Volume 30, No. 20                                               
May 15, 2005

Lost In Translation

   Centuries ago, Latin scribes used to say, “All translators are traitors.” They simply meant that any time you translate words, something important is lost.  It’s certainly true that changing the Hebrew and Greek scriptures into English has been tricky.  

   How much God has been involved in the process is a matter of faith but, as author J. Stephen Lang points out, there have been some astounding “coincidences.” In 1453, when Muslims conquered the Greek-speaking Christians in what is now Turkey, Greek scholars ran from their new Islamic masters to Europe.  They soon began translating the New Testament from its original Greek into many western languages.  Three years later, the printing press was invented, putting Bibles into the hands of ordinary people for the first time.  

   But not everyone was happy.  England’s King Henry VIII banned any “unlicensed” person from reading or interpreting the Bible for others, and forbidding the lower classes from reading scripture at all.  At other times, editors “adapted” the Book, tossing aside the troublesome parts.  One 1783 translation left out Revelation and most of Paul’s books because they might give readers “revolutionary ideas.”

   In more recent times, translators have struggled to make the Bible fresh and more relevant while preserving its original message, not always with success.  Instead of the traditional reading of Luke 12:29 — “Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink” — translator Rodolphus Dickinson came up with, “Be not therefore inquisitive, what you shall eat or drink;  nor be in unquiet suspense.”  Compare that with the Word Made Flesh translation of 1976 which calls the Jewish leader, Othniel, “Mack the Knife.”

   There are cultural challenges, too.  When Jesus referred to “wolves in sheep’s clothing,”his original audience could relate to those animals, but many people today cannot.  So in Indonesia, one Bible translation refers to “crocodiles in human form.”

   In another cultural innovation, missionary and literacy expert Frank Laubach translated part of the New Testament for people new to English.  He intended readers to replace his “elementary” version with a more mature translation once they learned the language.
   You should take comfort from that because, among some people, your life is the first translation of the Bible they’ve ever tried to read. In a culture increasingly unfamiliar with the Book, don’t be surprised if you’re the only available version in your circle of influence.

   The Word became human.  Now we humans become the Word — God’s Word.  If we stay true to the original Message, people will be blessed, even if they have to turn to a more mature translation once we get them started.  Like the letters of the New Testament, our lives “are a letter... and everyone can read it...  Clearly, you are a letter from Christ... written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.” (2 Cor. 3:2,3)

   Ironically, we live at a time when many seek to stop us from revealing or interpreting the Bible for others, just as in the days of King Henry.  In the name of tolerance, society demands that all religious ideas be considered equal. The claim of Jesus to be the exclusive way to God — the way, the truth and the life — is rejected as judgmental.  In such a climate, sharing our faith leaves us open to charges of spiritual arrogance and cultural insensitivity.

   So critics of scripture, inside and outside the church, are still intent on adapting the Word, eliminating the troublesome parts.  We’re free to translate our faith, provided our version is not only sensitized but sanitized.  Though platitudes of peace and love are more than welcome, revolutionary ideas about redemption and sacrifice are not.

   The challenge for us is to live Christian lives that speak effectively to a new generation, without losing the original message.  We must communicate in the heart language of the day, be relevant, respect those of other faiths, and make the Word come alive.  Yes, as poor translators  of the Gospel, we’re all traitors.  But if we’ll rely on the Holy Spirit, one thing that won’t be lost in our translation is a true seeker.  

By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the Followers of Christ church family in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To receive these free weekly articles via email, send a note to sgamble@bfree.on.ca