ABSTRACT
This chapter considers fundamentals involved in the translation context. It look at the functional approach, which underlies the fundamentals. The functional approach considers translation as a process involving several role-players. The translation brief is prepared by the secondary initiator, who uses it to clearly orient the translator in the briefing meeting. Even a professional translator could produce a translation that is off point in the opinion of the initiator if the purpose and other key specifications of the envisaged target text are not explained, that is, if there was no briefing meeting or translation brief. The indigenous languages of South Africa are still in the process of claiming an equal status to that of English and Afrikaans. Usually, translated texts are for an intended readership similar to the readership of the source text.
