Application of Skopos Theory in Evaluation of Readability and Cohesion in English to Malay Translation of Four Selected Children Fables

  • Mansour Amini Universiti Sains Malaysia
  • Nik Adriana Daud Southern University College, Malaysia
  • Pavithra Devi Southern University College, Malaysia
  • Bita Naghmeh Abbaspour Universiti Sains Malaysia
Keywords: cohesion, cohesive devices, readability, Skopos theory

Abstract

Past studies on children’s literary translation suggest that there is still a debate on whether children’s literature should be source text oriented or transfer the purpose of the translation in the target text, while in children’s literary translation, faithfulness to the author is often deemed problematic. The Skopos theory was adopted into this study to discover the outcome in translating the “purpose” in children’s literary text. In this descriptive qualitative study, four stories were selected from English and Malay collections of children’s fables and were analyzed taking paragraphs as the unit of translation. The strategies used in the translation of English children’s fables to Malay were explored using Vinay and Darbelnet’s (1995) translation procedures. The cohesion of the translated text was then analyzed using Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) cohesive devices. The results showed that 33 translation procedures under the oblique method were used to translate the English fables into Malay and 58 cohesive devices were found in the English fables. These findings, discussed in relation to the Skopos theory and readability, revealed that the translation procedures used resulted in a cohesive translation, thus increasing readability of the stories towards for the target text receiver, i.e., children.

Author Biographies

Mansour Amini, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Assistant Professor Dr Mansour Amini is a researcher in Translation Studies and Conference Interpreting. His PhD thesis was the first research in Malaysia to address Conference Interpreting Quality in the country. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles (Scopus and other indexed) in the scope of Translation and ELT.

Nik Adriana Daud, Southern University College, Malaysia

Nik Adriana is a student BA in English Language and Communication. She has conducted several translation projects.

Pavithra Devi, Southern University College, Malaysia

Pavithra Devi is a student in English Language and Communication. She has conducted several translation projects.

Published
2021-10-31
How to Cite
Amini, M., Daud, N. A., Devi, P., & Abbaspour, B. N. (2021). Application of Skopos Theory in Evaluation of Readability and Cohesion in English to Malay Translation of Four Selected Children Fables. International Online Journal of Language, Communication, and Humanities, 4(2), 41-61. Retrieved from http://insaniah.umk.edu.my/journal/index.php/insaniah/article/view/163
Section
Articles