The Bible Translator: Volume 1, Issue 1

Explains the purpose of The Bible Translator: to supply missionaries with information on the task of Bible translating for diverse cultures. Surveys the events that led up to the establishment of the journal. View Less

Describes the history of the new Dutch translation of the Bible by the Netherlands Bible Society (NT completed in 1939). Reviews the NT translation. View Less

Calls attention to various kinds of difficulties that translators of the OT face. Discusses (1) prepositions and conjunctions; (2) doubtful meaning of words such as eshpar in 2 Sam. 6:19 (1 Chr. 16:3); (3) alternative readings (as in Gen. 49:12); mutilated passages (as Jer. 3:1 and 2 Chr. 20:1); untranslatable passages (as in Jer. 11:15) and difficult passages to which archaeology has provided clues (such as 1 Sam. 13:21 and Eccl. 12:11). View Less

Discusses the problem of determining whether a new translation is needed for languages closed related in dialect, and what the conflicting problems of linguistic form and meaning are. Illustrates the problem by a discussion of the two dialects of Ruanda and Rundi in African Urundi. View Less

Discusses the problems of translating the Bible into the Indonesian language of South-West Celebes -- South Toradja language. These include: (1) words for culturally different objects; (2) terms for generalized processes; (3) words of spiritual significance (such as their words for God, sin, and soul); and (4) metaphorical translations (illustrated from Ex. 20:5, 14). View Less

Illustrates the difficulty of translating Indo-European abstract nouns into certain languages. Uses the problem words of (1) forgiveness; (2) peace and (3) glory as examples and offers a solution to the difficulty. View Less

Questions answered by the Netherlands Bible Society concerning (1) the relationship of Luke 4:10 and Ps. 91; (2) the Balinese translation of Luke 11:13; (3) an Indonesian translation of Matthew 18:23; (4) the best equivalent for “wilderness” in Mark 1:4, 12; (5) the translation of nomodidaskalos (or nomikos) in Balinese; (6) the translation of Mark 1:2,3 in the New Dutch Translation; (7) the translation of euthus (“immediately”) in Mark 1:21 in Balinese; (8) the Dutch translation of Mark 1:38, 44 and (9) the phrase “gave up the ghost” (or spirit) in John 19:30. View Less

Answers three questions. (1) What book of the Bible should be translated first? (2) How large must a tribe be before the Bible Societies will publish for them? Illustrates the answer with the Netherlands Bible Society’s practice in Indonesia. (3) How can one check a translation for consistency? View Less