Working for the Word - a Bible translation podcast

“This lightly written and frequently amusing book gently hides the competent scholarship that underlies it. For those who are convinced of the superiority of the KJV, whether for stylistic, cultural, pedagogical, theological, or traditional reasons, this is the book to read. Mercifully, Dr. Ward does not pummel his readers or sneer at those who take another position. Patiently, chapter by chapter, example by example, he makes his case-all of his work geared toward fostering more and better Bible reading. Highly recommended." Those are the words of D.A. Carson about our guest’s book, entitled Authorized. As we continue our conversation with Dr. Mark Ward, we’re going to hear yet another false friend example, talk about what the KJV translators themselves would have thought about KJV-onlyism, and more. Make sure to get your own copy of his book Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible. Also don't miss his excellent YouTube channel. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

The King James Bible remains the most recognizable piece of literature in the English-speaking world. It stands as a masterful example of translation for its day, involving some of history’s most remarkable scholars. For over three centuries it served as the standard English Bible and has had unparalleled influence on English and American culture in nearly every sphere—including education, law, literature, government, art, science, and religion. Even though English has changed a lot over the last 400 years, there are thousands of people who believe the KJV to be the only trustworthy translation in English, and strongly discourage or even forbid the use of modern versions. This has come to be called “KJV-onlyism,” and I’ve met a handful of them over the years. In the next two episodes Dr. Mark Ward is going to help us understand this mentality, and graciously and lovingly argue why it’s unhelpful. Make sure to get your own copy of his book Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible. Also don't miss his excellent YouTube channel. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

As we continue our interview with Dave Brunn, translation consultant and author of One Bible, Many Versions, we’re going to put the final nail in the coffin of the idea that translations can be literally word-for-word. We’re also going to hear how translating into languages that aren’t Indoeuropean shatters the notion of word-for-word equivalence even further, which we’ll see is something not even Jesus himself seemed to see as the ideal. Finally, Dave will share a way forward for all of us in the English-speaking world, away from the arguments over translation, towards unity, and into a deeper experience of God’s Word. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

You’re in for a treat in this episode. Author and translator Dave Brunn joins us to talk about many translation issues that you’ve probably never thought about. His book One Bible, Many Versions is now my favorite book to point people to in order to understand the true issues behind our English Bible versions. He helps cut through the marketing rhetoric and provide a view of the objective reality of translation. This will be the first of two parts and you’re not going to want to miss it. Get ready to be surprised, learn a lot, and be reminded of some important things. Dave Brunn's book One Bible, Many Versions.  my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

As we continue our whirlwind journey through the history of the Bible in China, we’re going to see how missionary translation efforts culminated in a successful Union Version that achieved unprecedented and unimagined impact, and lasting acceptance and use. We’re going to see more intimate descriptions of what went on behind the scenes, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and see how God made possible what was impossible with man. There’s a lot of interesting stuff in this episode, and you may even want to divide it into two parts because it’s a bit longer.  You can check out Dr. Zetzsche's book The Bible in China here. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

In the history of Chinese Bible translation the name of one extraordinary man stands out: Joseph Schereschewsky. In this episode we're going to take a look at his life and hopefully learn from him and be inspired by his example of perseverance and sacrifice. Most evangelicals know about the genius of Tyndale, but Schereschewsky has been all but forgotten even though he was at least as brilliant as Tyndale. He could speak 13 languages and read 20. And no man of that day equaled him in idiomatic mastery of spoken Mandarin. He had a command of nearly 10,000 Chinese characters, while the average Chinese at the time could use around 700. He was a master of Hebrew, having studied it since childhood. John Hykes of the American Bible Society called him “The Prince of Bible translators.” You can check out Dr. Zetzsche's book The Bible in China here. Muller's biography of Schereschewsky. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

As early missionaries sought to create a Chinese translation that would suit everyone from every denomination, they needed to decide on the right language style to use, as well as overcome obstacles to getting the translation done in a reasonable amount of time. We’re going to look through some interesting windows into the work and its details, and see how the Baptists were still not happy until they created their own version. We’ll also see how haste can hurt a translation’s quality, as well as how messy translation can be when trying to make different denominations cooperate and agree on a committee. Book mentioned: Spectacular Sins by John Piper (free download available) You can check out Dr. Zetzsche's book The Bible in China here. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

As we continue our series on China, we’re going to look at an issue that created massive conflict when translators from different backgrounds tried to come together to create a unified translation. This issue was the word for God, and it stands as one of the monoliths of Bible translation debate history. It came to be called the Term Question, and some have said it was the greatest controversy of the Protestant mission in China. We're joined by Dr. Simon Wong from UBS to talk about this issue. You can check out Dr. Zetzsche's book The Bible in China here. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

There is so much we can learn from history and the ways other people have dealt with translations. In this episode we’re going to continue our conversation with Dr. Jost Zetzsche and talk about some of the strengths of Chinese for translating the Bible, about the richness of its idioms, and more. We’re continuing to lay a foundation for some of the history of Bible translation in China. You can check out Dr. Zetzsche's book here. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook

With a population of over a billion people, China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It’s massive, it’s diverse, and it has an incredibly rich history. And in all that history I’m interested in exploring the question of how the Bible was first translated in China. What were the different challenges people faced? What can we learn from their mistakes and triumphs? We’re going to talk about this and more across multiple episodes. my books | twitter | music | Hebrew | academic articles | facebook