The endeavor to convey the original biblical texts into modern languages has resulted in a spectrum of translation philosophies. At one end lies the approach prioritizing a close adherence to the original languages’ wording and grammatical structures. This method aims for maximum fidelity to the source text, rendering each word in the original language with its nearest equivalent in the target language, even if it results in slightly less idiomatic or natural-sounding English. A translation that strives for this level of precision might, for instance, retain the original word order, even when a different order would be more common in English usage.
The advantage of this approach lies in its potential to offer readers a closer approximation of the original authors’ intended meaning and style. This can be particularly valuable for detailed study, linguistic analysis, and theological interpretation where subtle nuances in the original language are significant. Historically, many scholars and readers have valued these translations for their perceived reliability and minimal interpretive bias. The commitment to mirroring the source text as closely as possible minimizes the translator’s subjective choices, theoretically resulting in a more objective representation of the original.
