Bible Translation as Missions

JBTM Larry B. Jones43In contrast to other kinds of publications, translations of the Bible are presented to faithcommunities as God’s authoritative message. As a result, they attain an enduring quality thatresists frequent revision. As a church uses a Scripture translation to worship and instruct, theirgrowing affection for its wording makes acceptance of substantially revised later editions difficult.There are many examples of churches around the world which have continued to prefera traditional translation, even though it is archaic, poorly understood, and perhaps exegeticallyflawed, over newer editions which are more accurate and readable. There is good reasonto revise and thoroughly test a translation before widely distributing it as God’s authoritativemessage.In this context, the ease of digital editing and publication makes it possible to circulatetranslations before they have been fully checked and tested, on the understanding that thedigital text can be easily revised and improved translations reprinted later. But it also presentsBible translators with a conundrum. If the early releases are explicitly noted to be trial editionsto be revised later, their acceptance as authoritative church Bibles could be limited. If they arepresented as authoritative translations, the acceptability of necessary revisions could be compromised.In sum, devolving responsibility for Bible translation to the end-users in the local churchcontext could conceivably accelerate access to translations of Scripture in the heart languageand facilitate greater use of the translation. However, its inherent challenges probably precludeits being applied as a primary solution on a scale commensurate with the remaining globalneed for Bible translation.A Promising Solution Scenario:A Richer, Global Church/Bible Agency PartnershipOne way to harness the resources needed to support the burgeoning global Bible translationmovement is to enhance the partnership between the global church and the Bible agencies.Such a partnership could leverage the available strengths of both groups in God’s kingdomcause. The Bible agencies have intellectual capital and a long history of productive involvementin Bible translation. The global church has the human and financial resources to readily addressthe remaining need.Prior to the advent of the Bible agencies, the church took a leading role in the translation ofScripture. Jerome’s Vulgate translation in Latin, Luther’s German translation, Hus’s translationin Czech, Wycliffe’s and Tyndale’s works in English, and many others were produced beforethe founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804. Even though these translationsof the Bible were not informed by the rigorous, academically-honed process which marks themodern discipline of Bible translation, they nonetheless shaped the history of their languagesand nations and had a profound spiritual impact on the church communities who used them.The translators of these works were recognized scholars in their time who knew Greek and Hebrew.They combined sharp, intuitive gifts in the art of translation with meticulous scholarship.