Entsprechung

Entsprechung is a German noun meaning the relation in which two things correspond to each other, a counterpart, or an equivalent in another domain. The word derives from the verb entspechen (to correspond) with the nominalizing suffix -ung.

In linguistics and translation, Entsprechung refers to a lexical or functional match between expressions in different languages. An Entsprechung is the word, phrase, or usage in the target language that conveys the same sense or function as the source item. The notion is central to translation, glossing, and cross-linguistic analysis, though exact equivalence may be constrained by context, pragmatics, and collocation.

In mathematics, logic, and computer science, Entsprechung describes a relationship that associates each element of one set with a related element of another set, i.e., a correspondence or mapping. Depending on context, this may be a general relation, an injection, a surjection, or a bijection; Entsprechung is often synonymous with Zuordnung or Abbildung in more formal language, though Entsprechung emphasizes the pairing rather than specific structural properties.

In the sciences and philosophy, Entsprechung can denote the alignment between theories, models, symbols, or data and the phenomena they represent. The term underscores the idea that objects in different domains can be put into a meaningful match, even when the match is imperfect or context-dependent.

Related concepts include correspondence, analogy, mapping, Zuordnung, and Abbildung.