Skopos theory

Skopos theory is an approach to translation in which the intended purpose of the target text guides translation methods and choices. It treats translation as purposeful action shaped by its audience and situation.

Skopos rule: The principle that a translation should be produced according to its intended purpose in the target situation. It makes the translation’s intended purpose the central criterion for choosing methods.
Hans J. Vermeer: A German translation scholar who developed skopos theory in the 1970s and 1980s. He formulated the theory’s core claim that purpose governs translation.
Technical translation: Translation of specialized texts about technical, scientific, or professional subjects. User needs and operational settings often determine terminology and presentation.
Dynamic equivalence: Eugene Nida’s approach to translation that seeks a similar response from target and source audiences. It also considers audience effect, but frames the goal through equivalence of response.
Coherence rule: The principle that a translated text should be understandable and meaningful within its target culture and situation. It requires the target text to work for its intended audience.
Katharina Reiss: A German translation scholar known for text typology and her collaboration with Hans J. Vermeer. Her functional text analysis helped shape the theory’s foundations.
Audiovisual translation: Translation of audiovisual material through practices such as subtitling, dubbing, and voice-over. Screen, timing, and audience constraints shape the target text’s function.
Formal equivalence: A translation orientation that prioritizes correspondence to the source text’s form and content. It offers a source-oriented priority unlike skopos theory’s purpose-first criterion.
Fidelity rule: The principle that a translation should maintain a relationship with its source text. It constrains purpose-driven changes by requiring a link to the source.
General theory of translation and interpreting: A 1984 work by Katharina Reiss and Hans J. Vermeer that presents the foundations of skopos theory. It is the key systematic statement of the approach.

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