Kirstin Carmichael Critical Essay THL 205 B Biblical translation is important for society to better understand and interpret

the meaning of the bible. It seems that every religion has a different idea or way on how to interpret the bible. Most people have a certain preference of bible simply because they grew up with a certain edition or preferred one bible over another. Therefore, different individuals can interpret the bible differently. Witherup states, there is no pure way to translate the bible, but there are some presuppositions that modern translators use today(68). Translation of the bible matters because of the ways it can be interrupted by different forms of language as well as the tasks or ways individuals interpret the bible. Language is one important factor in which makes bible translation matter in society. Translating a biblical text in one language to another can become extremely complicated. The bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek as well as English. There are several other languages the bible has been translated in, but overall each one of them has their similarities and differences. However, when translating the bible, a difficultly one may come across is having different meanings to one word. Biblical text in the historical time periods are different from today because of the way the texts are written and interpreted. When there are words that have multiple meanings to them can be more difficult to understand, due to either cultural or environmental difference. Bailey states, The word, dog, may conjure up different set of images in a society where dogs are used as work animals, or eaten for dinner, than in a society where dogs are pets. You can translate the word, but it will be understood differently by the intended audience.(Bailey 3). When translating words, it can be interpreted differently through various cultures. Not only are words difficult to interpret in different cultures, but as time goes on the meaning of words change as well. Since the bible was written in different ancient languages, no one who spoke those languages is around to tell us what they mean. We all know that languages continually change over time, new words are always being added and others take on different or added meanings, which can lead to complications when translating the bible. Another leading cause of why biblical translation matters is the significant tasks in which we interpret while reading the bible. While interpreting the bible, it involves two tasks of translating values which Witherup mentions are key for translating the bible, ...Preserving faithfully the meaning of the original text, and enunciating the original text in clearly understood terms of the receptor language (68). Thus, what Witherup is portraying is society must not make a literal interpretation while reading the bible because it can lead to a misreading of the biblical text. The words written in the bible must be interpreted and considered the range of meaning of words in both the original and receptor languages (Witherup 68). Receptor language is critical for the task of translating the bible because it keeps the form and the structure of the bible original. Also, the translating in the literal form is still equally important for translating the actual meaning of the text. These are some ways individuals can interpret the bible. Another important style or task to consider when translating the bible is the text being translated in a formal equivalence, which is word-for-word, or is it in a dynamic equivalence, which is though-for-thought. Witherup states another task necessary for translation that is much more of a diverse way to approach biblical translation, ...as a continuum ranging from a formal, one-to-one literal translation on one end to a totally free form translation or paraphrase on the

other, with a range of options in between (69). This form of translation is seen throughout many English translations. Thus, biblical translation really does matter and the translation tasks in which are conducted through that process is key for translating the biblical text. The survey that was conducted at Creighton University, showed an important observation on how to read the bible either word-for-word or thought-for-thought. When the bible is translation word-for-word it best keeps its original meaning in an understandable order, but when it is translated thought-forthought it becomes much more culturally relevant to the readers, easier for them to understand and apply to their lives. When the reader does not understand the bible, thought-for-thought is better. However, if the reader reads the bible word-from-word it will come out much more clearly. Biblical translation is significant and matters for individuals to have a better understanding of the original text. Even though bible translation can be difficult at times, it is very significantly when reading the original text because it gives the reader a better understanding. The translation of the biblical text is significant for the reader because of the way it can be interpreted through language, as well as the tasks the reader takes on while translating. These two ways of translation are beneficial and matter when interpreting what the original text of the bible is stating.