ABSTRACT
The top-ranking rule for any translation is thus the 'Skopos rule', which says that a translational action is determined by its Skopos, that is, "the end justifies the means". Intertextual coherence is considered subordinate to intratextual coherence, and both are subordinate to the Skopos rule. If the Skopos requires a change of function, the standard will no longer be intertextual coherence with the source text but adequacy or appropriateness with regard to the Skopos. The Skopos of the translation determines the form of equivalence required for an adequate translation. In Skopostheorie, equivalence means adequacy to a Skopos that requires that the target text 'achieve the same communicative function or functions as the source text'. The Skopos often has to be negotiated between the client and the translator, especially when the client has only a vague or even incorrect idea of what kind of text is needed for the situation in question.
