Übersetzungsäquivalente

Übersetzungsäquivalenz (translation equivalence) is a concept in translation studies that describes the relationship between a source text and its translation in terms of meaning, function, and overall effect on the target audience. It seeks to capture how closely the translated text mirrors the intentions, information content, and communicative impact of the original.

Scholars distinguish several types of equivalence. Formal equivalence emphasizes linguistic form and exactness at the level of words, sentences, and syntax, aiming to preserve stylistic and grammatical features. Dynamic or functional equivalence prioritizes the effect on the reader, striving to produce a similar response, even if surface form diverges. Skopos theory adds a purpose-driven dimension: the translation strategy depends on the intended function of the target text within its new context.

Historically, translation theorists such as Roman Jakobson, Eugene Nida, and, later, Katharina Reiss and Hans Vermeer shaped the concept. Jakobson stressed that translations never replicate the source exactly but aim for meaning, while Nida distinguished formal and dynamic equivalence and emphasized reader reception. Skopos theory shifted attention from fidelity to the translation’s intended use.

In practice, achieving equivalence is often constrained by linguistic and cultural differences. Translators employ strategies like domestication or foreignization, explicitation, adaptation, or borrowing to approximate equivalence while preserving communicative intent. Critics note that strict equivalence is rarely attainable across languages and cultures; many scholars advocate functionalist or adequacy-based positions that focus on usefulness for the target readership rather than literal sameness.