The Bible Translator: Volume 16, Issue 1

Theological word books unfold theological concepts of the Bible by investigating the theological meaning of the words in terms of the history of these words throughout biblical literature and in relation to extra-biblical usage. Lexicons provide a list of the meaning of words within a cross-section of history whereas wordbooks give a detailed discussion to usage in various ages and attempt to bring these histories together as a unified whole which attains its climax and center in the NT revelation. The wordbooks of Cremer, Kittel, Fredrich, Vincent, Trench, Vine, Richardson, von Allmen, Barclay, Williams, Cully, Leon-Dufour, and Bauer are discussed, compared and criticized. View Less

The choice of script and the solution of many technical problems of translation into a particular language are concerns not solely of a technical linguistic nature. Often social, political, cultural, and religious considerations come into play. The translator must be concerned with actual usage of the language rather than prescribe what it should be. The meaning and style of the original must be rendered accurately, idiomatically and beautifully in the new language. The selection of a language into which a translation is to be made poses delicate questions relating to size of community and to the ultimate aim of the translation. A short questionnaire for the recording of basic information on tribal languages is included. View Less

The work of the translator is to convey the meaning and sense of one language into the meaning and sense of another. Not only are word-order and idiom different in different languages, but the words themselves are modified by their context. The translator must know perfectly the original language, but even more essential he should know the usage and thought-forms of his English-speaking contemporaries. Good translation is almost entirely a matter of communication. Thus the translator must live and empathize with the people into whose language he is translating; he must not only have an intellectual grasp but also a pastoral heart. View Less

The ordinary use of a word colors the understanding we have of it. What the text says and what you and I make of it may not be quite the same thing. What one makes of a passage may not be what the writer meant. Thus the problem of communication is more than semantics; it is primarily one of psychology: whether one is able to detach himself from his subconscious presuppositions or not. View Less

The missionary Bible translator and the assistant or native speaker are parties taken up in sharing, or communication, or information. Though the translator is the initiator of all action, he is not the final arbiter of all action. Both stand in a very delicate yet dynamic relationship to each other. The most common danger between the two is misidentification resulting from lack of understanding. Failure to be explicit may lead to rejection as well as to misidentification. The assistant must be aware of the whole picture as much as the translator, so that the closest equivalent translation with the most appropriate form may be achieved. View Less

The translation of the Bible into Yoruba began in 1841 as a freed slave, Sampel Crowther, returned from study in England. The first printed book in Yoruba was the Epistle to the Romans. Most of the translation was done by Africans. The whole Bible was translated by 1884, and published in one book in 1900. Since then there has been an emphasis on revision to note dialectical differences, correct spelling, recognize the development and change in the language, and to update it to fresh translations and discoveries. A new translation has been proposed to consider vocabulary and style. View Less

The precise meaning of a word has to be decided by the context. No word in any language has always the same meaning. The English word “peculiar” and the Hebrew word hesed are examples of words which must be translated carefully from the particular context in which they are found. View Less