I've been thinking about this paper I'm writing for a class--the one whose annotations I've been posting on this blog. Bible translation is a big topic. I don't really even know where to start. I mean, some people just like to debate the pros and cons of specific English translations and "necessary" revisions. I don't want to do that. There's a enough about all that. I say--why worry about English, when languages we've never even heard of, languages we couldn't possibly pronounce, haven't even heard of God and the Bible? The fifteen plus 20th and 21st century versions of the Protestant Bible in English now seem quite frivolous to me. Okay. Thoughts are too negative. Stop that!
But translation as a goal for missions--it seems kind of narrow. I'm pretty sure there aren't a lot of information and academic resources out there. Oh, no doubt there are spiritual/theological/pastoral writings on it. But academically... Why would there be a lot of information on it? I don't think it's a topic that typical academics ponder often.
I've been thinking a lot about the cultures. Our differences. Not just the more surface, social things, but the things that run the deepest--our values. How do our differences complicate translation? I've also been thinking a little bit about history. How does history (past translation and mission projects and imperialism/colonization) play a roll in current efforts? But more practically, how has the process of translation changed? Do these changes equal bigger success? Just some thoughts to chew on. Definitely not yet as well thought-out I would like to be.
--kowai-kawaii
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