Hans J. Vermeer played an important role in shaping Translation Studies as they stand today. He fought in many ways for the discipline to become more open. His many publications cover a wide range of subjects from translation theory and translation teaching to interpreting, not forgetting his seven-volume work on the history of translation, which is the most complete work in this field so far. It is easy to see how broad Hans J. Vermeer’s scope was, and how interdisciplinary his thinking was, by looking at the titles of his books. However, his name is most associated with skopos theory: a theory which was crucial to the development of the functionalist school of thought in Translation Studies.
Hans J. Vermeer laid the foundations for his skopos theory in his lectures at FTSK (School of Translation and Interpreting Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz) in Germersheim over thirty years ago.
Center for Intercultural Studies of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz