FROM EQUIVALENCE TO FUNCTIONALISM: THE EVOLUTION OF TRANSLATION THEORY IN HISTORICAL TEXT TRANSLATION

Abstract

Translation studies have undergone a profound transformation over the past century, evolving from traditional equivalence-based models toward functionalist and target-oriented approaches. While early translation theories primarily emphasized linguistic correspondence between source and target texts, contemporary paradigms recognize translation as a complex intercultural and communicative activity shaped by pragmatic, cultural, and contextual factors. This evolution is particularly significant in the translation of historical texts, where language serves not only as a medium of communication but also as a repository of historical memory, cultural identity, and ideological values. Historical documents contain numerous culture-bound elements, archaic lexical units, ethnonyms, administrative titles, and historical references whose successful translation depends on preserving both their semantic content and communicative function.