[B-Greek] How literal to render

Dr. Don Wilkins drdwilkins at sbcglobal.net
Tue Nov 30 15:17:58 EST 2004


On Tuesday, November 30, 2004, at 08:32 AM, Minton, Ron wrote:

> This may be a little off topic, but how literal should we try to render
> Greek grammar?  I often struggle with literal or functional when 
> working in
> the GNT.  I am also trying to evaluate how English Bible translators 
> have
> done the same.  I have listed below my analysis.
>
> Please examine this list (arranged from most to least literal) and let 
> me
> know what changes you would make in my evaluations.
>
> What do you feel is the best category to aim for in an English 
> translation?
> Thanks,
> Ron Minton
>
It probably depends on the goals and target audience for the 
translation. For the NASB, we work on a balance between literalness and 
readability, leaning toward the former, because the NASB is meant to be 
a translation that can be studied in depth as well as read. My personal 
goal for such a work is a translation which, if back-translated into 
Greek (or Hebrew), would usually be close or virtually identical to the 
original. On the other side of the spectrum, readability would be a 
crucial priority for some translations, intended for various audiences 
whose reading abilities are limited, or who are unlikely to read any 
Bible unless the language is at the level of a novel or newspaper. At 
the extremity of the spectrum you could have a Bible for younger 
children, with a limited vocabulary and elementary syntax.

Don Wilkins




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