A New Perspective on Literary Translation Strategies Based on Skopos Theory

This essay is primarily concerned with two basic translation strategies—foreignization and domestication—from the perspective of the functionalist approaches, especially the Skopos theory. As one action of human being’s, translation has its particular purpose. This leads to the functionalist theory proposed by some German scholars. Functionalist theory is characterized by its purpose-driven approach. The translation of Skopos means the purpose of the target text, decided by the initiator of the translational action, and swayed by the translator. Skopos is the top-ranking rule determining any translation process. Therefore, the strategy to be adopted in translation must be compatible with the purpose the initiator or translator intends to fulfill. The choice of translation strategy should take the functions of translation into consideration. To achieve the intended purpose, a translator can decide which strategy to be chosen, either domestication or foreignization, or both. The adequacy of translation should be the translation criterion, which means the translated version should be adequate to its Skopos, that is, so long as a translation fulfils its Skopos it is considered as an “adequate” translation regardless of the selected strategy.