The Contradiction And Unification Of The Equivalent Effect In Translation

Equivalent effect(EE) is one of the most important and controversial western translation theories. EE or dynamic equivalence (DE), as was explained by Eugene A. Nida, is intended that the receptors should respond to the target language (TL) messages with substantially the same manner as the source language (SL) receptors do to the original. EE was regarded as a great contribution to the field of translation because it takes the reader's responses into consideration in translating, this is said to shift the attention on the relationship of the ST to the TT in terms of form and content to the relationship between the receptors and the respective texts. So in quite a long period, EE was regarded as an"unalterable precious precept"by the translation workers. However, with the development of translation theory and practice, many translators, or translation theorists point out that EE is never possible because of the vast differences between the two languages and the two cultures, and of the uncertainty and unpredictability of readers'responses. Recently, EE receives more and more fierce criticism, and it seems to be completely denied. In the author's opinion, it is imperative for us to take a dialectical thinking way to look at the guidance of EE on translation theory and practice from the perspective of philosophy. Absolute equivalence is desirable but out of our reach. However, similar equivalence can be achieved through the translators'efforts.The law of universality of contradiction tells us that."…each and every difference already contains contradiction and that difference itself is contradiction.…Contradiction is universal and absolute. It is present in the process of the development of all things and permeates every process from beginning to end"(Mao Tse-tung, 1964: 318). According to the law of universality of contradiction, translation is a process which within itself has its own contradiction from beginning (the ST) to end (the TT), because there are a great many differences between the target language, the target language culture and the source language, the source language culture. These differences are the contradictions. Translation is a process of determining, analyzing the differences or contradictions and resolving the contradictions for equivalent effect or the unification of the source text and the target text.Similarly, the law of particularity of contradiction also tells us that"every form of motion contains within itself its own particular contradiction. This particular contradiction constitutes...