ABSTRACT
Criticisms have been levelled at the theoretical foundations and applicability of functionalist approaches in general and of Skopostheorie in particular. Functionalist approaches are often criticized for changing or even betraying originals. The emphasis on cultural relativism in functional theories has to be seen as a reaction against the universalistic tendencies in earlier theoretical approaches to translation. Taking the supremacy of the original for granted from the start, the study of translation then serves merely to demonstrate that original's outstanding qualities by highlighting the errors and inadequacies of any number of translations of it. The Skopos is indeed determined by the initiator's needs and wishes with regard to the communicative action they intend to realize by means of the target text, whereas the actual procedures are entirely up to the translator as a competent expert in translation. Literary translators or literary scholars interested in translation often see functionalism as something that is simply not meant for them.
