Featured Christ as Authoritative or Loving?

You've started to grasp the problem.

 

Verbatim translating means to a professional, non-Bible translator that he should be very careful to transfer all of the meaning of the source document into the target document. If it is a word that doesn't exist in the target language, he may transliterate and then add an explanatory footnote, but he'll still try to get that word in the target document. Verbatim translating is important in diplomatic and legal (contracts, etc.) documents.

Understanding the culture/language connection (sociolinguistics) is extremely important to a translator. Is a word crude or acceptable? Is it used by a certain class of people but not by the general public? Is it polite or plain ("sir" versus "dude")?

 

This would be dynamic equivalence, something I oppose. Translating "goat of God" instead of "lamb of God" is really kind of looking down on the people for who the translation is being made. It's assuming they cannot comprehend the idea that there might be an animal they don't know about. Once they get their own Bible, even "primitives" get an education--reading especially. They then always want more, and will eventually learn they have been hoodwinked with "goat of God."

I would handle this translation problem by transliterating and then adding an explanatory footnote, such as: "The lamb is the offspring of an animal with white hair which can be used for making clothing. It is similar to the goat."

 

I'd put it in a footnote. The way the Amplified did things was distracting for a simple read of the Scriptures. My Japanese translation partner rejects it almost every time (there is a Japanese Amplified NT)--doesn't even want to consider it.

 

I have egg on my face about this statement. A Greek scholar friend wrote me, "While there was not a formal vs informal Koine language issue, there certainly were honorifics (usually coupled with a good deal of flattery in speech). Primary among these in the NT is the use of KRATISTE, used not only for Theophilus (Lk 1:3) but otherwise only when addressing high Roman officials, e.g. Ac 23:26 (Felix); 24:3 (Felix); 26:25 (Festus)."

Actually, most languages (if not all) have some form of honorifics. For example, in English we say "Sir" and "Ma'am." The difference in Japanese is that this language not only has honorific words, there is an entire system of "respect language" (敬語, keigo).

 

Yes, since His stated reason for the incarnation was to "seek and to save that which was lost." So having Christ treat all humans with politeness is how we (my editors and I) are leaning right now.

The question remains, what level of language should be used for His conversations with the hypocrites? Did He call them "serpents" in a loving tone or an authoritative throne?

 

Well, I think "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23:33) says it all. No need to look for any other option! :smilewinkgrin:

 

Would He use a less loving tone to those outside the flock?

I don't think either Japanese translation plan in question would treat Jesus as less than Lord.

 

In Japanese we have to choose the level of politeness with which we speak to someone. There is different vocabulary and sometimes even different grammar depending on who we are speaking to.

So in Japanese we can have Jesus saying, "I am the way, the truth and the life." (normal polite: 私は道であり、真理であり、命なのです。）Or we can have Him saying the same thing only in the plain form. (私は道であり、真理であり、命なのだ。) If you'll look carefully, you'll see that in the first example we have です at the end, but in the second we have だ. We cannot have Him saying it both ways. We have to choose polite (です, thus loving), or plain (だ, thus authoritative).

 

Wish I could take credit, but my Greek prof friend had to remind me on that one! But the basic honorifics are not a problem in Japanese. What is difficult is matching the vertical level of politeness.

This is exactly the passage I was thinking of when I did the base translation of our new Japanese NT. I felt that the Japanese "plain form" would convey that authority. But I'm getting Japanese feedback that makes me think we should change to the polite form. Until now all major Japanese translations have used the polite form, so it would be a major innovation to use the plain form for the sayings of Christ.

True, but since we have almost none of the Aramaic Jesus spoke originally, it is a moot point.

Sounds like true missionary work! :thumbs: