formal equivalence en · NOUN
Etymology
Coined by American linguist Eugene Nida.
Meanings
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(uncountable) 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.
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?: