Eugene Nida was
one of the prominent American linguists of the 20th century. He has made a lot
of contributions to translation studies. Since the 1980s, American linguist and
translation theorist Eugene Nida's translation theories have been among the
most influential in China and all over the world. Dynamic Equivalence, also
known as Functional Equivalence, is his most notable contribution to
translation theory.
His model revolves around Nida's ideas where
he dropped terms like "literal translation," "free translation,"
and "faithful translation," which had been in use for a long time. On
the contrary, he promoted dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence as the
fundamental directions and guidelines for translation. The key difference,
according to Nida, was the intention of the translation.
Let's take a closer look at dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence.
Formal Equivalence:
The concept of formal equivalence emphasizes
the importance of paying attention to the message's type and content. The term
"formal equivalence" refers to the fact that the message in the
target language should correspond to the various parts in the original
language. Formal equivalence aims to achieve equivalence between the original
text and the translation text and to represent to some degree the linguistical
features of the original language, such as vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and
structure, which have a significant effect on accuracy and correctness. One of
the most common types of translation is "gloss translations," which are
the most similar to the original structure and include attachments and comments
to help readers understand the culture and customs of the nation.
Dynamic Equivalence:
The message heard by the viewer is the most
critical aspect of translation. Important messages, both in terms of type and
content, must not only be understood but also appreciated. Only by stating the
original features will the translator achieve "dynamic equivalence,"
which emphasizes the importance of transmitting meaning rather than grammatical
form. In a nutshell, it's the "value of a translation in which the
original text's message has been so transferred into the receptor language that
the receptor's reaction is basically identical to that of the original
receptors."
For Nida, the success of translation depends
on equivalence. Here are some important requirements of translation.
1. Making sense
2. Conveying
the spirit and manner of the original,
3. Having a
natural and easy form of expression
4. Producing a
similar response.
According to Nida “Translating consists in
reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the
source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of
style.”
Three specific words are included in this definition:
(1) Equivalence, in which the original
language is referred to;
(2) It is normal, as it refers to the
language of the receiver;
(3) It was the nearest, and it was tied
together on a somewhat similar basis. The term "dynamic equivalence
translation" refers to the process of selecting the translation that is
most similar to the original language on a natural basis.
The so-called closest mostly in regards to
the sense and the translator concentrate more on the context and spirit of the
original text, rather than rigidly stick to the structure and type. Because of
the stringent criteria, dynamic translation is not equivalent to conventional
"free translation" or "live translation of," according to
Nida's concept.
Thus the above discussion can be summed up in
these paragraphs. Eugene Nida used the terms dynamic equivalence and
formal equivalence to describe two different translation methods to
achieve different degrees of literalness between the source text and the target
text, as seen in biblical translation as well. Dynamic equivalence has been
defined as a sense-for-sense translation while formal equivalence as
word-for-word translation translating the meanings of terms and phrases in a
more literal way while maintaining literal fidelity.
Eugene Nida’s model can briefly be enclosed
in these words/points.
Nida believes a translation should focus
on reproducing the source language's message; (2) a translation should pursue
equivalence of the message rather than preserving the utterance's form; (3) the nearest natural equivalent should be used; and (4) meaning should take
precedence over structure.
