Bible Translation Part 1: Reason for Caution

Some people consider all versions of the Bible alike, while others have strict opinions about a particular version. Due to the wide variety of Bibles available and the varying philosophies behind them, there is a need for caution and evaluation.

Ridiculous versions. Some versions of the Bible are for entertainment rather than legitimate attempts to provide God's truth. While serious Christians are unlikely to be confused into buying one of these Bibles, they do add to the frustration of feeling like there are too many options, most of them not good.

For example, the Bible has been translated into Klingon and other author-invented languages that people don't even speak. There is the "Bible Emoji: Scripture 4 Millenials (sic)," which is composed mostly of emoticons. There is the "Lolcats Bible," stemming from a website of cartoons with cats speaking baby talk; it uses colloquial online verbiage and abbreviations and refers to God as Ceiling Cat. There is the "Stinque Zombie Bible," which permeates the text with references to zombies .

Versions with agendas. People or groups have made Bible versions with particular objectives in mind that cause them to manipulate the Scriptures rather than earnestly trying to accurately convey God's Word.

A common objective is simplifying the Bible; this lowers the Bible to match man's preferences and includes more story-telling than doctrinal teaching. "The Word on the Street," which gets the Bible down to 500 pages, reads like a stand-up routine. "First off, nothing. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God starts it all up and WHAP! Stuff everywhere!" The "Cotton Patch Version" is a paraphrase that changes the setting from Bible lands to the deep South of the USA, freely renaming books, characters, and locations of the Bible, and using simplified, colloquial Southern speech.

The "Silent Voices Bible" reverses gender, changing all men to women and all women to men, including presenting God as feminine. It wants people to be in touch with their feelings and identify prejudice by gauging their response toward characters when they are presented with the opposite gender. Attempts to appeal to certain groups of people cheapen the Word of God; the "Hippie Version" and the "Hip Hop Version" are examples that undermine both the universality and the seriousness of the Bible.

Paraphrases. A paraphrase captures the essence of God's Word but lacks the precision of a translation. A paraphrase may be done from an existing translation rather than original-language manuscripts. Paraphrases allow for creativity in the author's wording, which could tend either toward verbose or simple; they also allow for the author's interpretation, either of specific passages or overall themes of the Bible. Because they are not actual translations, their authority and dependability are diminished. Examples include Eugene Peterson's "The Message," Kenneth Taylor's "The Living Bible," the "Contemporary English Version," and "Good News for Modern Man."

Specialized variations. Some Bible versions are merely adjustments of other existing versions. They add to the number of choices without necessarily presenting different content. A prophecy Bible could highlight prophetic passages and fulfillments. The words of God might be colored in the Old Testament. Old Testament references to Christ could be highlighted. A version could use transliterated names of God, corresponding to the Hebrew, rather than translating the names into common English words.

Translations based on approach. The above considerations still leave out numerous modern English translations. Various people or groups have prepared translations in efforts to improve accuracy or readability. Often specific characteristics make existing translations not quite ideal, and people try to create one that specifically matches their preferences.

Translation philosophy.
Traditionally, translations have used literal equivalency. This philosophy attempts to come as close as possible to a word-for-word translation, rendering words, word order, and structure as much like the original languages as is practical and understandable. The emphasis is on accuracy, and the desire is to communicate just what the original communicated, with no more and no less.

With the growth of global translation, especially into tribal languages, translators have discovered languages that don't have certain aspects of language (such as passive voice), that lack vocabulary words (like "snow" or "love"), or that have cultural stigmas that negatively color the Bible (like a negative view of sheep). To accommodate these challenges, translators have utilized dynamic equivalence, which focuses on concepts and ideas more than literal translation. It tries to give people the same overall picture, although expressing the passage in a different way.

This philosophy has carried over to some English versions, with an application being interpretation rather than translation. Where the meaning of a verse might be open to different interpretations, dynamic equivalence makes a judgment call, allowing the risk of a wrong interpretation. Sometimes simpler words are also substituted for theological terms, such as "propitiation" or "sanctification." Examples are the "Easy-to-Read Version," "Good News Bible/Today's English Version," and the "New Living Translation" (The Book).

Level of conservatism.
The background of the translators can vary. Some groups are comprised of conservatives who affirm their belief in Bible doctrines ("New American Standard Bible"), while others are comprised mostly of liberals who may not even believe in inspiration or miracles ("Revised Standard Version"). The "New World Translation" was done by Jehovah's Witnesses.

Size of group.
Translations done by individuals (Phillips, Moffat) rely on the expertise of one person and lack checks and balances, while translations done by committees have numerous experts who can support, verify, or correct each other's work.

Breadth of committee.
Some translations have been done by specific denominations, which can color the wording or even doctrinal positions. Many modern translations are done by committees with a wide variety of backgrounds and denominations; this can prevent a single group from unduly influencing the process.

Manuscript sources.
For both the Old and New Testaments, there are smaller groups of older manuscripts and larger groups of newer manuscripts. Translators must choose which group to use, whether to use both, and how much weight to give to each group.

(Some of this material was gleaned from teaching by Dr. Mark Minnick. For additional resources, visit www.mountcalvarybaptist.org, choose the Resources tab, then Translations.)