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Can You Read?
1–2 minutesIt’s hard for native speakers to avoid the conclusion that you are uneducated, or stupid even, if you speak their language less than satisfactorily. On Thursday a woman asked me if I knew how to read. I was dumbfounded and so simply replied by saying, “Qui? Molière?” She laughed.
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Placing Bible Translation Theories in Historical Context
1–2 minutesThe following article from SIL’s Journal of Translation was incredibly helpful to me in providing contemporary context for Bible translation theories, especially meaning-based translation. Inside, you’ll find discussions and the history of terms like dynamic equivalency, meaning-based translation, functional equivalency, optimal equivalency, relevance theory, frames of reference, and skopostheorie, among helpful bibliographies and charts and graphs. The article, like the journal, may be freely downloaded. Kerr, Glen J. “Dynamic Equivalence and Its Daughters: Placing Bible Translation Theories in Their Historical Context,” Journal of Translation 7(1): pp. 1-19. Here are two interesting excerpts to spur you on to read more (p.11 and p. 13, respectively): “The…
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D. A. Carson on ‘Jesus, the Son of God’
1–2 minutesAs I post I’m making dinner and listening to a lecture given by D. A. Carson at Westminster Seminary back in March. It’s titled “A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misconstrued, and Currently Disputed: Jesus, the Son of God.” You can download the mp3 and have a listen. Unfortunately, Dr. Carson begins his talk by saying he won’t be discussing this christological title in connection with Bible translation as he just came from doing so. One always stands to benefit, however, from Carson’s careful exegesis and that’s what you’ll find in this lecture (I hope–still listening!). HT: Credo blog
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Vatican Norms for Translation of Biblical Texts
1–2 minutesToday I discovered The 1997 Vatican Norms for Translation of Biblical Texts, a series of six statements prepared by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and meant to help American bishops approach inclusive language in the lectionary. Of particular interest is the third point, which reads, “The translation of Scripture should faithfully reflect the Word of God in the original human languages. It must be listened to in its time-conditioned, at times even inelegant, mode of human expression without “correction” or “improvement” in service of modern sensitivities.” Very much an approach that seeks to bring the reader to the…