Functionalism, Fidelity And Creation In Literary Translation

Despite the attempts by numerous translation theorists to define and prescribe the parameters for successful translation production, they still seem unable to reach a consensus on the time-honored debate over'literal'versus'free'translation, and the recent controversy of'foreignizing'and'domesticating'strategy.The thesis reviews some important viewpoints concerning these problems and introduces some functionalist approaches to translation. Based on Vermeer's Skopos theory, the thesis tries to examine, with examples and analyses of some literary translations, the roles of four important agents, namely, initiator, source-text author, translator, and target-text reader, in translation process and the possible interaction between them, to show how Skopos rules function in translating literary works.The aim of the study is not to point out which one particular translation strategy is more appropriate, but rather, it attempts to show that a clear concept and a careful analysis of the particular translation Skopos (the purpose of the translation) is vital for successful literary translation.