Problems of Equivalence INTRODUCTION

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D. Problems of Equivalence

The aim of translation is to find the equivalence, which gives the same effect as obtained in the readership of source language. When the translator is in the process of translation, heshe is going to look for the equivalence from the source language into the target language. However, the different system between the source language and the target language becomes problem in the translating text. As stated by Bell 1991: 5 : “Language are different from each other; they are different in form having distinct codes and rules regulating the construction of grammatical stretches of language and these forms has different meaning” Due to the differences of system between both languages, obstacles will be found by translator in translating text. However, it is impossible to produce perfect equivalence since the difference of language system and cultural gap of source language and target language. According to Hervey, Higgins and Haywood 1995: 14, there are two reasons why it is difficult to produce total equivalence, which are as follows : commit to user ― First, the requirement that the TT should affect its recipients in the same way as the ST does did its original audience raises the difficult problem on how any one particular recipient responds to a text, and of the extent to which text have constant interpretations even for the same person on two different occasions……Second, the principle of equivalent e ffect presumes that theory can cope not only with ST and SL audience but also with the impact of a TT on its intended TL audience.” There are several types of equivalence given by experts; Nida gives two types which are formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. Formal equivalence emphasize to both form and content. It is expected that the readers of target language are able to understand the context of source text as close as the readers of the source language are able to. Meanwhile, dynamic equivalence based on ―the principle of equivalent effect, where the relationship between the receptor and message should be substantially the same as that which exists between the original receptors and the message.‖ Nida in Nababan, Subroto and Sumarlam, 2004: 15 Newmark 1988: 48 calls dynamic equivalence as ―equivalence response‖ principle. That is intended ―to produce the same effect or one as close commit to user as possible‖ on the readership of the translation as was obtained on the readership of the original.‖ The problem of equivalence influences the technique used by translators and determines the quality of translation. Therefore, loss, gain and adjustment are unavoidable in the process of translation.

E. Translation Techniques