Principles of correspondence

In this extract from his 1964 book, Toward a Science of Translating , Eugene Nida distinguishes between “dynamic” and “formal” varieties of “correspondence” between the translation and the source text. Dynamic correspondence avoids the approximation to the form and meaning of the source text that characterizes formal correspondence and instead aims for an equivalence of effect. This equivalence is achieved by assimilating the source text to receiving cultural values by cultivating “complete naturalness of expression,” defined as adherence to the current standard dialect of the translating language. Nida privileges dynamic correspondence, observing that it has been increasingly accepted during the twentieth century.