Adrian Warnock's UK Evangelical Blog has what's billed as an an interview with Paul House of the ESV translation team (but there seems only to be one question as yet...) which Wayne @ Better Bibles mentioned. I was caught by the spelling of the title, their version is "Is translation effected by doctrine?" which as I read it means: does doctrine produce translation?
[For pedants "effect: means
"# To bring into existence.while "affect" means
# To produce as a result.
# To bring about."
"To have an influence on or effect a change in"(see the usage note at Dictionary.com)]
So, does doctrine produce translation? Of course it does, but the relationship runs both ways, doctrine produces translation - Protestant and Evangelicals have on the whole been more active in translating Scripture than Orthodox or Catholic Christians have - but also translation produces doctrine - again just think of the impact of translating the Bible into English...
But another really interesting question, which I am sure can also be answered affirmatively is does doctrine affect translation?. Of course it does! Think of the "slant" that the desire for gender neutrality produces, or that the NIV's commitment to North American inerrantist views introduces...
Should doctrine affect translation? No. Does it? Yes. ¶ 7:06 AM
[to Del.icio.us]
Tim, I realize, especially in today's conservative Christian litmus test world, that my viewpoint may sound naive, but I really believe that our doctrine and our ideology should not Affect the way we translate. It may be difficult, perhaps impossible, but I believe that all translators with integrity should attempt to translation as free of all bias as possible. I think it is more possible to do than the flaming debates over Bible translation these days lead us to believe. Each side tends to say "Just let the translation say what the original texts said." Of course, there is the desire that it can be made clear in the translation that the original texts said what "we" believe them to have said. I think it is possible to do better than that. From what I have seen, the NRSV is one of the most objective, scholarly versions produced. It is free of liberal, conservative, complementarian, and, for the most part, egalitarian ideology. Yet many conservatives want a Bible which is more in line with their own beliefs, including translating wonderful Messianic interpretations of Old Testament quotes back into the O.T.
Thank you for raising this important issue which needs to happen periodically.
By 
Wayne Leman, at
June 21, 2005 3:19 AM
