[B-Greek] reading for translation or understanding?

Jeffrey T. Requadt jeffreyrequadt_list at hotmail.com
Tue Feb 5 22:51:22 EST 2008


Right. I think my original observation/question had to do with the difference between translating, which attempts to transfer an idea from one author/context/language to another context/language in order to be read by virtually anyone in the second context/language. Although one would obviously have to understand what was being translated, translation does not equal meaning. And whenever I hear people talk about "translating" something "this semester," it makes me think that THEY think they're accurately transferring something from the Bible into English for anyone to read, as if they have an adequate background knowledge of the culture, language, socio-economic structures, etc. What's really happening (as far as I can tell) is that the student (including myself) is stating the meaning that we are getting from reading the text. This is not translation! Our word-for-word "translation" is less of a translation than a statement of understanding, is how I would say it, I guess. We're retelling what we read, but in another language. That's why it bothers me to hear people say that they're translating, when in reality they're "discovering what the text means" or "understanding the text." I'm not against the idea at all of saying in English (or whatever language you speak natively) what you think the Greek means, especially if you can do so quickly, doing it as you go along. But don't call it a translation. That's my one bit. 

-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Carl W. Conrad
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 2:55 PM
To: B-Greek B-Greek
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] reading for translation or understanding?

And yet another that slipped through the cracks:

From: Paul O'Rear <paorear at microsoft.com>
Date: February 5, 2008 2:27:31 PM EST
To: Michael Aubrey <mga318 at yahoo.com>, "b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org 
 >
Subject: RE: [B-Greek] reading for translation or understanding?


Though I think what everyone is saying here is that if anyone thinks  
translating actually *is* easier, they're actually fooling themselves  
as they neither have a sufficient grasp of the source language (Greek)  
to understand what they're translating, nor of principles of  
translation to do so accurately.

- P.
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