From translation briefs to quality standards: Functionalist theories in today’s translation processes

Abstract

Functionalist theories of translation seem to have their roots in the examination of professional translation processes. The functionalist notion of skopos (Vermeer, 1996) focuses on the purpose of the translation project, highlighting a concept that potentially links TS with professional practice: the brief. While many translators receive sparse or insufficiently explicit briefs (Byrne, 2012), in other cases, translation vendors develop extremely complex specifications encompassing a wide range of different constraining elements at different levels. This paper analyses how, if at all, different models or systems of skopoi and briefs can be incorporated into today's professional market. Special emphasis is placed on the potential correlation between functionalist concepts and translation industry normalization instruments (such as ISO 17100).

Transcreation as a Way to Promote Employability in Translation Training: Adding Value to Translation Training

“…Therefore, some students were demanding clearer instructions in the briefs to support their decisions, as they were not used to understanding strict commercial briefs, rather translation briefs. Further study in this area would be also welcome in order to better conceptualize both the transcreation service and its implementation (Calvo 2018), especially in terms of quality assessment, an element to be closely looked at.…”

“…Translation providers no longer define themselves as such; rather they call themselves Language Service Providers (LSPs), a label that seems to integrate diverse language-related services required by clients in physical and virtual markets. Therefore, LSPs still supply core translation and interpreting services, but also offer audiovisual translation, transcreation, localization, postediting, copywriting, revision and proof reading, intercultural advising, and up to 23 other translation related LSP services considered to be of added value (Pedersen 2014: 60;Calvo 2018). The focus of this study will be on transcreation as one of these services (Van Der Meer 2016;Mangell et al 2019), and a matter of concern now within Translation Studies (TS) (Gaballo 2012;Reilly 2014;Pedersen 2014Pedersen /2016Østegaard 2015;Morón/Calvo 2018, among others).…”

“…Consequently, the concept and role of the source text (ST) or even the definition of translation techniques or strategies are now under examination (Østegaard 2015: ii). Moreover, transcreation workflows do not necessarily match those followed in traditional translation (Østegaard 2015; Morón /Calvo 2018;Mangell et al 2019). Even the origin of the term seems controversial.…”

Comparing Two Translations of Abdel-Tawab Youssef’s A Biography of Prophet Mohammad Peace Be upon Him in Twenty Stories: A Skopos Functional Approach

“…Therefore, the translation function and skopos for each TT under study are to be deduced by the researcher. Calvo (2018) affirms that "whenever the brief is not obvious, translators can deduce the purpose of the translation for themselves (implicit or tacit skopos)" (p. 21), relying on their knowledge of previous translational situations.…”

Transcreación: Retórica cultural y traducción publicitaria

“…Por la propia inercia de la disciplina, la localización del término implicó la oportunidad de configurar un espacio en el que se procedió a su conveniente aclimatación teórica comparándolo con el más tradicional de adaptación (Gaballo, 2012: 103-106), o bien distinguiendo la transcreación claramente en función de "[…] its productivity, i.e. the capacity of generating new, unheard-of solutions" (Gaballo, 2012: 103-106), o bien reformulando las principales propuestas desde el enfoque funcionalista (Calvo, 2018).…”