (skopos, Reiss and
Vermeer), without dominance of the skopos.
• The ST analysis (Reiss’ work); it gives due
attention to the communicative function and
genre features of the ST, without the rigidity of
other taxonomies.