Translation

• To: b-greek <B-GREEK@virginia.edu>
• Subject: Translation
• From: George Aichele <0004705237@mcimail.com>
• Date: Mon, 2 May 94 16:05 EST

In partial answer to Bob Schaibley's questions:
 
George Steiner, who wrote a marvelous book about translation,
AFTER BABEL, argues that the best translation is one which stands
in tension with the original & thereby reveals the "salutary
strangeness" (389) of it. Steiner views language as slippery &
deceptive. The strangeness of the text is not its meaning --
rather the opposite, I think. Insofar as translation makes the
text familiar, it fails. A similar point is made in Walter
Benjamin's essay, "The Task of the Translator."
 
I think the line between translation & paraphrase (if there is
one) is very unclear. Exact translation is impossible, and as
Larry Hurtado notes, a simplified version is sometimes quite
appropriate. But I do get depressed at the number of students in
my classes who (despite my strong cautionary words) use
simplified versions -- and then ask why their Bible doesn't
present the same reading difficulties as RSV, etc.
 
George Aichele
(Adrian College)
470-5237@mcimail.com

• Re: Translation
• From: "Larry W. Hurtado" <hurtado@cc.umanitoba.ca>
• Translation
• From: ingria@bbn.com

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