Nida's Functional Equivalence Theory

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new paradigms will be created with this theory. The feature of this approach is to describe in detail the source text, the target text and target audience, the translation process, and the translation product. When we look at the history of translation theories, where we can say that every kind of information about the occurrence of translation arises from the necessity of revealing the scientific foundations and rules, as well as the aims and objectives, we see that different theories come into the foreground at every period. After the Church’s oppressive regime in the Bible translations which was prescriptive and defending word for word translation in the seventeenth century the functionalist approaches raised to the occasion. St. Jerome …show more content…

The American translation theory Eugene A. Nida proposed the theory of functional equivalence. The Nida's functional equivalence theory reader was not similar to traditional translation theories, which emphasize the cohesion between the source language and the target language. Nida indicates that you need to find the natural nearest equivalent to achieve ideal translation. Nida's functional equivalence theory created a wider perspective to the translation studies. According to Nida's view, translation is not just finding linguistic equivalences. It exists from lexical information and cultural knowledge as well as semantics and style. According to Nida's view, a dynamic equivalent translation must comply with the language and culture of the recipient to make the translated message understandable and naturally conform to the target receiver. Nida stated that “A translation of dynamic equivalence aims at complete naturalness of expression,and tries to relate the receptor to modes of behaviour relevant within the context of his own culture; it does not insist that he understands the cultural patterns of the source language context in order to comprehend the message.”

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