Eugene Nida
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eugene Albert Nida (November 11, 1914August 25, 2011) was an American
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
who developed the
dynamic equivalence Dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence, in translation and semantics, are the principle approaches to translation, prioritizing respectively the Meaning (linguistics), meaning or the literal translation, literal structure of the source text ...
theory of Bible translation and is considered one of the founders of modern translation studies.


Life

Nida was born in
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, Oklahoma, on November 11, 1914. He became a Christian at a young age, when he responded to the altar call at his church "to accept Christ as my Saviour." He graduated '' summa cum laude'' from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
in 1936. After graduating he attended Camp Wycliffe, where Bible translation theory was taught. He ministered for a short time among the Tarahumara Indians in Chihuahua, Mexico, until health problems due to an inadequate diet and the high altitude forced him to leave. Sometime in this period, Nida became a founding charter member of Wycliffe Bible Translators, a related organization to the Summer Institute of Linguistics. In 1937, Nida undertook studies at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
, where he obtained a master's degree in New Testament Greek in 1939. In that same year he became interim pastor of Calvary Church of
Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...
following the resignation of its founding pastor. Despite his conservative background, in later years Nida became increasingly ecumenical and New Evangelical in his approach. In 1943, Nida received his doctorate in linguistics from the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
. He was ordained as a Baptist minister. He married Althea Lucille Sprague in 1943 and settled in Greenwich, Connecticut. Althea Sprague died in 1993. In 1997, he married María Elena Fernandez-Miranda, a lawyer and diplomatic attache. Nida retired in the early 1980s, although he continued to give lectures in universities all around the world, and lived in Alpine, Arizona, USA; Madrid, Spain and
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. He died in Madrid on August 25, 2011, aged 96.


Career

In 1943, Nida began his career as a
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
with the American Bible Society (ABS). He was quickly promoted to Associate Secretary for Versions, then worked as Executive Secretary for Translations until his retirement. Nida was instrumental in engineering the joint effort between the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
and the United Bible Societies (UBS) to produce cross-denominational Bibles in translations across the globe. This work began in 1968 and was carried on in accordance with Nida's translation principle of Functional Equivalence. Nida received an
Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from
Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...
in 1974.


Theories

Nida has been a pioneer in the fields of translation theory and
linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
. His doctoral dissertation, ''A Synopsis of English Syntax'', was the first full-scale analysis of a major language according to the "immediate-constituent" theory. His textbook ''Morphology: The Descriptive Analysis of Words'' was one of the major works of American
Structuralism Structuralism is an intellectual current and methodological approach, primarily in the social sciences, that interprets elements of human culture by way of their relationship to a broader system. It works to uncover the structural patterns t ...
. It remained the only thorough introduction to the field for decades and is still valuable for its many examples and exercises. His most notable contribution to translation theory is Dynamic Equivalence, also known as Functional Equivalence. For more information, see "
Dynamic and formal equivalence Dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence, in translation and semantics, are the principle approaches to translation, prioritizing respectively the meaning or the literal structure of the source text. The distinction was originally drawn ...
." Nida also developed the componential analysis technique, which split words into their components to help determine equivalence in translation (e.g. " bachelor" = male + unmarried). This is, perhaps, not the best example of the technique, though it is the most well-known. Nida's dynamic-equivalence theory is often held in opposition to the views of
philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
s who maintain that an understanding of the source text (ST) can be achieved by assessing the inter-animation of words on the page, and that meaning is self-contained within the text (i.e. much more focused on achieving semantic equivalence). This theory, along with other theories of correspondence in translating, are elaborated in his essa
''Principles of Correspondence''
where Nida begins by asserting that given that "no two languages are identical, either in the meanings given to corresponding symbols or in the ways in which symbols are arranged in phrases and sentences, it stands to reason that there can be no absolute correspondence between languages. Hence, there can be no fully exact translations."Nida, Ed. Venuti. p. 153 While the impact of a translation may be close to the original, there can be no identity in detail. Nida then sets forth three factors that must be taken into account in translating: # The nature of the message: in some messages the content is of primary consideration, and in others the form must be given a higher priority. # The purpose of the author and of the translator: to give information on both form and content; to aim at full intelligibility of the reader so he/she may understand the full implications of the message; for imperative purposes that aim at not just understanding the translation but also at ensuring no misunderstanding of the translation. # The type of audience: prospective audiences differ both in decoding ability and in potential interest. While reminding that while there are no such things as "identical equivalents" in translating, Nida asserts that a translator must find the "closest natural equivalent." Here he distinguishes between two approaches to the translation task and types of translation: Formal Equivalence (F-E) and Dynamic Equivalence (D-E). F-E focuses attention on the message itself, in both form and content. Such translations then would be concerned with such correspondences as
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
to poetry, sentence to sentence, and
concept A concept is an abstract idea that serves as a foundation for more concrete principles, thoughts, and beliefs. Concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied within such disciplines as linguistics, ...
to concept. Such a formal orientation that typifies this type of structural equivalence is called a "gloss translation" in which the translator aims at reproducing as literally and meaningfully as possible the form and content of the original. The principles governing an F-E translation would then be: reproduction of grammatical units; consistency in word usage; and meanings in terms of the source context. D-E on the other hand aims at complete "naturalness" of expression. A D-E translation is directed primarily towards equivalence of response rather than equivalence of form. The relationship between the target language
receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any neurite structure that, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and respond ...
and message should be substantially the same as that which existed between the original (source language) receptors and the message. The principles governing a D-E translation then would be: conformance of a translation to the receptor
language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
and
culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
as a whole; and the translation must be in accordance with the context of the message which involves the stylistic selection and arrangement of message constituents. Nida and Lawrence Venuti have proven that translation studies is a much more complex discipline than may first appear, with the translator having to look beyond the text itself to deconstruct on an intra-textual level and decode on a referential level—assessing culture-specific items,
idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...
and figurative language to achieve an understanding of the source text and embark upon creating a translation which not only transfers what words mean in a given context, but also recreates the impact of the original text within the limits of the translator's own language system (linked to this topic:
George Steiner Francis George Steiner, Fellow of the British Academy#Fellowship, FBA (April 23, 1929 – February 3, 2020) was a Franco-American literary critic, essayist, philosopher, novelist and educator. He wrote extensively about the relationship between ...
, the Hermeneutic Motion, pragmatics, field, tenor, mode and the locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary). For example, a statement that Jesus "met" someone must be carefully translated into a language which distinguishes between "met for the first time", "met habitually" and "encounter."


Works

Published works include the following: * ''Linguistic Interludes'' – (Glendale, CA: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1944 (Revised 1947)) * ''The Bible Translator'' – (Journal founded and edited by Dr. Nida (retired), 1949- ) * ''Morphology: The Descriptive Analysis of Words'' – (Univ. of Michigan Press, 2nd ed. 1949) * ''Message and Mission'' – (Harper, 1960) * ''Customs, Culture and Christianity'' – (Tyndale Press, 1963) * ''Toward a Science of Translating'' – (Brill, 1964) * ''Religion Across Cultures'' – (Harper, 1968) * ''The Theory and Practice of Translation'' – (Brill, 1969, with C.R. Taber) * ''A Componential Analysis of Meaning'' – (De Gruyter; Approaches to Semiotics col. 57) * ''Understanding Latin Americans: With Special Reference to Religious Values and Movements – (William Carey Library, 1974)'' * ''Language Structure and Translation: Essays'' – (Stanford University Press, 1975) * ''From One Language to Another'' – (Nelson, 1986, with Jan de Waard) * ''The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains'' – (UBS, 1988, with Louw) * ''Contexts in Translating'' – (John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 2002) * ''Fascinated by Languages'' – (John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 2003)


See also

*
Translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...
* Hebrew Old Testament Text Project


Notes


References

*Felber, Stefan. ''Towards a Science of Translating? Eugene A. Nida and His Theory of Dynamic Equivalence,'' Frank & Timme, Berlin 2025, 600 S., ISBN 978-3-7329-1121-9 *Felber, Stefan. ''Kommunikative Bibelübersetzung. Eugene A. Nida und sein Modell der dynamischen Äquivalenz'', Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart 2013, 2nd edition 2016, 481 pp. (contains comprehensive bibliography of Nida). *Ma, H. J. 2003. ''A study of Nida’s translation theory.'' Beijing: Teaching and Research Press. *Stine, Philip. 2005. ''Let the Words Be Written: The Lasting Influence of Eugene A. Nida.'' Brill Academic Publishers. *Stine, Philip. 2004. Eugene A. Nida: A Historical and Contemporary Assessment. ''The Bible Translator'' 55.4:469-479. *George, Calvin. ''The History of the Reina-Valera 1960 Spanish Bible'', Morris Publishing, 2004. (Contains a lengthy chapter about Nida's life and religious beliefs) Still in print and available through https://web.archive.org/web/20080411033537/http://en.literaturabautista.com/node/22 *Nichols, Anthony Howard. ''Translating the Bible: a critical analysis of EA Nida's theory of dynamic equivalence and its impact upon recent Bible translations.'' PhD diss., University of Sheffield, 1996. *Nida, Elena. ''Gene Nida:'' ''My Husband and my inspiration,'' Xulon Press, 2014. *Nida, Eugene. “Principles of Correspondence”. ''The Translation Studies Reader''. Ed. Lawrence Venuti. London: Routledge, 2004. * *Watt, Johnathan. 2005. The contributions of Eugene A. Nida to sociolinguistics. ''The Bible Translator'' 56.1:19-28.


External links


The Eugene A. Nida Institute for Biblical ScholarshipThe American Bible SocietyThe United Bible Societies
* ttp://www.unitedbiblesocieties.org/news/794-eugene-nida-dies/ Eugene Nida's obituary {{DEFAULTSORT:Nida, Eugene Writers from Oklahoma City University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Bible translators American translation scholars Missiologists 1914 births 2011 deaths Syntacticians Semanticists 20th-century American translators Linguistic Society of America presidents Translation theorists Fellows of the Linguistic Society of America