Abstract

This paper is about the translation theory, dynamic equivalence, which was put forward by Eugene A. Nida. Dynamic equivalence is a very important theory in translation. It is one of the most important contributions that Nida has made to translation. Eugene A. Nida is a famous and great scholar in the history of translation. This paper will introduce the meaning of dynamic equivalence briefly and study on this theory the two Chinese versions of The Age of Innocence. This novel was written by Edith Wharton, an important writer in American literature history. It is one of the master works of Edith Wharton. This paper will offer several examples from the two Chinese versions to present the understanding about The Age of Innocence and the translation theory dynamic equivalence.

Key Words: dynamic equivalence  The Age of Innocence  Chinese version
 
摘  要

本论文是关于尤金•奈达提出的翻译理论——动态对等原则。尤金•奈达是翻译史上一个著名又伟大的学者。动态对等原则是翻译理论中很重要的一部分，也是尤金•奈达对翻译作出的重要贡献之一。本论文将简要介绍动态对等的含义，并结合《纯真年代》的两个中译本对其进行研究。这本小说出自美国文学史上一个重要的作家伊迪斯•华顿之手，也是伊迪斯•华顿的代表作之一。本论文将列举若干从两个中译本中摘出的例子来陈述对《纯真年代》和动态对等的理解。

关键词：动态对等  《纯真年代》  中译本
 
1 Introduction
Dynamic equivalence is an important theory in translation history. It was put forward by the famous scholar, Eugene A. Nida. Dynamic equivalence is very useful in translation. For readers, whether the translated texts can be well understood is very important. There is no doubt that if the expressions of translated texts are obeying original texts too much, the information that is conveyed to the target text readers will be reduced a lot. This deviation appears because of the difference between the cultural background of the original text readers and the target text readers.
Dynamic equivalence means that when reading a translated text, what the target text readers feel is the same as the original text readers. That is to say what information the target text readers have received is the same as the original text readers. In this way, the target text readers can totally understand what the author wants to express.