Translations

In the study guide for our first session on Jonah, the fifth session of Tales of the Sea, there's a chart that contains instructions for each reading of the book. In that chart there's an encouragement to read from more than one translation. The idea behind that suggestion is that you will read from translations that are representative of the "translation spectrum".

When translators set out on their task, whether it's translating the bible, or any other text, they have to make decisions about how they will proceed. There are a lot of decisions. The one we read about, and often debate about, is the decision on how closely the text in the target language will match the text in the source language. At one end of the translation spectrum, called formal equivalence, the goal is to preserve as much as possible the original words and wording of the source text. For non-translators, we call this word-for-word. At the other end of the translation spectrum, called functional equivalence, the goal is ensure that the translation provides the same level of immediate comprehension in the target language that a reader of the source language would have. For non-translators, we often call this thought-for-thought.

As the word spectrum implies, all "translations" (as distinguished from paraphrases) fall somewhere between completely formal, and completely functional. In our reading last week, a word for word translation of Exodus 26:22 would have had instructions for the tabernacle that oriented the rear of the tabernacle to the sea, not to the west. This is a simple example of making target language choice for better understanding -- to the original hearers and readers of this verse in Hebrew, seaward meant the west.

So, in this study I want to encourage you to read translations across the spectrum as a part of the study. In their excellent book on translations, How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth, Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss make this comment early on.

And while we think that everyone should have a primary translation of choice, we hope also, in light of the richness of available options, to encourage the frequent use of more than one translation as an enriching form of Bible study.

With all this in mind, here's a diagram that places many translations on the spectrum. You should be able to match the abbreviations for the translations to the suggestions in the study guide.

Translations:
NASB: New American Standard Bible                    KJV: King James Version
ESV: English Standard Version                               NKJV: New King James Version
RSV: Revised Standard Version                              HCSB: Holman Christian Standard Bible
NET: New English Translation                                NIV: New International Version
NEB: New English Bible                                         GW: God's Word
NCV: New Century Version                                    NLT: New Living Translation
CEV: Contemporary English Version                      MSG: The Message (a paraphrase)

Enjoy your reading this week.