Types of Translation
~ Bible Facts ~: jonr @ Sunday 17 February 2008 - 21:06:33
ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSLATION
When you translate a document from one language to another the translation is made from the source language into the target language so that the meanings correspond. Several types of translation exist:
word-for-word translation - where each word or morpheme in the source language is translated by a word or morpheme in the target language. This is done in an interlinear Bible but the result often makes little sense, especially when idioms are involved.
literal translation - where the linguistic structure of the source language is followed but is normalised according to the rules of the target languages.
free translations - where the linguistic structure of the source language is ignored, and an equivalent is found based upon the meaning it conveys. These are sometimes called paraphrases.
Which type of translation is chosen depends upon how close the worlds of the source and target languages are, the purpose of the translation, the skill of the translator, and also the target community of the translation.
LITERAL BIBLE TRANSLATIONS
A true literal translation is extremely rare because it can sound stilted and be difficult to understand. Literal translations are good for study but not so good for the casual reader, or for listening to when read out loud. For example literal translation of the Bible would have Greek and Hebrew word order and idioms and would make it very difficult to understand. Therefore for a translation to make sense elements of paraphrase are necessary for natural language. When we translate the Bible the purpose is to explain to people about God and get over what the Bible is trying to say in the language of the folk we are talking to. That means a literal translation is often less and less relevant to cultures and languages less like Hebrew and Greek.
TRANSLATION OF MEANING
Translators have to decide between literally translating a document word for word, or translating the meaning of a word, phrase or idiom for another. Word for word translations often result in making little sense. For example if we take the French word "petit dejeurner", literally translated it is "little lunch" but actually it means "breakfast". Or if we take the Welsh "ty bach", literally it is "little house", but usually it means "toilet".
There are no strictly literal translations of the Bible into English. The King James Version of the Bible is literal in the sense that it translated the words of Hebrew idioms literally into English but thereby lost their original meaning
e.g. the King James Version renders Ecclesiastes 11.1 as "cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days". However the Good News Bible translates this as "invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit" which is a translation of what the idiom originally meant.
When you translate a document from one language to another the translation is made from the source language into the target language so that the meanings correspond. Several types of translation exist:
word-for-word translation - where each word or morpheme in the source language is translated by a word or morpheme in the target language. This is done in an interlinear Bible but the result often makes little sense, especially when idioms are involved.
literal translation - where the linguistic structure of the source language is followed but is normalised according to the rules of the target languages.
free translations - where the linguistic structure of the source language is ignored, and an equivalent is found based upon the meaning it conveys. These are sometimes called paraphrases.
Which type of translation is chosen depends upon how close the worlds of the source and target languages are, the purpose of the translation, the skill of the translator, and also the target community of the translation.
LITERAL BIBLE TRANSLATIONS
A true literal translation is extremely rare because it can sound stilted and be difficult to understand. Literal translations are good for study but not so good for the casual reader, or for listening to when read out loud. For example literal translation of the Bible would have Greek and Hebrew word order and idioms and would make it very difficult to understand. Therefore for a translation to make sense elements of paraphrase are necessary for natural language. When we translate the Bible the purpose is to explain to people about God and get over what the Bible is trying to say in the language of the folk we are talking to. That means a literal translation is often less and less relevant to cultures and languages less like Hebrew and Greek.
TRANSLATION OF MEANING
Translators have to decide between literally translating a document word for word, or translating the meaning of a word, phrase or idiom for another. Word for word translations often result in making little sense. For example if we take the French word "petit dejeurner", literally translated it is "little lunch" but actually it means "breakfast". Or if we take the Welsh "ty bach", literally it is "little house", but usually it means "toilet".
There are no strictly literal translations of the Bible into English. The King James Version of the Bible is literal in the sense that it translated the words of Hebrew idioms literally into English but thereby lost their original meaning
e.g. the King James Version renders Ecclesiastes 11.1 as "cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days". However the Good News Bible translates this as "invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit" which is a translation of what the idiom originally meant.
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