APPLICATION OF SCHEMA THEORY: A TEXT ANALYSIS ON AN EXCERPT FROM A CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS BOOK

One of many approaches to analyzing a text prior to translating is the schemata theory. Schema is a complex of “data structures, representing stereotypical patters, which we retrieve from memory and employ in our understanding of discourse” (Cook, 1989). This theory is beneficial for translators to determine the range of schematic knowledge required to ensure maximum understanding. This paper applies the schema theory on an excerpt from a Christian religious book. Some results have been generated. First, the text displays five layers of possible schemata: ‘Christian’, ‘Western’, ‘English’, ‘Presbyterian’, and ‘’theologian’. Second, ‘Christian’ and ‘English’ schemata prove to be very crucial due to their considerable number of key phrases. Third, translatorsneed to be aware of possible differences between the writer’s and the readers’ schemata. Fourth, some key phrasesreveal the writer’s effort to maintain balance between conformity and divergence of new information, thus increasingthe text’s relevance.