dynamic equivalence

English

Etymology

Coined by American linguist Eugene Nida.

Noun

dynamic equivalence (uncountable)

1. (translation studies) An approach to translation centered on reproducing an equivalent effect on readers of the translated text.

   Synonym: functional equivalence

   Coordinate term: formal equivalence

   • 2011, David Bellos, chapter 15, in Is that a Fish in Your Ear?:

     Nida made a distinction between two kinds of equivalence in translation: formal equivalence, where the order of the words and their standard or common meanings correspond closely to the syntax and vocabulary of the source; and dynamic equivalence (later renamed functional equivalence), where the translator substitutes for source-text expressions other ways of saying things with roughly the same force in the culture of the receiving society.

   • 2019, Longy O. Anyanwu, The Color of God in the Crossroads of War, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, →ISBN, page 17:

     The second method of translation is dynamic equivalence (aka functional equivalence). With this method, the translator considers the meaning behind the original text and attempts to convey this meaning to the reader of the target language. The goal is to produce the same effect on the modern readers that the original readers experienced.

Further reading

• dynamic and formal equivalence on Wikipedia.Wikipedia