Some books

I'll be writing a paper soon! Of course, I'll be writing about Bible translation. What exactly about it, though, I don't know yet. But I've already gone to the library to see what types of books are available. Here's an adapted version of some of the content from the annotated bibliography I'm turning in soon:

A collection of essays by Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion professor, Harry Orlinsky's “Essays in Biblical Culture and Bible Translation” is split into three parts, the third with the most importance: “Essays in Bible Translation.” Although these essays are written in a non-Christian perspective, the Christian Bible includes the Hebrew Bible includes as well, so what Orlinsky has to say is still very relevant. Orlinksy, writing in the 1970s, argues that new translations constantly need to be made, of any sacred scriptures—whether Jewish, Protestant, or Catholic—in order to remain intelligible to audiences whose language has changed from those of the past. While making this argument, Orlinsky draws readers' attentions to a lot of the history of the translation of the Hebrew scriptures for the Jewish and the Christian faiths. So, given that there is a lot of history included, this volume is of value because it sheds light (and gives specific examples) into the practice of translation, no matter which languages are involved.

“Translation as Mission: Bible Translation in the Modern Missionary Movement” by William A. Smalley will probably be a very crucial piece of information for this research. Because this book is written in the Christian perspective—and one that it specifically focusing on translation in the missionary mind-set (not just updating and improving English translations, but into languages that have never had any part of the Bible translated into their language)—every part of it will be useful or necessary in my research because so much is covered in this book (chapter 5: Theology in Translation, chapter 8: Translation Strategy under Language Diversity, chapter 10: Translation and Indigenous Theology). Whatever topic pursued, care must be taken not to just regurgitate this book's information, but to give it relevance and channel it into specific arguments.

--kowai-kawaii