From: myron kauk (myronkauk@integrityonline30.com)
Date: Wed Dec 27 2000 - 05:40:40 EST
Greetings:
Wayne wrote:
>Euphemism is one class of figures of speech. Figures of speech is the
larger
>set of which euphemisms are subset.
>
>> An example might be the use of "he is asleep" for "he is dead." It
seems
>to me that
>> these sorts of things cannot be translated as strict literal phrases.
>
>Exactly. Very few languages, including English, use that original
>Semiticism, which, unfortunately, has been preserved in many English Bible
>versions. It is not an accurate translation of the original meaning of the
>Greek text. Accurate translation calls for preserving the original meaning
>and making sure that if the original text was figurative that that
>figurative meaning has been expressed accurately in the translation
language
>so that the readers of the translation understand its original meaning. We
>can field test with users of translations to determine if they understand
>"fall asleep" to mean "to die." Of course, I think most of us on this list
>already know what the answer would be before we field test.
I suppose Jesus should have done more field testing on the disciples before
he spoke in John 11:11-14. How would you translate these verses to
"preserve the original meaning?" It seems to me that you lose meaning if
you do not translate this strictly literally and let the reader wrestle with
the idiom. Doesn't the phrase "he is asleep" carry implications about life
after death that "he is dead" does not?
Grace be with you,
Myron C. Kauk
myronkauk@iolky.com
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