Trevor LeGassick and M.M. Badawi's Translation of Naguib Mahfouz's The Thief and the Dogs
A Study in Translation Equivalence
1.1 Introducing Nida's Theory of Equivalence
Nida considers equivalence in terms of reproducing the intention of the original text rather than reproducing its actual words. He has evolved the theory of dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence (sense-for-sense translation and word-for-word translation respectively). Dynamic equivalence focuses upon thoughts rather than words and adapts to the culture of the receptor people. In so doing, he has moved "translation studies into the realm of science and in demonstrating the value of linguistics as a potential tool for translation practice and research" (Stine, 2005, p. 135). As Nida (1964, p. 159) states:
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; it does not insist that he understands the cultural patterns of the source-language context in order to comprehend the message.