A functionalist approach to literary translation: Analysis of culturemes in Intemperie

Abstract

This dissertation aims to examine how culturemes can be translated in light of Skopos theory. It focuses on literary translation, particularly applied to Jesús Carrasco 's novel Intemperie. Through a descriptive and comparative study, this research seeks to evaluate the strategies and techniques employed in the English translation of Intemperie, Out in the Open, by Margaret Jull Costa. A selection of 17 culturemes from Carrasco’s original text will be analysed and classified into four categories: natural environment, social culture, cultural heritage, and linguistic culture. The results highlight the effectiveness of “dethroning the source text”, exhibiting how functionalist theory can ensure readability whilst balancing cultural specificity.