4.3.1. Definition of equivalence
The meaning of the word equivalence can be described as "equal in value,
measure, force, effect, significance." Based on the word's etymology, however,
its first half can also be taken to mean "like." Throughout the history of
translation, equivalence has revealed itself both as a phenomenon that can be
located on different levels and as a concept eventually so riddled with
contradictions.
If a specific linguistic unit in one language carries the same intended meaning /
message encoded in a specific linguistic medium in another, then these two units
are considered to be equivalent. The domain of equivalents covers linguistic
units such as morphemes, words, phrases, clauses, idioms and proverbs. So,
finding equivalents is the most problematic stage of translation. It is worth
mentioning, however, it is not meant that the translator should always find one-
to-one categorically or structurally equivalent units in the two languages, that is,
sometimes two different linguistic units in different languages carry the same
function. For example, the verb "happened" in the English sentence "he happens
to be happy" equals the adverb "bỗng nhiên" (by chance) in the Vietnamese
sentence: "chàng bỗng cảm thấy mình hạnh phúc". The translator, after finding
out the meaning of an SL linguistic form, should ask himself / herself what the
linguistic form is in another language—TL—for the same meaning to be
encoded by.
Examples of Equivalents in English and Vietnamese
- Inch in English may equal ―bước chân‖ (crawl, move slowly) in Vietnamese
- They knew every inch of the field = Họ biết từng ly, từng tý trong lĩnh vực này
- Gold in English may equal ―vàng‖, heart of gold = trái tim vàng
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