[B-Greek] Essays on translation

Eric Inman eric.inman at wescorpflex.com
Mon Nov 7 20:06:52 EST 2005


The reason I refer to mimicking reader response as a goal of translation is
because for me that is the definition of equivalent meanings. Thus I don't
see a difference between something being a container of meaning versus it
being a trigger of some effect on the reader.

I have never seen wooden, literal translations bear so much fruit! Look at
all the discussion they engendered!

Eric Inman
Shoreview, Minnesota

-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of wmhboyd at aol.com
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 5:56 PM
To: B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Essays on translation

I have great admiration for you scholars, but sometimes I think you 
expect too much of yourselves. Give me a plain rugged simple straight 
forward translation (in the tradition of Tyndale and like the KJV was 
for their day), and let me use your study helps and read your 
commentaries and meditate therein day and night to determine for myself 
the these subtle nuances. It is difficult enough for you to select a 
word that will convey to me the meaning, much less to engender the 
emotion you think I should feel. I can look meanings up in a 
dictionary, but are no standards for the emotional impact of words like 
that. Do not confuse me with your thoughts and feelings on the passage 
by placing them in my text, let us "plow boys" have the joy of 
struggling through to these things through our own deeper study.
>From a customer,
William (the Barbarian) Boyd
Greensboro, NC

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Chaplin <lists at actually.me.uk>
To: B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 22:46:10 -0000
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Essays on translation

I know this thread is in danger of going off topic, but ISTM that the 
debate
on translation has moved on beyond the "literal" / "dynamic" type of
contrast evoked in the posts to include questions that lie beyond strict
meaning to include questions of effect / affect. Words and utterances 
are
not simply seen as containers of meaning, but also conveyors of 
emotion, or
intended to produce a particular effect in the reader, or touch the
affections etc. Translation then becomes not only a question of 
rendering
the meaning of the utterance in the source language into the target
language, but also producing the same effect in the target language as 
was
intended in the source language.

Doug Chaplin
Droitwich Spa

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