Their goal is to “produce the same effect on readers today that the original produced on its readers.” English translations that prefer dynamic equivalence include the NIV, NLT, CEV, and NCV.Ī third mode of translation adds explanatory words or phrases that are not in the original text. Translators try to represent the meaning of every Greek or Hebrew word in a style that reflects proper, readable English. The second option results in a “thought-for-thought” translation, also called a “functional” or “dynamically equivalent” translation.

English translations that strive for a word-for-word translation include the LEB, NASB, KJV, and ESV. These are also called “formal” translations or “formally equivalent” because they try to translate every form in the source language into forms in the target language. The first option results in what is usually called a “word-for-word” translation or a “literal” translation (though both are impossible). Translation committees decide whether they want to represent in English every word in the Greek or Hebrew, or whether they want to represent in English the meaning of the Greek or Hebrew text. Since each language has its own rules, translation requires adapting the rules of the source language to fit into the rules of the target language.

The rules of the source language-Greek and Hebrew, in the case of the Bible-differ from the rules of English, the target language. It is impossible to reproduce languages exactly because the grammar and syntax of each language is different. The differences between these translations of the same Hebrew words illustrate the difficulty of reproducing one language in a second language. Consider the following translations of Isaiah 19:16:

Do they want to produce a “literal” translation, a paraphrase, or something in between? Many variables factor into the translation philosophy, but in general, translators must decide whether they want to preserve the form of the original as closely as possible or the meaning of the original as the translator understands it. What is textual criticism? Textual criticism is not a translation techniqueīefore a single word of the biblical text is translated, the translation committee, denomination, or other group commissioning the translation decides what their translation philosophy will be. Understanding the differences between text-critical issues and translation issues is an important first step in the study of textual criticism because it helps explain why translations differ and determine when textual criticism will not be helpful. However, many variations in translations are not text critical in nature instead, they reflect the translation techniques and the decisions of translation committees. Textual criticism can explain some of the differences people notice between their English translations, such as the omission of “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” in the NIV of Romans 8:1 (compare Romans 8:1 in the KJV). Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Email LinkedIn

Textual criticism definition