Breaking Down The Barriers In Business Interpreting: An Approach By The Skopos Theory

With the development of globalization, international business activities are being conducted frequently, and the common ground of all these activities is to achieve a set purpose. Interpreting, as a vital component the whole activity, is supposed to serve for the overall target. Thus, different from interpreting in other fields, business interpreting is highly target-oriented.The ultimate goal of business interpreting is to facilitate communication and make it conducive to strike a deal, but there are quite a few barriers that impede the achievement of such desired results, for example, differences in cultural backgrounds, thought patterns and linguistic rules. Under such circumstances, the interpreter shall make some adaptations to deliver a fluent interpretation. However, adaptations may put the interpreter under the risk of being unfaithful. Thus, a theoretical framework is needed to guide the interpreter, and principles for adopting appropriate strategies in business interpreting shall be set up.Based on research made by some scholars before, this thesis adopts the functionalist Skopos theory as a framework and proposes two principles for business interpreting, namely to be purpose-oriented and loyal.In addition, combined with a business interpreting case experienced by the author, this thesis further explores the application of the Skopos theory to remove barriers in business interpreting process, and comes up with three coping strategies that can be adopted by the interpreter:adding, paraphrasing and editing.