Eugene Nida was a pioneer in developing translation theory and establishing it as a field of scientific inquiry. He incorporated insights from linguistics, particularly Chomsky's theory of generative grammar, and emphasized understanding meaning in context and culture. Nida proposed techniques like componential analysis to clarify ambiguities between languages and introduced the concepts of formal and dynamic equivalence to guide translators in bridging cultural and linguistic differences to achieve equivalent effect for the target audience. His work established translation as the study of meaning transfer across languages and cultures.

1. Eugene Nida 1914-2011

2. Nida and ”the science of translating”
 Towards a Science of Translating
(1964);
 The Theory and Practice of
Translation (with Taber) (1969)
 incorporating insights from
linguistics;
 The theory of generative-
transformational grammar
(Chomsky 1957, 1965)

3. The nature of meaning: advances
in semantics and pragmatics
 Moving away from the idea that an
orthographic word has a fixed
meaning;
 A functional definition: word
acquires meaning through its
context and can produce varying
responses according to culture

4. The nature of meaning: advances
in semantics and pragmatics
 Meaning is broken down into:
 linguistic meaning;
 referential meaning;
 emotive (referential) meaning;
o Hierarchical meaning and
componential analysis;
o semantic structure analysis

5. Hierarchical structuring
 Differentating series of words
according to their level:
 The superordinate animal and its
hyponyms goat, dog, cow, etc.
 vehicle, car, bus, etc.

6. Componential analysis
 Identifying and discriminating
specific features of a range of
related words;
 grandmother, mother, cousin, etc.
 sex (male, female),generation,
lineality (direct
ancestor/descendant);
 bachelor: +male, +unmarried

7. Semantic structure analysis
 Separating out visually different meanings:
 spirit (demons, angels, gods, ghosts, ethos,
alcohol, etc.);
 To demonstrate the semantic complexity of
terms, how they vary and are conditioned
by their context;
 Varying emotive or connotative value
depending on the target culture

8. The importance of context for
communication
 Metaphorical meaning;
 Complex cultural idioms
 Techniques of componential
analysis as a means of clarifying
ambiguities, elucidating obscure
passages and identifying cultural
differences

9. The influence of Chomsky
1. Phrase-structure rules generate an
underlying or deep structure which is
2. Transformed by transformational rules
relating one underlying structure to
another (e.g. active to passive), to
produce
3. a final surface structure, which itself is
subject to phonological and morphemic
rules

10. The structure relations – universal
feature of human language
 kernel sentences – most basic structures – simple,
active declarative sentences – the minimum of
transformation; ‘basic structural elements out of
which language builds its elaborate surface
structures’
 Incorporating key features of Chomsky’s
model into the ‘science’ of translation;
 Technique for decoding the ST and a procedure for
encoding the TT

11. Nida’s three-stage system of
translation
analysis
• Surface structure of ST is analyzed into
the basic elements of deep structure
transfer
• These are ‘transferred’ in the translation
process
restruc.
• And restructured semantically and
stylistically into surface structure of the TT

12. Chomsky and TT
From Nida & Taber (1969:33)

13. Kernels: four types of functional
class
 events (usually verbs);
 objects (usually nouns);
 abstracts (quantities and qualities,
including adjectives);
 relationals (inc. gender,
prepositions and conjunctions)

14. Examples of analysis (Nida 1964)
I. Surface struture: will of God
II. Back transform: B(object, God)
performs A (event, wills)
I. Surface structure: creation of the
world
II. Back transform: B (object: the
world) is the goal of A (event,
creates)

15. From Nida (1964: 185-7)

16. Two Basic Orientations: formal and
dynamic equivalence
 Formal equivalence:
Formal equivalence focuses attention on
the message itself, in both form and
content… One is concerned that the
message in the receptor language should
match as closely as possible the different
elements in the source language
(Nida1964a: 159)

17. Bridging cultural and linguistic
differences: Dynamic Equivalence
 ”The principle of equivalent effect: the
relationship between receptor and message
should be substantially the same as that
which existed between the original
receptors and the message”
 ‘Correspondence in meaning must have
priority over correspondence in style’

18. ‘Four basic requirements of a
translation’
 Making sense;
 Conveying the spirit and manner of
the original;
 Having a natural and easy form of
expression;
 Producing a similar response

19. Dynamic equivalence procedures
include:
 Substituting more appropriate TL
cultural material for less accessible
SL items;
 Making references which are implicit
in the ST linguistically explicit in TL;
 Regulating redundancy in order to
facilitate comprehension

20. Language, culture and society
 Lamb of God rendered as Seal of
God
 Relate the receptor to modes of
behaviour relevant within the
context of his (sic) own culture

21. Adjustment techniques
 Adding or taking away information;
 Altering the material;
 Providing footnotes;
 Generally modifying the ST by
removing any element likely to be
perceived as alien, if not totally
incomprehensible to the target
audience

22. The importance of Nida’s work
 Introducing a receptor-based
orientation
 Dynamic vs formal (dynamic v.
structural) represents points on a
cline;
 More-or-less not either-or
dichotomies;
 The role and responsibility of the
translator;

23. The importance of Nida’s work
 Preoccupation with equivalence at
word level;
 Equivalent effect or response
impossible to measure;
 Is Nida’s theory really scientific?
 Technique for effective preaching?