Translating as a Purposeful Activity
Functionalist Approaches Explained
3rd Edition
Will be published approx. on 25. June 2026
202 pages
978-1-040-75150-3 (ISBN)
Description
This classic text has long been the essential guide to functionalist approaches to translation. Christiane Nord explains the complexities of theories and terms in simple language with numerous examples from a variety of languages and cultures, including new examples from Chinese language.
Covering how the theories developed, illustrations of the main ideas, and specific applications to translator training, literary translation, interpreting, and ethics, Translating as a Purposeful Activity concludes with a concise review of the main criticisms of this approach. It also includes a new chapter on the latest developments and research currents since the turn of the century, focusing on functionalism at the translator's workplace, in legal translation and in Bible translation.
This new edition has an improved layout and many new examples ensuring that this remains essential reading for students of translation studies and translator training.
Covering how the theories developed, illustrations of the main ideas, and specific applications to translator training, literary translation, interpreting, and ethics, Translating as a Purposeful Activity concludes with a concise review of the main criticisms of this approach. It also includes a new chapter on the latest developments and research currents since the turn of the century, focusing on functionalism at the translator's workplace, in legal translation and in Bible translation.
This new edition has an improved layout and many new examples ensuring that this remains essential reading for students of translation studies and translator training.
Reviews / Votes
"The third edition of Translating as a Purposeful Activity stands as a milestone in functionalist approaches to translation. This book combines theoretical depth with practical value, and its new content reflects cutting-edge insights, making it a well-deserved must-read classic in translation studies"Bian Jianhua, School of Foreign Languages, Qingdao University, China
"This book on expert human translation is even more relevant now than it was when it was first published. In an age of AI where translation is seen as just one more data processing technique, where human communication seems to comprise nothing more than randomly linked words susceptible to probabilistic autofill processes, understanding translation as a prospective, intentional, functional social act constitutes a statement of ethical principles more necessary than ever before. In this easy-to-read, highly didactic text, Professor Nord explains the theoretical, practical and pedagogical bases of contemporary translation."
Elisa Calvo Encinas, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain
More details
Series
Edition
3rd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
9 Line drawings, black and white; 5 Halftones, color; 5 Illustrations, color; 9 Illustrations, black and white
File size
88,82 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-040-75150-3 (9781040751503)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
approx. 06/2026
3rd Edition
Routledge
€52.50
Not yet published
Book
approx. 06/2026
3rd Edition
Routledge
€191.50
Not yet published
Previous edition
E-Book
02/2018
2nd Edition
Routledge
€53.99
Available for download
Person
Christiane Nord is Professor Emerita of Translation Studies and Specialised Communication at the University of Applied Sciences of Magdeburg, Germany, and Visiting Professor at several universities of the People's Republic of China. She also holds the position of Professor Extraordinary and Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa. Her homepage can be found at www.christiane-nord.de.
Content
Introduction
1 Historical overview
1.1 Early views
1.2 Katharina Reiss and the functional category of translation criticism
1.3 Hans J. Vermeer: Skopostheorie and beyond
1.4 Justa Holz-Maenttaeri and the theory of translatorial action
1.5 Functionalist methodology in translator training
2 Translation and the theory of action
2.1 Translating as a form of translational interaction
2.2 Translating as intentional interaction
2.3 Translating as interpersonal interaction
2.4 Translating as a communicative actdion
2.5 Translating as intercultural action
2.6 Translating as a text-processing action
3 Basic aspects of Skopostheorie
3.1 Skopos, aim, purpose, intention, function, and translation brief
3.2 Intertextual and intratextual coherence
3.3 The concept of culture and culture-specificity
3.4 Adequacy and equivalence
3.5 The role of text classifications
4 Functionalism in translator training
4.1 A translation-oriented model of communicative functions in texts
4.2 A functional typology of translations
4.3 Source-text analysis, translation briefs and identifying translation problems
4.4 Translation errors and translation evaluation
5 Functionalism in literary translation
5.1 Actional aspects of literary communication
5.2 Literary communication across culture barriers
6 Functionalist approaches to interpreting
6.1 The role of interpreting in Skopostheorie
6.2 Translator training: from interpreting to translation
6.3 A functionalist approach to simultaneous interpreting
6.4 Functionalism in other forms of interpreting
7 Criticisms
7.1 Criticism 1: not all actions have an intention
7.2 Criticism 2: not all translations have a purpose
7.3 Criticism 3: functional approaches transgress the limits of translation proper
7.4 Criticism 4: Skopostheorie is not an original theory
7.5 Criticism 5: functionalism is not based on empirical findings
7.6 Criticism 6: functionalism produces mercenary experts
7.7 Criticism 7: functionalism does not respect the original
7.8 Criticism 8: functionalism is a theory of adaptation
7.9 Criticism 9: functionalism does not work in literary translation
7.10 Criticism 10: functionalism is marked by cultural relativism
8 Function plus loyalty
9 Functionalism in the new millennium
9.1 Spreading the word
9.2 Functionalism in the profession
9.3 Adaptation and transfer studies
9.4 Functionalism and AI
Glossary
Bibliographical references
1 Historical overview
1.1 Early views
1.2 Katharina Reiss and the functional category of translation criticism
1.3 Hans J. Vermeer: Skopostheorie and beyond
1.4 Justa Holz-Maenttaeri and the theory of translatorial action
1.5 Functionalist methodology in translator training
2 Translation and the theory of action
2.1 Translating as a form of translational interaction
2.2 Translating as intentional interaction
2.3 Translating as interpersonal interaction
2.4 Translating as a communicative actdion
2.5 Translating as intercultural action
2.6 Translating as a text-processing action
3 Basic aspects of Skopostheorie
3.1 Skopos, aim, purpose, intention, function, and translation brief
3.2 Intertextual and intratextual coherence
3.3 The concept of culture and culture-specificity
3.4 Adequacy and equivalence
3.5 The role of text classifications
4 Functionalism in translator training
4.1 A translation-oriented model of communicative functions in texts
4.2 A functional typology of translations
4.3 Source-text analysis, translation briefs and identifying translation problems
4.4 Translation errors and translation evaluation
5 Functionalism in literary translation
5.1 Actional aspects of literary communication
5.2 Literary communication across culture barriers
6 Functionalist approaches to interpreting
6.1 The role of interpreting in Skopostheorie
6.2 Translator training: from interpreting to translation
6.3 A functionalist approach to simultaneous interpreting
6.4 Functionalism in other forms of interpreting
7 Criticisms
7.1 Criticism 1: not all actions have an intention
7.2 Criticism 2: not all translations have a purpose
7.3 Criticism 3: functional approaches transgress the limits of translation proper
7.4 Criticism 4: Skopostheorie is not an original theory
7.5 Criticism 5: functionalism is not based on empirical findings
7.6 Criticism 6: functionalism produces mercenary experts
7.7 Criticism 7: functionalism does not respect the original
7.8 Criticism 8: functionalism is a theory of adaptation
7.9 Criticism 9: functionalism does not work in literary translation
7.10 Criticism 10: functionalism is marked by cultural relativism
8 Function plus loyalty
9 Functionalism in the new millennium
9.1 Spreading the word
9.2 Functionalism in the profession
9.3 Adaptation and transfer studies
9.4 Functionalism and AI
Glossary
Bibliographical references
