1. The Bible Needs Correction
The most striking of these is the notion that the Bible needs correction. This is huge in that it suggests that God failed somehow in inspiring the original scribes to write what He wanted in the manner the He wanted it written. Contemporizing the language is therefore seen as justified, and in the process interpretation and exposition are included. Some modern translations remove the reader as far from the original as the old Latin did. The Bible does not need to be changed to make it relevant; because it is the ETERNAL Word of God it will always be relevant. Metaphors, gender, patriarchalism, short sentences, repetition – God designed it all that way.
2. The Bible is a Uniformly Simple Book
In the prefaces of many modern translations the virtues of a simple vocabulary and syntax are touted, yet we must ask ourselves, to what level of communication did God stoop when
…show more content…
The Bible is More Difficult for Modern Readers than for Original Readers
This is sometimes true in the area of idioms, customs, and thought patterns – especially where animal husbandry and agriculture become less and less common in a culture. All of these things, along with history, linguistics, and geography can and should be taught, not written into the translation. Teachers are a gift to the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11).
8. Readers, Not Authors, Determine Meaning
This is the reason why so many dynamic equivalent translations are for target audiences. The reader is elevated above the author and the original text. This results in a smorgasbord of perceived needs being met when engaging in the work of translation and in choosing a translation, where personal preference often trumps God’s intended meaning.
The Theology and Ethics of Bible Translation
Translation is a linguistic science, but it occurs within a theological and moral framework. The issue is a sensitive one, as theology involves an obligation to the text and morality involves an obligation to the
In the study of the Greek language here lately Tom takes you there. He often refers to the Greek translation of some of the scriptures he is referring to. This could be good or not. For me it was good because we are currently studying Greek. For some...
According to David M. Carr, the history of Scriptural interpretation indicates that religious texts are popular candidates for reinterpretation and, as such, are spaces wherein the personal identity of the reader frequently inscribes itself at length:
to an understanding of God’s dealing with humankind. In the english translations of the Bible,
Finally Placher ends his article with the explanation of the Bible giving the reader a new language and mindset to describe the world around them. When a person uses the language that is present in the Bible instead of the language that is of the world their minds change, for example an “action wasn’t just ‘inappropriate’ or even a ‘crime’ it was ‘sin’” (928). Through such examples Placher proves that “to trust the Bible” is to “let it define our world and provide a language for thinking about the world”
The King James Bible has been the focus of the moral compass of the world since its creation. Being that it was the English translated Bible, Christianity spread rapidly as more people began to know and study God about Jesus Christ. The language in the Bible holds better understanding in which why it became so well-known so fast. In study for the beginnings of the book, the revising of it turned people on to its stories like the Sermon on the Mount and Psalm 23. Translation of the King James Bible came directly from Tyndale’s writings of the New Testament written in 1524. The King James Bible is an adaptation of Tyndale’s writings.(1) Language in the King James Bible shows direct writings from Tyndale’s New Testament and poetic, literary wisdom,
William Tyndale has been called “the hidden father of the English language.” He was the first person to translate the Bible into the English, and in doing so, he changed the English language forever. Before Tyndale’s translation some English words had three different spelling. Tyndale helped to formalize both the spellings and speech patterns of different words and phrases. Tyndale spoke seven different languages, and he was proficient in both Hebrew and Greek. He was a priest who worked his whole life mastering his intellectual gifts and making use of them. Tyndale was disciplined and efficient. He could have went a long way in the church had he not worked so hard to defy the current authority, but he did all of this to make sure men and women were able to read the Bible in their own language. Tyndale translated all of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament. His translation paved the way for the publishing of the Geneva Bible in 1560, which became the main Bible used throughout Britain into the 17th century. In William Tyndale’s lifetime, access to the Bible was severely limited. The Church only approved the Latin Vulgate Bible, so even when someone did obtain a Bible they were usually unable to read it. Therefore, the Bible became a divider between the Church and the Reformers who advocated for more access to the Bible. Tyndale leaves both Christians and English speakers with a legacy of defying authority in order to spread God’s word. He is the perfect example of sacrificing oneself to live a life fully dedicated to God and His ministry.
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
In a survey of 2,000 Americans 84 percent own more than one Bible, the average person has 4 copies of the English Bible in their home. 37 percent read the Bible every day, 22 percent read it 3-5 times a week, 22 percent read it 1-2 times a week, 11 percent read it 2-3 times a month, and 8 percent read it only once a month (Poll). If people knew the pain, loss, and fear that the early people had to go through to translate the Bible into English, maybe people would read and take care of the Bible better. Without the English translation of the Bible people wouldn’t know God’s truth for themselves.
...nd distorting, they can also be positive and clarifying and open up new insights to the realities of texts. Consider how many insights have come to light through the various interpretations of Scripture, Plato’s dialogues, and Augustine’s doctrines. As each interpreter faces the text, they bring with them their own questions and concerns related to their cultural context. These questions and concerns, along with the interpreter’s prejudices combine to make up a horizon. Finally, through the process of interpretation, the interpreter’s horizon will merge with the text’s horizon. Although this leaves the potential for distortions of the text’s interpretation, fusing the two horizons allows the text to take on new life and to begin a new dialogue. This dialogue may push the interpreter to question their own horizon, such that “Being that can be understood is language”.
Ever since it’s creation in 1611 scholars have aggressively debated the 400-year-old question in venues ranging from classrooms to conference rooms. Dictionary-maker Noah Webster was quoted saying, “The language of the Bible has no inconsiderable influence in forming and preserving our national language.” in more recent times, theologian Alister McGrath declared that it “is a model English text, which can be studied as a landmark in the history of the English language, and is to be seen as a major influence on English literature.” For 400 years the question remained, did the King James Bible actually influence the English language or does it merely serve as a cultural icon. It is now 2014 and it is also an undeniable truth that the King James Bible has influence language.
The texts that one reads may not be the ones she believes herself to be reading. When reading Les Miserablés, a work originally written in French by Victor Hugo, one must ask whether she is reading the “true” Les Miserablés or the translator’s interpretation. Without knowing the language as a native speaker, how can one be entirely sure that the translation is an accurate copy of the author’s original work? The little details become lost in the transition between languages. The underlying message of the author may become obscure or disappear altogether. However, all messages are altered to become messages of the translator, as the translator becomes the bridge between the author and the reader. Once a text is translated from its original language into another, the text is no longer the original work, but rather an influenced version due to linguistic differences, time period changes, and the writer’s own language skills.
This book mainly focus on the relationship between translation and culture. It addresses the shift of focus from translated block of text to the binding of translations and the cultures involved in generating these translations. It also covers the significance of translation for cultural planning.
A translator must become a trans-creator in order to achieve the above mentioned effects since the original is recreated. This kind of translation becomes transcreation with the liberalism in translation for the translator. A translator feels free to translate whatever pleases.
Believe it or not, interpreters cannot fully grasp its mysteries without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. For the sake of clarity, the Bible states, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17), for it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them (2 Peter
In the late 1970s, the focus of translation studies shifted to the process of translation as well as the receivers. Hans Vermeer is the founder of Skopos theory. As the Greek word skopos indicates, this theory stresses that translati...