Translation Lesson 2

Textual criticism (What are the original, inspired words?)

Translation (What are the words in my language?)

Delivery (How did the Bible come to us?)

Interpretation (What is the meaning of the text?)

Exhortation (Preaching: what does this mean for you?)

Textual criticism (What are the original, inspired words?)

What is the manuscript evidence?

Translation (What are the words in my language?)

The 2 choices a translator makes...

Ephesians 1:4-5 ESV very literal vs. NLT

Message Palsm 1:1 it’s to shock us

Smooth Ride: NIV, HCSB

Eph. 1:3-5 ESV, NASB - First major paragraph is 3 sentences. NIrV is 20 sentences.

2 THes. 3:6 ESV vs NASB - ESV has “idleness” vs “unruly”

Crazy English by Richard Lederer

Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England or french fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese?

One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose? If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can the weather be hot as hell one day an cold as hell another?

When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm clock goes off by going on. When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?

English is not a perfect language. But it’s mine. So translation from an imperfect language into another imperfect language will be … imperfect.

Why do we need it to be clear, accurate, and natural?

Romans 3:24–25 Tyndale 1536

but are justified frely by his grace/through the redempcion that is in Christ Jesu/whom God hath made a seate of mercy thorow faythe in his bloude/to thewe the ryghteousnes whiche before him is os valoure/in that he forgeveth the synnes that are passed/

Translation vs. Interpretation

Translation

When working within the translation field, one is working to successfully decipher the meaning of written content from a source language into the language that is targeted. One of the biggest differences between translation vs. interpretation is that translators often use a wider range of computer-assisted tools when working.

Translators are able to use software that facilitates the translation process and quickly fills in the missing gaps. They are able to go through text and refer to other written materials such as parallel texts to ensure an accurate translation. Translators focus on working with written materials, which is one main difference between translation and interpretation.

Interpretation

Interpretation focuses more on paraphrasing the content that the speaker is trying to convey. An interpreter, someone who repeats the message but in a different language, deals with live conversation, which can include translating meetings, conferences, appointments, live TV, and more. Since interpretation is in real time, it requires someone who is able to work under pressure with excellent communication skills.

Why do translations take years? Why can’t a nerd take a week and make a translation?

Committee Translations

Translation is not about replacing words.

Translation is about reproducing meaning.

Two primary translation philosophies:

Formal Equivalence

Lexical concordance (word for word)

Grammatically correspondent (matches)

Mistakenly called “word for word” or “literal”

Dynamic/Functional Equivalence

Phrases reproduce the same meaning

“Phrase for phrase”

Less concerned with matching grammar

Formal = comprehensible

Mediating = clear

Functional = natural

Just because a “Formal Equivalence” version is trying to translate work-for-word, it’s so hard that they makes lots of changes.

Weaknesses of Formal Equivalence

Mechanically reproduced forms

Awkward, obscure, obsolete, inaccurate language

Weaknesses of Functional/Dynamic Equivalence

Wrong word

More change for misinterpretation

Strengths of Formal Equivalence

Identify formal structure of original text (“cheat sheet for seminary students”)

Tracing repeated words and verbal allusions (e.g. Mark’s use of “immediately”)

Reproducing idioms and metaphors (e.g. “hand of the Lord”)

Identifies ambiguous text (leaves unclear things unclear)

1 Corinthians 3:10 CSB

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it.

Strengths of Dynamic/Functional Equivalence

Communicating the meaning

In 1 Cor. 7:11,

NASB: “Sent his wife away”

NIV: “Divorce his wife”. The Greek phrase actually means divorce.

In Luke 15:20,

NKJV: “ran and fell on his neck”

NIV/CSB: “ran and threw his arms around him”

NASB/ESV: “ran and embraced him”

Natural sounding language

Acts 11:22 has

Greek: “The word was heard into the ears”

NKJV: “News … came to the ears”

CSB: “report … came to the ears”

NLT: “Heard what had had happened”

Luke 19:3 Zacchaeus has

NKJV: “of short stature”

NASB: “small in stature”

NIV: “a short man”

NLT: “too short”

Clarity

Hebrews 1:3 has

ESV: “The word of his power”

NIV/CSB: “By his powerful word”

In Matt. 23:5 is

NIV/CSB: phylacteries

NLT: prayer boxes with Scripture inside

Jake’s pet peeve: Divine Forbearance

Romans 3:24–25 ESV

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Romans 3:24–25 NIV

and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—

Romans 3:24–25 CSB

they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.

Romans 3:24–25 NLT

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,

What about paraphrase?

Psalm 1:1 The Message

How well God must like you— you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.