The Bible Translator: Volume 23, Issue 4

Distinguishes the terms: common language and popular language. Common language describes an overlap area, language acceptable to educated people and accessible to uneducated ones in a situation where there are socio-educational differences. Popular language describes language accessible to contemporary readers in a situation where there are no marked socio-educational differences, as with the secondary and tertiary languages all over the world. View Less

Poses the problem of translating a language which is structurally different from NT Greek. Duna, a language of the Southern highlands of Papua, New Guinea, contains such problems in discourse material. Philip Stine appends a brief rejoinder which suggests Giles’ conclusions are formed on the basis of a small amount of data. In most languages discourse is quite flexible. View Less

Poses the problem of translating the Bible into a tribal language spoken by a small number of people where the tribe also speaks a language in which the Scriptures already exist. Cautions that minority language usage is increasing, and Europe provides an example of use of national language in the face of complex political developments. National languages in 3rd world countries may survive if two factors are present: (1) the language is politically neutral, and (2) the language is closely related to indigenous languages. Concludes that the need to translate into new languages is increasing. View Less

Introduces the problem of translating where there are not equivalent components. His examples compare the words for “faith” and “believe,” for “righteousness” and “justification” in Venda and Greek, and he presents reasons for the choice of one Venda word over another. View Less

In the face of the many languages in which Bible translation is needed cannot a native speaker be trained to translate for his own people? Suggests two major problems: choosing a potential translator and teaching translating to a person of limited background. The basic training gives the concept of dynamic equivalence, the need of the people, how to express meaning in another language, the use of TAPOT as a model, and beginning translation on easy narrative passages. There must be continual guidance and supervision. View Less

Addresses the issue: it is important to know in which areas of understanding and in which situations of life each of two languages spoken concurrently is used. View Less

Poses a number of practical solutions to the problem, how can we combine speed in translation with faithfulness and readability. View Less

Describes a procedural suggestion arising out of the popular language NT in Finnish published in February, 1972. A large Review Committee creates extra work. The solution is to eliminate some of this by having frequent meetings of the Review Committee doing most of the suggestions by mail. View Less