skopos
skopos noun: the function of a written or spoken text, especially in the context of translating and interpreting.
Noun (1)
skopos (uncountable)
- The function of a written or spoken text, especially in the context of translating and interpreting.
- The topic of the novel is the typical way of life of the well-to-do British middle and upper classes, and the setting within the British culture is thus of great importance. The Skopos, to use Vermeer's term, is to translate the text as being firmly embedded within the British culture.1995, Paul Kussmaul, Training The Translator, John Benjamins Publishing Co, page 68
- [A]s with the skopos approach, a translator can have some idea of the intended effect, and translate accordingly, i.e. in a maximally relevant way.2005, Andrew Chesterman, edited by Martha Tennent, Training For The New Millennium, John Benjamins Publishing Co, page 196
Noun (2) capitalized: Skopos
Skopos (uncountable)
- Alternative letter-case form of skopos.
Origin of skopos
From Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós).
Words formed from skopos
Phrases with skopos
Questions about skopos
- What does skopos mean?
- Skopos means the function of a written or spoken text, especially in the context of translating and interpreting.
- What part of speech is skopos?
- Skopos is a noun.
Words near skopos in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: skopos (page history and authors); Skopos (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-Skopos.ogg.
Cite this entry: “skopos.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/skopos. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.