Target Readership And Translation Strategies

The functional approach in translation studies lays much stress on the importanceof readership. Scholars of the functional school also prove in many ways thatreadership can’t be overlooked in translating process and it imposes great effects on thetranslators’ decisions on translation strategies.Translation Criticism: the Potentials and Limitations, an academic workconcerning translation theory, belongs to the content-focused text according to texttypology, so the translator primarily targets at accurately conveying the information ofthe source text while taking into consideration the characteristics of academic works.The analysis made on the skopos and readership of both the source text and target textfinds that the readers of the source text focus intensely on the feasibility andpracticability of the text content, and expect the text to conform to their expectations inthe aspects of language form, style, social and cultural value, etc. While for the readersof the target text, they expect to get access to new knowledge accurately conveyed bythe translation featuring with precise terminology, highlighted major points, detailedexplanation, coherent contents, terse expressions, etc., which is also the commonrequirements for academic works. In this way, the final translation could be a usefulreference for them to learn and master translation theories.The translating of academic works focus on theoretical, systematic, logical,rigorous properties and so on. The accurately and completely conveying of theinformation provided by the source text first requires the translators’ thorough andcomprehensive understanding about the involved content and terminology, whichimpels the translators to enhance their mastery of theory or specific knowledge. Thefactors of readership like their knowledge background and comprehensive ability should also be taken into account to make flexible modifications in translationstrategies, in order to fulfill the primary purpose that the readers could understandexactly the translated version.