I don’t speak spanish myself, but a friend does and I wanted to get her a spanish copy of The Prophet. I also would like to know which spanish translation will have the author’s own illustrations in them.
خليل جبران
The more fundamental christians say the original King James, others say the new revised standard or the international version. Which translation is closest to the the original? In other words, what is the best translation?
Well – this is a tricky question. A *very* tricky question.
For example, if by "closest to the original" you mean "most closely mirrors the original language texts", then you could say that the New American Standard Bible, Young’s Literal Translation or even the New World Translation are closest. However, these types of Bibles (very word-for-word- literal) are "closest" only in the **linguistic** (grammatical) sense, not in the sense that they most accurately convey the *meaning* of the original language text. It is common knowledge among those familiar with language translation that a more word-for-word literal translation *tends* to be a less accurate translation. This may seem counter-intuitive to someone *not* familiar with language translation, but it is true. SO – these versions are very close to the original in *language* but not in so close in *meaning*. They are good if your intent is to do original language word studies or if you are familiar with the original languages (Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew).
At the other end we have very thought-for-thought literal, what is commonly known as a dynamic equivalence translation. Unfortunately, such Bibles are without exception translated for the purpose of being easy-to-read rather than for the purpose of relaying the meaning of the original language text as exactly as possible. "Dumbing down" the language inescapably leads to a loss of **precision**. So: the best (most scholarly) dynamic equivalence Bibles can convey the meaning very *accurately* – but none of the existing ones do so very *precisely*. (To understand the difference, read this)
http://www.bibleselector.com/c_tm_ec.html#Accuracy
That leaves us with what I call the "moderate equivalence" versions. Without going into further detail, these are the best (in order):
New Jerusalem Bible
Revised English Bible
New International Version
New Revised Standard Version
I will be happy to go into much greater detail regarding this subject if you really want to know more details.
Jim
I’m wanting to get a tattoo of a phrase that is very special and symbolic to me, except I would like to get it done in Hebrew. I’ve found translation websites, but none seem to be that great. How can I or where do I go to make sure that I have an accurate translation?
Hwbrew letters are great, but Greek letters are awsome!!!!
a friend of mine did a greek letter tattoo (he is from greece) and omg it looks amazing!
if you change your mind and want to do greek, then let me know what you want and i can ask him to translate it for you.
Now if you still prefer hebrew, then ask here if can someone translate it for you hunni
I need to read the Fitzgerald translation for school, but would it be okay if I listened to the Fagles audio book instead? Is it different, like is the plot the same and the same characters? Thanks.
DONT ANSWER UNLESS YOU HAVE READ MORE THAN 1 TRANSLATION!
Translations can differ radically, so I’d suggest you read the Fitzgerald translation or an audio book thereof, because suddenly you may find yourself having read a different "book" than the rest of the class. This is especially true of the Greek classics.
In your opinion, what is the best English translation of the Bible, and why? Thanks for your thoughts!
There will be varying opinions. Each translation has a goal, and each have shortcomings. Some try to use English that is used throughout the world and avoid slang. Some try to use simple English that younger people can understand. Some try to be very literal translating each word the same. Some try to interpret what it is saying. Some try to be easy to read out loud in sermons. Some try to be somewhere in between.
In my opinion, you will do well to avoid paraphrased versions like "The Living Bible", because it goes too far trying to interpret the meaning instead of leaving the text speak for itself. I think it would be a good commentary, or second Bible though. I think you would do well to get a more modern translation since nobody speaks like KJV anymore. I do think KJV is a great translation if you can understand it though.
NIV and NASB are both popular, easy to read and accurate. You might at least consider these. I would encourage you to go to your local Bible bookstore (or Biblegateway.com) and compare several versions of the same passage and judge for yourself.
By the way, someone mentioned the New World Translation. This is created by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. So, if you are not a Jehovah’s Witness, it will not be a good choice for you.
I’ve heard of a translation by George Lamsa but it’s gotten mixed reviews. I want a translation that takes into account what the writers actually meant, the culture, references, accurate translations from the original language… with notes, notes would be good. Any suggestions?
Well, in fact this is a sort of passion of mine – finding the most accurate bible translation. I would like to point out first of all that no **objective** evaluation of bible translation accuracy exists or has been applied to even one bible. You can read more (in plain language) on why it is difficult to *objectively* determine the accuracy of a translation here
http://www.bible-reviews.com/topics_accuracy.html
(please excuse the giant buttons – I am slowly renovating the site)
Now – that being said, there *are* **indicators** that we can use to determine the accuracy of a bible translation. Those are **very** briefly discussed here
http://www.bible-reviews.com/topics_accuracy_indicators.html
and I have begun a chart which compares these indicators here
http://www.bible-reviews.com/charts_accuracy.html
Now – I have personally read through several bible versions, and read large portions of several more. In my **subjective, unprofessional but unbiased opinion**, the most accurate English translation at this time is the New Jerusalem Bible. As "evidence" of my lack of bias, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Roman Catholic bible – but I am a Fundamentalist Christian.
It so happens that the NJB comes in one of the best scholarly study bibles available (these 2 editions have identical bible text and study notes)
http://www.bibleselector.com/r_njb_ss.html
Look at the "Regular Edition" first. Check out the reviews there at Amazon – they are stellar, and this bible is stellar. I have perused hundreds of bible study reviews at Amazon in my hunt for the perfect study bible. There are other really, really good study bibles – but none paired with a translation as excellent as the NJB.
The DLT edition is rare in the US, but available from UK. It is available in several editions, including expensive leather and cheap laminated paperback. Here are links to Amazon UK if you cannot find them in the U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0232516758?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0232516758
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0232516502?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0232516502
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0232520771?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0232520771
Here is an "old" review of the NJB that I wrote. There are many additional reasons that I still prefer the NJB today over other bibles.
http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/njb.htm
Finally – here is my huge work-in-progress, the site that guides you step-by-step in selecting the perfect bible. It should at *least* help you to find the perfect bible version, and it might help you to discover the perfect study bible.
http://www.BibleSelector.com
Note: if there are no study bibles listed at that site for the version you want, contact me. I have loads of info on bibles that I have not had time to post to that site, particularly regarding study bibles. I will be happy to help you narrow down your options and answer any questions – just e-mail me.
Jim
People keep asking me to suggest good translations of Shakespear’s works. They don’t understand that Shakespear is modern English and insist that a translation is necessary to understand the plays.
First of all, Shakespeare’s works are written in what is referred to as Shakespearean English. Which is in large part because he actually lived between the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. For him, the language he wrote was modern English. The English that is present in modern day texts is a modernized version of what he wrote in. Simply because it would be next to impossible for the average person to read the actual form of English that Shakespeare wrote in, without formal training in the different stages of English, but especially Middle English, which is what Chaucer wrote in.
So, the real problem that people have is that they are not recognizing the references that are made within the texts. These references were often to actual events that were present at the time, as well as, the fact that the society was more oral than scribal, so the language of the plays had to be stylized and devoted to rhyming.
A good aid to it is a contemporary guide to Shakespeare, there are several on the market. Including the Bedford Companion to Shakespeare by Russ McDonald. It has the kind of historical references that make it easier to understand Shakespeare’s works.
I always thought transcription took place in the nucleus, and translation in the cytoplasm but my homework says they’re in the same place.
Hello cinnamox!
At first glance, it seems that there’s something wrong with your homework question. You’re right. For eukaryotic cells with a nuclear membrane separating the genome from the cytosol, transcription takes place ONLY in the nucleus and translation takes place ONLY in the cytoplasm after the mRNA transcript migrates out of the nucleus and towards a ribosome suspended either in the cytoplasm or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.
HOWEVER, before you answer your homework question, consider this possibility:
Maybe it’s referring to a prokaryotic cell! In prokaryotes, there is NO nuclear membrane, and in fact, transcription and translation take place simultaneously. As the mRNA transcript comes off of the bacterial chromosome, ribosomes attach to it and begin translation even before transcription has completed. In this case, yes, transcription and translation do occur in the same place!
Let me know if you need any additional clarification.
I hope this makes sense!
I have a presentation tomorrow and one of my visual aids is a Qur’an written in arabic and english translation. No one in my class is a Muslim. Is it okay to pass it around and let em see it?
Its ok for non-muslims to see the Quran, theres nothing wrong with passing it around, but i dont know what to tell you about the girls that are in menstruation stage, you never know, there might be at least one girl on her period, I just cant see you telling them, lol.
Love the song. Would love to know the translation.
The finale:
Ah, tutti contenti Ah, all will now
saremo così. be happy.
Questo giorno di tormenti, This day of torments,
di capricci, e di follia, of caprice, of folly,
in contenti e in allegria in content and happiness
solo amor può terminar. only love can end it.
Sposi, amici, al ballo, al gioco, Friends, lovers, to dance, to play,
alle mine date foco! set off the fireworks!
Ed al suon di lieta marcia And to the sound of gay music
corriam tutti a festeggiar! we all run to celebrate!