Bibles International Anchor Points

In a pamphlet put out by Bibles International, the Bible Society of Baptist Mid-Missions, they give their principles for working on new translations on the mission field. Frankly, IMO these are much better than the typical stuff seen in the States by those who have never actually done the work. The pamphlet is by staff members:
Henry A.Osborn,Ph.D, Chief Language Consultant
Bernard Northrup, Ph.D., Language Consultant
William Smallman, D.Miss. Chairman Bibles International Committee
Fredric A. Carlson, Division Director, Editor


What say ye?


Anchor Point 1 The Bible is God's Self-Revelation to Man

Bibles International Translation Principle No.1:
The completed translation is be capable of being understood by the receptors for whom it is prepared.

Anchor Point 2 God Revealed His Transcendent Thoughts In Clear Accurate Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek

Bibles International Translation Principle No. 2:
The language of the translation is to be clear
Anchor Point 3 God Revealed Himself In The Bible For Redemptive Purposes

Bibles International Translation Principle No. 3:
The Primary effect of our translation will be redemptive

Anchor Point 4 The Bible Is The Word of God

Bibles International Translation Principle No. 4:
It is the Word of God we translate. Respectfully translate what the text says. Add nothing to it; subtract nothing from it.

Bibles International Translation Principle No. 5:
Balance Careful translation of words with careful translation of the units of speech.
Bibles International Translation Principle No. 6:
Differentiate between that implicit information which we clearly understand and that which we do not clearly understand.

Bibles International Translation Principle No. 7:
Differentiate between what the receptor language actually requires and that which the receptor culture is said to require. (After this principle, they discuss "Translating Implicit Information," "The Possessive vs. Active Problem," and "The Sentence Length Problem.")

 

Oops, sorry about that. I take full responsibility for my goof.

Good point. Translation work is very difficult at best. Sometimes it is best to get a pretty good NT translation into a language with none than to wait until it has been through umpteen committee revisions, right? Of course that is not to say that the translators should not do their best.