A Skopostheorie Approach To English Translation Of Traditional Chinese Medicines Instructions

Skopostheorie, which developed from German functionalism, holds that translation is a form of translational action based on a source text and the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose (skopos) of the overall translational action. Namely, according to Skopostheorie, the translation purpose determines the approaches and strategies to be employed, which, therefore, are helpful to produce a functionally adequate target text. In the mean time, the criterion of evaluating the translation is no longer "equivalence", but "adequacy" i.e. the degree to which the target text meets the purpose.This thesis discusses the translator's task in translating instructions for traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), and the relevant key issues that requires more attention in purchasing the purpose of translation. The manufacturer or the trader plays the key role of translation initiator, by outlining the skopos for the translator to fulfill. So the main task of the translator is to reach target text's functional adequacy, at times by making cultural transposition or adaptation inevitably in this type of translation. Furthermore, the translator's choice of translation strategy, it appears, is dependent on the power balance between the agents of translation, including not only translators, but initiators, the target-text receivers and on the cultural, historical and economic situation in which translation takes place. In the translation process of TCM instructions, three rules proposed in Skopostheorie should be followed: Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. The editing process is affected and instructed by translation brief; translation process is confined to norms and conventions in functional translation and translators' application of translation brief.The whole thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One, a general introduction to the topic, highlights the background and the purpose of this study. Then some literature review is presented in the next chapter, more exactly, previous studies on related issue and comments on the studies are discussed in succession. Chapter Three is the theoretical basis. In the framework of skopos theory, adequacy is regarded as the criterion to evaluate translation. Chapter Four is devoted to analyzing TCM instructions from the perspective of skopos. Based on case studies, the difficulties in pursuing the translator's purposes are identified and this chapter takes a micro-structural perspective to explore the features and translation strategies of the translation for TCM instructions. The last chapter is a review of the thesis.To do more research and studies in Skopostheorie and in the meanwhile pay more attention to the translation of instructions for TCM is constructive to the development of Translation Studies as well as the TCM civilization and standardization.