On Application Of Functional Approach To The E-C Translation Of Instruction Manuals

With the rapid development of China's society and economy, these years more and more foreign-made products sweep into Chinese market. By the regulations, all the imported commodities should be labeled in Chinese. Therefore, the quality of the translation of instruction manuals exerts a great influence on consumers'purchasing desire. A well-translated instruction can not only provides detailed information, but also expresses aesthetic appealing and inspires consumers'purchasing desire. Functionalist approaches, put forward in 1970s by some German scholars offered new approaches to the translation of instruction manuals. It focuses on the functionality of the target text in the target culture, and suggests that translation is the production of a functional target text maintaining a relationship with a given source text that is specified according to the intended or demanded function of the target text. It provides a theoretical basis for some unconventional transition strategies.This thesis consists of three main parts. First, this thesis introduces academic views of such advocates of functionalist approaches like Katharina Reiss, Hans. J. Vermeer and Christiane Nord. It also brings up the concepts like"Skopostheorie","Function Plus loyalty", etc. In the second part, the paper defines instruction manual and classified it into several categories. Finally, abundant examples are given and analyzed in this part, and rules and suggestions are put forward from four different aspects—information providing, aesthetics, culture and vocative aspect. And the translator should equip himself with certain responsibilities and abilities demanded by the challenging sphere of instruction manuals translation. But in all, they are Skopos-oriented.