Meaning, Sense, Function - What is Transferred?

Functionalist translation theory (Skopostheorie) postulates that the intended function of the target text, explicitly or implicitly defined by the translation brief, should be the guideline for the translator's decisions. Equivalence-oriented theories, however, focus on the “meaning” or “sense” of the source text which should be “preserved” in the translation process. This article attempts to problematize the concepts of meaning, sense, and function, using a few examples to illustrate the advantages of a skopos-oriented approach for both the theory and the practice of specialized translation.