Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies

Functionalism is a theoretical, deductive approach to translation and interpreting based on action theory, communication theory, cultural anthropology, reception theory and evolutionary epistemology. Functionalist scholars challenged the prescription that target texts must have the same function as their sources, claiming that this is the exception rather than the rule; in doing so, they also called into question the requirement of equivalence between source and target texts. The skopos has priority in the hierarchy of factors guiding translators’ decision-making. Skopos theory underscores the relevance of cultural factors; it assumes that languages are embedded in cultures, and that the relationship between what is verbally expressed and what is communicated through non-verbal means differs from culture to culture. Another theory that has greatly contributed to the development of functionalism is the theory of translatorial action, proposed by Holz-Manttari independently but in parallel with Hans J. Vermeer’s skopos theory.