Journal of Translation 16:1
Journal of Translation 16:1
2020
The Journal of Translation is an academic journal of translation theory and practice with a special interest in Bible translation and in translation involving minority languages and cultures. Its purpose is to encourage scholarship, enlighten the reader, stimulate thought and discussion, promote appropriate cross-cultural and cross-linguistic communication, and assist translators in developing best practices for their work.
Editor’s Foreword
by David B Frank
This has been a difficult year for many reasons, to put it mildly. Scholarship is needed and valued more than ever, however. Communication and translation are needed and valued more than ever. We are proud to present this issue of the Journal of Translation. There is an inspiring account of expert, dedicated, even sacrificial efforts to translate the Bible into the languages of Eritrea over a span of 132 years. There is an article on the translation of Greek conditionals on the basis of function rather than form. The article on meaningful proper names in Hebrew considers how they can be translated into sign languages. There is a “short note” that is actually quite long and detailed that demonstrates how a repeated phrase in the Hebrew scriptures may not mean what you think it means, with implications for translation. And there is a long review by a member of the Journal of Translation Editorial Board of a good introductory translation textbook.
The Polygon of the Bible Translation Efforts in Eritrea 1880–2012
by Senai Woldeab Andemariam
abstract: Since the late 1860s, the missionaries of the Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) and their local colleagues initiated the production of dozens of literary works in Eritrea. The most notable of these is the translation of the Bible into four Eritro-Ethiopian languages: Oromo, Tǝgre, Tǝgrǝñña and Kunama. This article attempts to present the Bible translation story from a polygonal view, a hexagonal view to be specific: (1) the pioneers of the translation works; (2) backgrounds of some of the key translators; (3) the cities (countries) where the works continued; (4) the time spent to complete and print the translated Bibles; (5) the years that some of these workers stayed for in the translation projects; (6) and some memorable stories of the translation and production process. The combination of these six lines of narration, like the connected sides of a polygon, will not only give a more interconnected presentation of the entire Bible translation works if considered as one big package, but also show how a work such as the translation of the Bible that requires the combined efforts of local and foreign workers can produce a worthy result when the respective contributions of both groups of workers are given their due space and recognition.
A Functional Approach to Translating Greek Conditionals
by J. Entz
abstract: This paper proposes a paradigm shift in how the conditional clauses of the Greek New Testament are treated in Bible translation and Bible translation resources. The current resources do not provide enough information on the pragmatics of conditional constructions for translation teams to find the appropriate rendering in the receptor language. In order to translate these constructions in a clear, accurate, and natural way, translators should investigate the functional elements of each New Testament conditional, such as the illocutionary force, presented probability, and topicality.
Announcement: Translation Insights and Perspectives
For the last three years, UBS has been sponsoring work on the Translation Insights & Perspectives (TIPs) tool, available at https://tips.translation.bible. The idea behind the tool is both simple and potentially revelatory. According to the TIPs website….
The Literary Use of Names in Hebrew Narrative and Opportunities for Sign Language Translation
by Phil King
abstract: Names of characters in literature are frequently used as dense signifiers, conveying messages from author to reader beyond identifying an individual, and offering clues about the character’s destiny or how storylines may develop. This paper explores how the potential semantic connections evoked by names in Old Testament literature are exploited by Hebrew narrators as they craft their stories, contributing to characterization, plot structure, leitworter and dramatic irony. For example, Laban (‘white’) is caught up in trickery with white goats and white sticks, whereas Micah (‘who is like Yahweh’) has an idol in his house. Bible translators working with spoken languages tend to transliterate (rather than translate) these names, relegating any semantic connections to a footnote. Sign languages, however, are more iconic and often naturally use name signs that evoke something about the referent, rather than just an arbitrary collection of sounds. This opens up the possibility of maintaining some of the semantic connections and literary features of Hebrew narratives when creating Scripture-based products in sign languages. This paper investigates the opportunities and limitations of such a strategy for translating biblical names.
Short Note: “On the Third Day” is “Two Days Later”
by Peter Schmidt
The frequent phrases “on the third day” and “on the seventh day” and similar cases are somewhat ambiguous. When translating them, it is important to know what the point of reference is (day 1), and not to include more days in the counting than is intended in the original....
Review of Translation: The Basics by Juliane House
reviewed by Ernst Wendland
This introductory but extremely thorough and well-written text is included in the ever-growing Routledge The Basics book series. The author, Dr. Juliane House, a world-recognized figure in the field of translation studies, is emeritus professor of Hamburg University and Distinguished University Professor at Hellenic American University of Athens. The book under review consists of 210 pages, including an Introduction, four major topical sections, a Glossary of key terms, an extensive Reference section, and an Index of subjects and personages. The following content summary and evaluation will focus on subjects, methods, and issues of special interest and relevance to the teaching and practice of Bible translation....
David B Frank, editor
The Journal of Translation is a publication of SIL International.
For more information about the SIL Journal of Translation, go to www.journaloftranslation.org/about.
0 comments
Sign in to join the conversation.