1. I'm ambivalent about this. I suppose that's inevitable since translations involve necessary, unavoidable compromises. Sometimes the inability to capture the original in the receptor language. Sometimes a tradeoff. A choice where you'd like to do two things at once, but you can't.
2. In general, I dislike the modern practice of substituting bland abstract synonyms for concrete metaphors.
But there may be exceptions to that if the original metaphor has incongruous connotations in the receptor language. For instance, Bill Mounce says divine "long-suffering" in Hebrew is literally God has a "long nose". It would be a mistake to carry that over into English because it generates an unintentionally comical and irreverent impression.
3. That said, I remain unconvinced that the job of a translator is to preserve as much as possible the original syntax. It seems to me that the basic job of an English translator is to render the Greek and Hebrew into idiomatic English. Not just because that's stylistically superior, but as a rule, is a more accurate way to convey the original meaning.
4. However, there's a lot to be said for preserving as much of the original "flavor" as possible. For instance, it would be subversive to translate the rugged Old English of Beowulf into the courtly, elegant English of Alexander Pope.
5. Finally, we don't have to choose. You can have a default translation like the ESV or early version of the NIV, but supplement that with other versions.
Even if you have a working knowledge of NT Greek or OT Hebrew, reading competent translations will aid your understanding of the original, since these are produced by scholars who specialize in Greek and Hebrew and struggle to grasp and capture the nuances of the original.
The only problem with modern idiosyncratic English is that it carries so much in the way of anachronistic connotations that can give people a false sense of understanding. On the other hand, even word-for-word translations require explanation given the extent of our cultural removal from its original meaning.
ReplyDeleteWhen I mean "idiomatic" English, I'm primarily referred to syntax. In general, I'm fine with bringing biblical idioms over into English (the KJV popularized many biblical idioms). However, it's clearer in some cases to substitute an English equivalent.
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