Semantic Equivalence in the Translation of Vietnamese and English Complex Sentences

Abstract

Semantic equivalence in translation refers to the degree to which a target text conveys meanings comparable to those of the source text. At the lexical level, this corresponds to equivalence in denotational or conceptual meaning; at the clausal level, it involves equivalence in experiential meaning. This paper focuses on semantic equivalence from the perspective of experiential meaning—the type of meaning that construes objective reality—using M. A. K. Halliday’s semantic framework (the experiential metafunction) as the theoretical basis for analysis. The data are examined in both directions: (1) from English into Vietnamese and (2) from Vietnamese into English. The findings reveal both equivalence and non-equivalence in the realization of material, mental, and relational processes across the two languages.