What is formal equivalence?

Formal equivalence is also functional equivalence in translation theory, that is, functional equivalence should be realized between two languages, rather than rigid correspondence on the surface of words. It is to reproduce the information of the source language from semantics to style in the most appropriate, natural and equivalent language.

Equivalence theory is a set of translation theories developed by Nida from reality, and eventually becomes one of the classics of translation studies.

Extended data:

Characteristics of formal functional equivalence theory;

If translated according to the literal equivalence between English and Chinese, the original sentence is translated as "he is infected and thinks like a cold", then the true meaning of the original text cannot be expressed clearly. In fact, it is difficult to find a sentence pattern that is completely equivalent to English in Chinese to express the same connotation.

Therefore, the translator transforms the deep structure of the source language into the surface structure of the target language, that is, directly explains and explains the connotation of the original text with the corresponding vocabulary in the target language, thus making the translation more acceptable to the target readers.

According to Nida's translation theory, the treatment of cultural differences is closely related to the reproduction of the source language from semantics to style in the target language. Only when the translation reproduces the style and spirit of the source language from the language form to the cultural connotation can it be called an excellent work.

If the change of form is still not enough to express the semantics and culture of the original text, we can use the translation skills of "heavy loss" to solve the cultural differences and make the source language and the target language equivalent in meaning.

If meaning and culture cannot be taken into account at the same time, the translator can only give up formal equivalence and achieve the purpose of reproducing the semantics and culture of the original text by changing the form of the original text in translation.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Functional Equivalence Theory