Dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence are two approaches to translation. Dynamic equivalence (or functional equivalence) attempts to discern and render the thought of the original. Formal equivalence attempts to translate the text word-for-word. These terms were created to refer to translations of the Bible. Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text — and the production of a new, equivalent text in another language — called the target text, or the translation. ... The Bible (sometimes The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material...

These two approaches represent emphases on readability and literal faithfulness to the original text, respectively. However, it should be noted that dynamic equivalence stops short of paraphrasing. There is no sharp boundary between formal equivalence, dynamic equivalence, and paraphrase; they represent rather a continuum of translation possibilites. It has been suggested that Readability test be merged into this article or section. ... Paraphrasing is the act in which a statement or remark is explained in other words or another way, as to clarify the meaning. ...

Because dynamic equivalence subordinates adherence to the original text, in favor of a more natural translation, it is used when the readability of the translation is more important than preserving the original wording. For example, a novel would be translated with dynamic equivalence so that it reads well, but in international diplomacy, the exact original meaning may be very important, so formal equivalence would be more desirable. Unfortunately, completely unambiguous formal translation is more often a goal rather than a reality, because different languages usually contain words and concepts which have no direct equivalents in other tongues. In such cases dynamic translation is the only option. DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... The United Nations, with its headquarters in New York City, is the largest international diplomatic organization. ...

The more the source language differs from the target language, the more dynamic the translation must be, because literal translation becomes less and less understandable. But formal equivalence allows readers familiar with the source language to see how meaning was expressed in the original text, preserving original idioms, rhetorical patterns (such as Biblical Hebrew poetic parallelism), and diction. For these reasons, dynamic equivalence translations of the Bible are often used for everyday reading and devotionals, while serious Bible students usually prefer a formal equivalence translation. An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not compositional—that is, whose meaning does not follow from the meaning of the individual words of which it is composed. ... Rhetoric (from Greek ρήτωρ, rhêtôr, orator) is one of the three original liberal arts or trivium (the other members are dialectic and grammar) in Western culture. ... Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 6 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ...

The New Living Translation is a Bible translation made with dynamic equivalence. Formal equivalence of 17th century English to the Hebrew and Greek source manuscripts is exemplified by the King James Version. The New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version are the most popular translations in contemporary use, other than the King James version . Both of these versions seek a balance between dynamic and formal equivalence. New Living Translation The New Living Translation or NLT is a translation of the Bible into an easily readable form of modern English. ... The Bible (sometimes The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Christian Bible which is the most popular of the modern translations of the Bible made in the twentieth century. ... The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, released in 1989, is an update of the Revised Standard Version (RSV). ...

External link

• Formal Equivalence translation