The “brief” is the main concept in Skopos theory, but the studies related to it are not much like the studies conducted examining Skopos theory in general. However, Fraser (1996,2000) has conducted several studies related to the brief. The first study centered on immediate retrospection and the “think aloud protocol” (TAP) for 12 community professional translations. She emphasize the influence of translation brief and TL receiver on the translators behavior. Participants were asked to translate an article without a brief . They all agreed that it is a challenge to fitful the purpose of the task and translate professional text to laypeople as they need to go beyond the context to creat a communication bonds.
Later, Fraser conducted another study based on the previous one, but this time regarding the use of a brief in translation tasks. A total of 21 freelance commercial translators participated in the study. Translators were given an explicit brief and their discussion with the researcher reviled that translators with a brief attend to be more TT-oriented and taking in consideration the reader needs and familiarity.
Based on these study results, we can see that translators pay great attention to the translation brief, as it plays major role in the translation process, but some professional translators do not ask for one. This may be because professionals can establish a translation Skopos without having a brief. Nord (1997) believed that professional translators working on some translation tasks do not need an explicit brief, but that they will establish one depending on their experience in the field. Experienced professionals know the specific function of their texts, and they know their clients’ requirements and the addressees of the TT.
In medical report translation, the ST function is usually fixed which is to provides information about the patient’s history (informative text), but the receivers can vary between specialists and laypeople. With this in mind, the present study will focus on the consequences of translating medical terms and if, according to Nord, professional medical translators create different TT depending on the TT receivers, or if they keep in mind the ST purpose instead, making their work “ST-oriented.”
Schjoldager and Zethsen (2003) conducted another study about the brief and the establishment of Skopos. Their study involved five professional translators in one focus group. They discussed the purpose establishment and, after two months, the scholars conducted individual follow-up interviews with each translator. The results showed that translators establish a Skopos depending on the text type, headline of translation, client name and ST analysis. These results agreed with Nord’s view that professional translators do not need an explicit brief, as they are able to establish one based on their previous experiences.
The findings are also in agreement with Vermeer and Riess (1984), who see the ST as an offer of information. A ST analysis can provide a translator with the needed elements to establish a Skopos, but the ST Skopos is not always the same as the TT Skopos, and there may be intentional differences between the texts. In this regard, Nord believed that intentionality may be linked with translators and the initiators of the ST but, on the other hand, the translational intention may or may not be the same as the ST.
Jääskelainen (1989; 1990) conducted several studies on the relationship between the ST intention of “purpose” and TT purpose. She studied fifth-year translation students and divided her participants into two groups. Each group was given a text to be translated along with an assignment of translation, which can be considered as a brief. One group had an assignment that made the TT function slightly different than the ST function, and then she checked how members of that group treated the brief. The participants took into consideration the brief while translating, thus confirming that translators are aware of the importance of the brief and that the TT’s intention can be different from that of the ST.
Another study, by Kring (1986), considered TAP. Eight translators were given a brief that gives the TT function as different from the ST. In his study, the participants totally ignored the brief and did not translate according to it. The translators’ behavior in that study was different from the behaviors observed in previous ones.
To sum up, translators are usually aware of the importance of the brief, its major role in the translation process, and how it leads to a successful translation. In some situations, they either ask for a brief or ask to have more information about the TT receivers, to help them to establish a Skopos. Still, professional translators are able to establish a Skopos without a brief; this ability is based on their experience in the field and with ST analysis.