MAP — Modular Aggregation of Principles for Bible Translation

https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/tbtd/73/2

Editorial

This issue of The Bible Translator offers two sets of papers. The first consists of a number of SBL papers, which were delivered at sessions of the Nida Institute at the SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego in November 2019. The second set consists of a number of Technical Papers.

The first SBL session focused on Robert Alter’s translation of the Old Testament, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, published in 2019. A strong advocate of a foreignizing translation approach, Alter attempts to bring the reader closer to the Hebrew text and its original context. Lénart de Regt discusses the advantages and disadvantages of Alter’s foreignizing translation method, and a response to de Regt’s paper is given by Samy Tioyé. The three papers of the second SBL session reviewed David Bentley Hart’s The New Testament: A Translation of 2017 (a revision is expected to appear soon). Marijke de Lang discusses Hart’s work more generally, examining his assumptions about existing translations and discussing in detail some of his exegetical choices. Steve Berneking approaches Hart’s work from the perspective of translation studies, especially from that of skopos theory. Edgar Ebojo reviews Hart’s work from the viewpoint of textual criticism and examines Hart’s claims about the Greek text underlying his translation.

The Technical Papers in this issue cover a range of issues. Mary Mercy Kobimbo’s article is the second part of a discussion of the rendering of the divine name יהוה in Dholuo, a language spoken in Tanzania and Kenya. While the first part gave a historical overview, this second part looks at the translation of the term within the context of modern Dholuo language and culture. Benjamin Scolnic looks at the ancient versions of Dan 11.6, and argues that text-critical tools are not enough for a correct understanding of the biblical text and that profound knowledge of ancient history may be crucial for reviewing old exegetical suppositions and translation solutions. Ma’afu Palu tackles the problem of translating sexual language in cultures where talking about sex is taboo, such as the Tongan culture. Using Lakoff and Johnson’s notion of the conceptual metaphor, Palu offers some solutions for the translation of taboo language in the Tongan Bible. Philip Church shows how John Nelson Darby’s translation of 2 Tim 2.19-21 in terms of separation from other people has had devastating consequences for the Exclusive Brethren. Lessons can be drawn about the dangers of Bible translation being done by individuals working in isolation. Finally, Clement Tong describes how and why the 1861 Taiping Chinese Bible edited biblical texts to suit the ideology of the movement’s leader, Hong Xiu Quan.

Clement Tong has also provided a review of The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in China.

Marijke de Lang
Andy Warren-Rothlin

The Bible Translator 73.2 (Aug 2022)

Editorial

SBL Papers

Technical Papers

Book Review

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