Dynamic

equivalence
and the
receptor of the
message
Purpose of translation

– Eugene Nida: `Anything which can be said in one language can be said in
another, unless the form is an essential element of the message.`

SO
– The purpose of translation = respond to the communicative requirements of
text receiver by taking into account the communicative preferences of the
original message producer and the function of the original text.
Translation methods
1. Formal equivalence
– " Formal equivalence focuses attention on the message itself, in both form and
content. In such a translation one is concerned with such correspondences as
poetry to poetry, sentence to sentence, and concept to concept. Viewed from this
formal orientation, one is concerned that the message in the receptor language
should match as closely as possible the different elements in the source language.
This means, for example, that the message in the receptor culture is constantly
compared with the message in the source culture to determine the standards of
accuracy and correctness" (Nida, 1964, p.159).
Translation methods
1. Formal equivalence
Formal equivalence refers to the purely formal replacement of one word or
phrase in the SL by another in the TL.
According to Nida:
Formal equivalence ǂ literal translation BECAUSE

Literal translation = no regard for context

Formal translation = always `contextually motivated`
Exercise

– `If somebody messes with you, go to court. That`s the American way.` Bernard
Adusei, who immigrated to the United States 21 years ago, criticizing a lawsuit
in connection with a disputed lottery win.

– Task: let`s analyze the significance of the elements in bold and try to find a
suitable translation.
Translation methods
2. Dynamic equivalence

– Example:
[...] a face so ordinary as to approach anonymity, a mastery of diguise so
accomplished he could vanish without a trace inside a role and a wary intelligence
that allowed him to reveal the deepest secrets of his characters while slyly
protecting his own. (Newsweek 21 august 2000)
NOTE: The best known example of a dynamic equivalent is seen in the decision to
translate the Biblical phrase "Lamb of God" into an Eskimo language as "Seal of
God" due to the fact that lambs are unknown in Polar Regions.
What`s this dynamic
equivalence?
– Dynamic equivalence is the quality which characterizes a translation in which
"the message of the original text has been so transposed into the receptor
language that the response of the receptor is essentially like that or the original
receptors" (Nida & Taber, 1969, p.200).

– Nida (1964) states that "a translation of dynamic equivalence aims at complete
naturalness of expression, and tries to relate the receptor to modes of behavior
relevant within the context of his own culture" (p.159).
Formal or dynamic?

FORMAL EQUIVALENCE DYNAMIC EQUIVALENCE

- It is almost always contextually motivated - More flexible, more `rebel`
- Formal features are kept only if they have - It implies the using of some techniques
contextual values that become part of such as explication, restructuring or
overall text meaning. adjustment;
- keeps the ambiguity of source text. - It tries to get rid of the ambiguity of source
text
-accent on the form of the message - accent on the message
The translation process

– The translator...
a) Analyses the SL message into its simpliest and structurally clearest forms (or
kernels)
b) Transfers the message at this kernel level
c) Restructures the message in the TL to the level which is most appropriate for the
audience adressed
NOTE: Kernels are basic structural elements to which syntactically more elaborate
surface structures of a language can be reduced.
Conclusions

– Both formal and dynamic equivalence represent two general orientations in the
translations of texts;
– Formal equivalence is distinguished from literal translation strictly in terms of
contextual motivatedness;
– We cannot establish which could be the best method to apply in translation of
texts because we have to take into account the purpose of ST.