Functional Approaches to Translation Quality Assessment: A Descriptive Analysis of Three Translation Quality Models.

Authors

  • Qabas Noor Ali Jarallah English Language Department, Faculty of Arts and Science - Benghazi University, Al-Abayr Branch Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65405/sjh.2.3.135

Keywords:

Translation, Quality, Assessment, Functionalist, House, Reiss, Vermeer

Abstract

Functionalist pragmatics models are regarded as one of the most groundbreaking approaches in the translation quality assessment field, which emphasize the commutative function of the text and its intended purpose rather than the literal meaning of the text. This descriptive study provided a detailed catalog of the most influential functionalist paradigms in translation quality assessment, namely, Reiss text type theory (1971), Reiss & Vermeer (1984) skopos theory, and House (1977,1997,2015) functional pragmatic framework. These three models have collectively demonstrated the development the translation quality assessment field achieved by moving beyond subjectivism and arbitrariness to multi-layered procedures that evaluate the translation quality across functional, commutative, and cultural contexts.

References

Abalkheel, A., & Abdulhamid, M. (2023). Evaluating Arabic-English literary translations using pragmatic assessment tools. Journal of Pragmatics and Translation Studies, 4(1), 45–62.

Abdi, H. (2021). Comparative source-target text analysis in translation criticism: A functional perspective. Translation & Interpreting Studies, 16(2), 210–228.

AL-Aizari, A. (2023). Empirical validity and intersubjectivity in Juliane House’s TQA model. International Journal of Arabic-English Translation, 11(1), 88–104.

ALNNALE, T. (2026). Teaching Methods and Methods and Their Impact on the Performance of Faculty Members Field Study. Shihab Journal of Humanities, 2(2), 53-79.

Abdulmoghni, S., & Al-Sowaidi, H. (2023). Register and genre analysis in translated political discourse. Studies in Functional Linguistics and Translation, 9(3), 112–130.

Aryani, N. L., Kardiasa, I. M., & Udayana, I. N. (2023). Intra-textual and inter-textual coherence in functional translation theory. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 74–89.

Austin, J. L. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press.

Bühler, K. (1965). Sprachtheorie: Die Darstellungsfunktion der Sprache [Language theory: The representational function of language]. Gustav Fischer. (Original work published 1934)

Chen, Y., & Zhang, X. (2020). Multifunctional texts in modern translation practice: A typological approach. Linguistic Research and Translation, 8(2), 101–118.

Crystal, D., & Davy, D. (1969). Investigating English style. Longman.

Delibas, M. (2023). The functionalist turn in translation studies: From word-level equivalence to holistic text assessment. Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, 31(4), 512–529.

Dong, L., & Zhu, C. (2023). Situational dimensions and textual profiles in House’s pragmatic model. Pragmatics and Language Learning, 14(2), 145–163.

Dost, A. (2026). Text typology, context, and functional categories in translation assessment. Journal of Translation Quality Assessment, 5(1), 12–29.

El-Farahaty, H. (2025). Redefining translational action: Skopos theory and legal translation quality. Target: International Journal of Translation Studies, 37(1), 33–54.

Hakami, M. (2024). Linguistic level error elaboration in target text analysis. Arab World English Journal for Translation Studies, 8(1), 202–219.

Halliday, M. A. K. (1961). Categories of the theory of grammar. Word, 17(3), 241–292.

House, J. (1977). A model for translation quality assessment. TBL Verlag Gunter Narr.

House, J. (1997). Translation quality assessment: A model revisited. Gunter Narr Verlag.

House, J. (2015). Translation quality assessment: Past and present. Routledge.

Houston, K. (2023). Teleological approaches to translation: Purpose and function in contemporary theory. Translation Review, 112(1), 45–61.

Huyen, N. T., & Huong, L. T. (2025). User and use dimensions in pragmatic TQA models. Asian Journal of Applied Translation, 7(2), 98–115.

Kazmi, S., Kashif, M., & Rasheed, A. (2023). Propositional content vs. illocutionary force: Evaluating covert and overt errors in translation. Journal of Pragmatics Research, 12(3), 177–195.

Koglin, A., Moura, R., Matos, F., & Silveira, L. (2023). Beyond rigid accuracy: Audience expectations and skopos-driven quality evaluation. Translation and Translating, 19(2), 201–220.

Nugraha, R., Permanik, A., & Rohmana, W. (2025). Functional equivalence and multimedia text assessment under Skopos theory. International Journal of Multimodal Translation, 6(1), 55–71.

Reiss, K. (2014). Translation criticism: The potentials and limitations (E. F. Rhodes, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1971)

Reiss, K., & Vermeer, H. J. (2014). Towards a general theory of translational action: Skopos theory explained (C. Nord, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1984)

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge University Press.

Valizadeh, M., & Vazifehkhah, M. (2022). Applying situational dimensions to source and target text profiles in TQA. Journal of Literary and Translation Studies, 10(4), 130–148.

Wang, P. (2022). Karl Bühler’s Organon model and its legacy in functional translation studies. History of Translation Studies, 4(1), 67–83.

Wang, X., & Xin, Y. (2024). Integrating corpora into functional-pragmatic translation assessment: Methods and applications. Corpus Linguistics and Translation Studies, 15(2), 220–239.

Youssef, A. (2023). Systemic Functional Linguistics as a foundation for pragmatic translation quality models. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 18(1), 40–58.

Downloads

Published

2026-09-23