formal equivalence

noun

An approach to translation centered on preserving formal features (such as vocabulary or syntax) of the source in the translated text; word-for-word equivalence.

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Meanings

nounformal equivalence (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesAn approach to translation centered on preserving formal features (such as vocabulary or syntax) of the source in the translated text; word-for-word equivalence.

    Nida made a distinction between two kinds of equivalence in translation: formal equivalence, where the order of the words and their standard or common meanings correspond closely to the syntax and vocabulary of the source; […]

    2011, David Bellos, chapter 15, in Is that a Fish in Your Ear?

Origin

Coined by American linguist Eugene Nida.

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Cite this entry
APA

formal equivalence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formal%20equivalence

MLA

“formal equivalence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formal%20equivalence. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “formal equivalence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formal%20equivalence.

Source: formal equivalence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.