The Criterion System For Translation Criticism Within The Framwork Of Functional Theory

Translation criticism is an evaluation of translation works and related actions in translation process. As a bridge between translation theories and translation practice, it can revise translation theories and improve translation practice. The criterion for translation criticism is the core issue in translation criticism. Whether a translation evaluation is objective, scientific and appropriate depends on the evaluation criterion. In the translation history of both China and the West, there have been many influential criticism criteria taken as standards of translation and translation criticism for quite a long time. However, with the dramatic developments in translation theoretical studies and translation practice, these criteria, due to their historical shortcomings, became limited in applicability and cannot be used as universal criteria to evaluate all types of translation practice. In this case, it is necessary and imperative to establish a universal criticism criterion which can adapt to the latest developments in translation studies. Only when this is done, can translation criticism play its due role. According to this paper, the adequacy criterion proposed by the functional theory can evolve into an ideal criterion system.Functional theory was established by German scholars in 1970s. It is the most influential translation theory in Germany and plays a significant role in the worldwide translation studies. It made many breakthroughs in translation studies. One of them is its adequacy criterion-evaluating translation by to what extent it has accomplished the translation purpose. Instead of being limited to faithfulness and equivalence, this criterion provides a dynamic and appropriate criterion for current translation criticism.Under the framework of functional theory, this criterion can evolve into an adequacy criterion system which is based on the adequacy criterion, governed by the skopos principle and restricted by the loyalty rule. Through numerous translation examples and phenomena, this paper attempts to put forward and illustrate four features of the criterion system-the dynamic feature, the multi-faceted feature, the multi-layered feature and the self-restricted feature, with the purpose of verifying the universal applicability of this criterion system under existing conditions.Chapter 1 introduces the concept of translation criticism, the necessity of establishing a new criticism criterion as well as the purpose and layout of this paper. Literature Review reviews the influential criteria in translation history and analyzes their shortcomings. Chapter 3, through introducing the development of translation studies and translation criticism, points out the features that the requisite criteria should have. Chapter 4 presents the main ideas of functional theory including its new definition of translation, Reiss's criticism concept and Vermeer's skopos theory. Scholars'comments on this theory and its development in China are also presented in this chapter. Chapter 5 points out and analyzes four features-the dynamic feature, the multi-faceted feature, the multi-layered feature and the self-restricted feature, of the adequacy criterion system through numerous translation examples and phenomena. Chapter 6 concludes this paper by reiterating its purpose and significance and proposing suggestions for further research.