Andrew Chesterman on Skopos theory (part 1 of 3)

TL;DR

Scopos Theory in Translation Studies is an explicit and axiomatic theory that aims to assess and evaluate translation from various perspectives, including its ontological and ethical aspects.

Transcript

somehow well enough defined and bounded so that one can in fact assess it as a theory it's not vague it has the advantage of being very explicit about its claims and what I would like to do is to assess it quite critically sometimes um from various points of view because I think this gives us a way of um uh seeing how a whole Theory can holisticall... Read More

Key Insights

• 🛄 Scopos Theory is an explicit and axiomatic theory that aims to assess translation critically.
• 🤨 The theory raises questions about the definition and conceptual understanding of terms such as scopos, function, and coherence.
• ❓ Scopos Theory's ontological status and the conflicting underlying metaphors within the theory have been subject to criticism and debate.
• ❓ The theory compares and contrasts with other translation theories, such as Relevance Theory.
• 🤨 Scopos Theory's prescriptive nature raises questions about its ethical dimension and the extent to which a theory can have ethical implications.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the main focus of the lecture?

The main focus of the lecture is to assess Scopos Theory critically and explore how a theory, in general, can be evaluated from different perspectives.

Q: What are the axioms of Scopos Theory?

The axioms of Scopos Theory include the ideas that translation is conditioned by its scopos, an offer of information, constructs an offer of information in a non-reversible way, must be coherent in itself and with the source text, and its rules are hierarchically ordered.

Q: How does Scopos Theory define theory?

Scopos Theory defines theory as the interpretation and linking together of observational data, where connections are made and interpreted in an explanatory way.

Q: What criticisms have been raised against Scopos Theory?

Some criticisms against Scopos Theory include the lack of a clear definition of scopos, the ambiguity of the use of coherence in different contexts, the ambiguity of the theory's ontological status, and the conflicting underlying metaphors within the theory.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Scopos Theory is an explicit and bounded theory that aims to assess translation critically.

• The theory is based on a set of axioms, including the idea that translation is conditioned by its scopos and must be coherent with the source text.

• Scopos Theory also addresses the ontological status and ethical dimension of theories, comparing it with other theories such as Relevance Theory.