British English idioms in English Bible translations

Status
Not open for further replies.
po18guy said:
CAVEAT: Does not list those approved before 1983 - which were the best of the classic translations. Opinion Alert: I believe that virtually all of them are diluted, tilting toward false ecumenism and are not as accurate as they could be.

The current “approved” bible and the GNT run from below average to horrible, in my estimation.
Click to expand...
From my original post:
These are the translations that have received approval from the USCCB for private prayer/study since 1983:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/approved-translations/index.cfm
In addition to the translations listed below, any translation of the Sacred Scriptures that has received proper ecclesiastical approval ‒ namely, by the Apostolic See or a local ordinary prior to 1983, or by the Apostolic See or an episcopal conference following 1983 ‒ may be used by the Catholic faithful for private prayer and study.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Correct!!! Simply pointing out that the USCCB site, last I checked, still relegates all previous approved translation to page 2. AFAIK, we are neither limited to, nor bound by those selections.
 
po18guy said:
: Does not list those approved before 1983 -
Click to expand...
It also doesn’t list the Orthodox Study Bible, which uses the New King James Version for the New Testament. I’m almost certain that it doesn’t have pre-1983 approval, but it is on the recommended reading list from the vocations director of my eparchy.
 
Commenting on the USCCB, other than fawning praise, seems to attract hostile fire, so I will proffer that, if one is well catechized, no translation will cause damage, as the errors, inconsistencies and agendas will be obvious.

'Nuff said!
 
I reckon if a Bible has got a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur in the front, I can use it for my private prayer. I don’t need the USCCB to tell me how to pick out a Bible for my personal use.

My mother had a copy of that Good News Translation of the New Testament in the house because she was forced to use it when teaching CCD. I looked at it once when I was in about high school and it was about the worst excuse for a Bible I ever read. It was frankly bizarre. It made the NAB look like the KJV.
 
Last edited:
Tis_Bearself said:
I reckon if a Bible has got a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur in the front, I can use it for my private prayer
Click to expand...
I have to say that, for private prayer and lectio divine, I love the Jerusalem Bible—its my favorite translation for that.
 
At least one Jesuit preparatory school uses it 😱
As to the GNT, check John 2:4 where Jesus “rebukes” His mother. Not even remotely close to the Greek.

Ugh.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
My mother had a copy of that Good News Translation of the New Testament in the house because she was forced to use it when teaching CCD.
Click to expand...
I have a few translations but the New Living Translation: Catholic Edition with an imprimatur and nihil obstat is very good for a simpler translation.
 
The NABRE is used in countries where English is a second language, such as the Philippines. This might also be the case for some Catholics in the U.S.

Also, the average reading level of adults in the U.S. is probably around the eighth grade.
 
I have the Catholic edition, it says “You must not tell me what to do”. Jesus replied “My time has not come”. Which still sounds off. Looks like this one was published in 2003.
 
Last edited:
It’s not my cup of tea, but I do know how to get it for free , so there’s that. I guess with me, it’s because I prefer more literal translations to Dynamic ones.
 
I’m very suspicious of “dynamic translations”. They remind me of those overly loose interpretations of the Constitution by certain scholars. We should be reading what was written.
 
I have a New Revised Jerusalem Bible given to me by an Indian lady who thought it the best translation. Lately I have gotten into comparing different translations between the different Bibles. There are some broad differences out there between them.
 
To me, most such translations read more like a casual conversation with your neighbor over the back fence. One exception is the Deuteros in the Catholic Living Bible. Tyndale, having scant experience with them, opted to source their translations from Our Sunday Visitor. I actually like those translations. The other 66…meh :-/
 
JulianN said:
I have to say that, for private prayer and lectio divine , I love the Jerusalem Bible—its my favorite translation for that.
Click to expand...
I suspect that’s an unusual taste. The Jerusalem Bible is the one I look at more often than any other, but strictly for the footnotes, not so much the translation, which on the whole I don’t care for. I know other people who say the same thing.
 
Last edited:
My favourite contemporary translation of the OT is by Robert Alter, a literary critic (very much one of the foremost authorities) of ancient and modern Hebrew literature.

He’s published individual translations of OT books for a few decades, and a complete multi-volume edition was released in 2018. His translations are very much focussed on the literary aesthetic of Hebrew, and they’re accompanied by an abundance of footnotes highlighting the poetical and rhetorical features.

It, from my perspective, is on par with the Authorized Version and the Coverdale Psalter in literary refinement.
 
po18guy said:
As to the GNT, check John 2:4 where Jesus “rebukes” His mother. Not even remotely close to the Greek.
Click to expand...
adamhovey1988 said:
I have the Catholic edition, it says “You must not tell me what to do”. Jesus replied “My time has not come”. Which still sounds off. Looks like this one was published in 2003.
Click to expand...
Take a look, also, at Jesus’ reply to John the Baptist in Matt 3:15, after John says it ought to be the other way around. In both Greek and Latin it’s just two words, but in English Bibles it can be very much longer. Here are a few of them, ranging from three words to eight words:

“Allow it now.” (NABRE)

“It should be done.” (NLT)

“Let it be so now.” (NIV)

“Let it be so for now.” (GNB/TEV)

“Suffer it to be so now.” (DR, KJV)

“Leave it like this for the time being.” (JB)
 
BartholomewB said:
40.png
po18guy:
As to the GNT, check John 2:4 where Jesus “rebukes” His mother. Not even remotely close to the Greek.
Click to expand...
adamhovey1988 said:
I have the Catholic edition, it says “You must not tell me what to do”. Jesus replied “My time has not come”. Which still sounds off. Looks like this one was published in 2003.
Click to expand...
Take a look, also, at Jesus’ reply to John the Baptist in Matt 3:15, after John says it ought to be the other way around. In both Greek and Latin it’s just two words, but in English Bibles it can be very much longer. Here are a few of them, ranging from three words to eight words:

“Allow it now.” (NABRE)

“It should be done.” (NLT)

“Let it be so now.” (NIV)

“Let it be so for now.” (GNB/TEV)

“Suffer it to be so now.” (DR, KJV)

“Leave it like this for the time being.” (JB)
Click to expand...
This is a perfect example of why translation is so challenging. There is no such thing as a perfectly accurate translation. While some translations leave us scratching our heads, every translation is an interpretation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top