Bible Translation (BT)

Students will be introduced to a brief history of Bible translation, to common translation theories, and to advanced principles for transferring meaning in intercultural situations. Students will also seek to implement sound principles of Bible translation in practical ways: students will practice translating Scripture into another language; they will practice evaluating a translation for accuracy and readability within a target-language context; and they will practice using modern resources and software solutions related to the needs of Bible translators.

This course will equip students to understand, explore, and practice essential translation consultant skills including building, training, and leading a translation team; planning and forecasting for a translation project; maintaining quality and consistency throughout a translation project; checking Bible translations for theological precision; testing a translation for readability in the receptor language; and performing a back translation to insure a proper translation has been executed by the translation team. This course will seek to lay a foundation for utilizing software solutions to enhance Bible translation and translation project management. Students will be introduced to Bible translation software, word processing techniques, and elementary orthography for specialized languages. In addition, students will be equipped to train majority world people in using computers and computer-based solutions relative to the needs of translators.

Students will be introduced to common translation problems related to idiom and metaphor, meaning, multiple senses and functions, prepositional ambiguity, and more. Moreover, this course will guide students into developing potential solutions for these problems. Finally, students will learn how to make translation decisions, even under difficult situations. This course will lead students to apply the principles gleaned in Principles of Bible Translation to the problems of real-world translation situations.

Students will become acquainted with issues and difficulties related to the transmission and translation of the New Testament; these issues will include textual issues, synoptic issues, and issues related to Old Testament quotations and allusions. Students will also demonstrate their ability to comprehensively apply insights gained from study in linguistics and Biblical languages in their approach to New Testament translation.

This course will introduce students to specific issues and difficulties related to the translation of the Old Testament. Classroom topics will cover items such as Hebrew idioms and poetic expressions, hapax legomena, qere-kethiv, variations of fauna and animal life, and linguistic variations among genres found in the Old Testament, among other topics.

This on-site internship will allow potential Bible translators the opportunity to observe an ongoing Bible translation project. This course is designed to help students acquire first-hand experience and receive a telescopic view of Bible translation.