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Course 5 · Lesson 5.4

Reading a translation’s preface to learn its principles

10 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 5 outline

Module 1: What the Languages Are and What This Course Can Do

  1. The languages of the Bible: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek
  2. What an introduction can and cannot do: no fluency, and why
  3. Biblical Hebrew in brief: history, script and sound
  4. Koine Greek in brief: history, script and sound

Module 2: Hebrew Fundamentals

  1. The Hebrew alphabet, reading right to left, and the vowel points
  2. Roots, nouns, gender, number and the construct chain
  3. Hebrew verbs: perfect, imperfect and the seven stems in outline
  4. A core Hebrew vocabulary and how to learn it

Module 3: Greek Fundamentals

  1. The Greek alphabet, accents and breathing marks
  2. Nouns, cases and the definite article
  3. Greek verbs: tense, aspect, voice and mood in outline
  4. A core Greek vocabulary and how to learn it

Module 4: The Texts: Masoretic, Septuagint and New Testament Manuscripts

  1. The Masoretic Text and the codices that preserve it
  2. The Septuagint and where translators consult it
  3. Greek New Testament manuscripts and printed editions
  4. How variants are recorded in footnotes and critical editions

Module 5: How Translations Are Made

  1. Formal and dynamic equivalence, and the middle positions
  2. Who translates: committees, churches and traditions of translation
  3. Hard cases: idioms, word play, gender and untranslatable words
  4. Reading a translation’s preface to learn its principles

Module 6: Tools for the Reader

  1. Interlinear Bibles: what they show and what they hide
  2. Lexicons and concordances: how to read an entry
  3. How to do a word study, step by step
  4. Common word study errors and how to avoid them

Module 7: Evaluating Translation Differences

  1. Locating the Hebrew or Greek words behind a verse
  2. Types of translation differences: text, grammar, word meaning and style
  3. A worked example from the Old Testament
  4. A worked example from the New Testament
  5. Knowing your limits, and when to ask a specialist

All courses

Program / Course 5: Biblical Languages / Lesson 5.4

What you will learn

  • List the questions a preface should answer about a translation’s text, method and audience.
  • Read a preface for claims about philosophy and check those claims against samples of the translation.
  • Notice how prefaces handle the divine name, gender, the canon and footnotes.
  • Compare two prefaces fairly and report their differences without ranking them by doctrine.

The big idea

A translation’s preface is where its makers explain what they did and why. It usually states the Hebrew and Greek texts used, the method of translation, the audience, the handling of difficult matters and the review process. A student who reads the preface before judging a verse can tell when a difference reflects a principle and not an error. The preface states an intention, so a careful reader tests it against the pages. Reading prefaces is one of the most useful skills in this course.

Key terms

Preface
An introduction by the translators or sponsors, explaining their principles and procedures.
Base text
The Hebrew or Greek edition from which the translators worked, such as a particular critical edition.
Translation philosophy
The translators’ stated approach to the question of how closely to follow the original form.
Canon
The list of books a community receives as Scripture. Translations differ in which books they include.
Textual note
A footnote recording a variant reading or a different rendering.
Translators to the Reader
The long preface to the 1611 King James Version, a classic example of a preface that explains why a new translation was made.

Background

Almost every Bible includes a preface, though many readers skip it. A preface is written by the people who made the translation or by their sponsors. It is the most direct statement available of what they meant to do. It cannot, of course, prove that they did it. A preface can describe a goal that the translation meets only in part, and a reader should compare the claim with the text.

The aim of this lesson is a skill: reading a preface as evidence. The student asks a set of questions, finds the answers, and then tests two or three of them against a few verses. The result is a clear statement of what a translation is trying to be, which allows a fair judgment of how well it succeeds and what it can be used for.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Ten questions for a preface

First, who produced this translation and under what authority? Second, which Hebrew and Greek texts did they use as base texts, and did they depart from them? Third, which books are included and in what order? Fourth, what is the stated translation philosophy, such as formal, dynamic or a middle approach? Fifth, who is the intended reader, and for what use? Sixth, how are the divine name and key theological terms treated? Seventh, how is gender handled? Eighth, how are variants and alternative renderings recorded, and in what style of footnote? Ninth, how was the work reviewed? Tenth, what is the date and revision history of the edition?

Write these questions in the notebook and answer them for each translation. A few prefaces will not answer all of them, and the lack of an answer is itself informative.

Step 2: What to notice about method

A preface often names its method in a phrase. Some say essentially literal, some describe a balance between literal and free rendering, and others say thought for thought or functional equivalence. Treat the phrase as a claim. Then select a few verses, including idioms, repeated words and difficult grammar, and see what the translation does with them. You may find that a version that calls itself literal departs from literal wording in places, and that a dynamic version keeps formal wording in others. This is normal.

Pay attention also to what the preface says about the base text. The King James Version, for instance, rests on the textual tradition of its day. A modern translation will state which critical edition it follows for the Greek New Testament and which for the Hebrew. A Catholic or Orthodox translation will state how it treats the Septuagint and the extra books.

Step 3: Sensitive points

Prefaces speak directly to points on which communities differ. The divine name may be printed as LORD, Yahweh or Jehovah, and the preface gives a reason. Words for church offices, baptism and the sacraments may be chosen with an eye to a tradition. The preface may defend inclusive or traditional language for people, and say how God is referred to. A Catholic version will state its approval by church authority. An Orthodox one will say whether it follows the Septuagint. A study Bible may also add notes from its own tradition. These matters should be read, not skipped, and a student should record them in the notebook without judging.

A fair reader will also notice what a preface does not claim. Few prefaces claim to be perfect, and many say that revision will be needed. That frankness is a good sign.

Step 4: An old example

The preface to the 1611 King James Version, called The Translators to the Reader, is long and thoughtful. It defends the principle of translating Scripture into the language of the people, notes that earlier English versions were not bad but could be improved, and explains that the translators did not set out to make a new translation so much as to make a good one better. It also discusses the use of marginal notes for places where the meaning is uncertain. A student can learn from its candor. The translators say that where the sense is doubtful, they give the alternatives in the margin and do not pretend to certainty.

  1. Who produced this version and who approved it?
  2. Which Hebrew and Greek editions does the preface name?
  3. Which translation philosophy does it claim, and is that claim borne out in the sample verses?
  4. How does it treat the divine name, gender and the books of the canon?
  5. How are variants and alternatives marked?
  6. What does it say about the limits of the work and the need for revision?

Examples

A preface checked against the text

A preface states that the translation is essentially literal and will keep repeated words consistent. A student picks a Hebrew word that appears four times in a short passage and checks the English. It is rendered the same way three times and once differently. The student records the exception and concludes that the claim is a general tendency and not an absolute rule.

Two prefaces compared

One preface says the translators sought the closest natural equivalent in contemporary English. Another says they sought to preserve the form of the original wherever possible. A student compares one verse in both and finds the differences consistent with the claims. This is a straightforward way to see how a principle shapes the English.

A note on an uncertain word

A preface says that where a Hebrew word occurs only once and its meaning is uncertain, the translators place a note saying so. A student finds the notes and sees how many such words there are. The notes tell the reader where specialist work is needed.

Different perspectives

Catholic

Catholic Bibles carry the approval of church authorities and commonly state their use of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts, and their notes often give the Church’s reading of difficult passages. The Church teaches that Scripture should be read in the light of the tradition of the Church, and Catholic prefaces say so.

Orthodox

Orthodox Bibles explain their use of the Septuagint and the Greek text of the church, and many include liturgical or patristic notes. They present Scripture as the church’s book, read within worship and with the fathers.

Protestant

Protestant translations explain their texts and method in detail, since the tradition rests great weight on the words of Scripture. Prefaces often declare a commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, or to a particular reading of its aims, and a reader should note which.

Jewish

Jewish translations explain how they relate to the Masoretic Text and to earlier Jewish translations and commentaries. The preface often says that the translation is intended to be read alongside the Hebrew.

Scholarly

Scholars of translation treat prefaces as primary sources about intention, and they compare them with the product. They note that a preface reflects the position of the sponsoring body, and that translators on a committee do not all hold identical views.

Why it matters

A preface is a free, short and under used source. It lets a reader understand the logic behind a translation and judge it by its own aims. It also protects against reading a preferred doctrine into a difference that has a simple cause in method or text.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: The preface is advertising and can be ignored.

Correction: Prefaces sometimes promote a work, but most state real principles and procedures. A reader should read them critically, as one reads any source.

Misunderstanding: If a preface says a translation is literal, every verse will be literal.

Correction: Prefaces state general aims. Every translation departs from its stated method in some places, and the departures are worth noting.

Misunderstanding: A translation with a doctrinal preface cannot be trusted.

Correction: All translators work with commitments. A preface that states them is more helpful than one that hides them. Compare with other versions.

Misunderstanding: Prefaces are the same in every Bible.

Correction: They differ widely in length and content, and some versions have several, written at different times.

Knowledge check

Name five questions a preface should answer.

Who produced the translation and with what authority, which Hebrew and Greek base texts were used, which books are included, what the stated translation philosophy is, and who the intended readers are. Other useful questions concern the divine name, gender, footnotes, review and revision history. Any five of these are correct.

How should a reader treat a preface’s claim to be literal?

As a claim to be tested. The reader should select several verses, including idioms and repeated words, and see how the translation handles them. Most translations depart from their stated method in places, so the claim describes a general tendency and not a rule without exception.

Why do prefaces discuss the divine name and gender?

These are points on which communities differ and on which translators must choose. The preface gives their reasons, for instance printing LORD in capitals or Yahweh, or using inclusive or traditional wording for people. Reading these statements tells a reader which differences come from principle.

What can be learned from the preface to the 1611 King James Version?

It shows that the translators defended putting Scripture into the language of the people, regarded their work as improving earlier translations, and used marginal notes for uncertain places. It models candor about limits, and it shows that arguments about translation are old.

Think it through

  1. Have you ever read the preface of the Bible you use? What did you learn, or what do you expect to learn?
  2. What might a preface leave unsaid, and how could you find out?
  3. How could you compare two prefaces fairly if you disagree with one of them?
  4. Why is it a good sign when translators admit that their work will need revision?

Independent assignment

Two prefaces compared

In your own notebook, write 400 to 600 words. Read the prefaces of two English Bibles from different traditions. Answer the ten questions for each. Select three verses, including one idiom and one disputed word, and test whether each translation follows the principle its preface states. Write a summary of the likenesses and differences without ranking them by doctrine, and say what you cannot judge. Do not send this to anyone.

Further study