The Word

On the Translation of the Bible

By: Dr John Barton

Narrated by: Neil Gardner

Brought to you by Penguin.

How the Bible has been translated and why it matters.

The Bible is held to be both universal and specific, the source of fundamental truths inscribed in words that are exact and sacred. For much of the history of Judaism and almost the entirety of Christianity, however, believers have overwhelmingly understood scripture not in the languages in which it was first written but rather in their own—in translation.

This book examines how saints, scholars and interpreters from ancient times down to the present have produced versions of the Bible in the language of their day while remaining true to the original. It explains the challenges they negotiated, from minute textual ambiguities up to the sweep of style and stark differences in form and thought between the earliest writings and the latest, and it exposes the bearing these have on some of the most profound questions of faith: the nature of God, the existence of the soul and possibility of its salvation.

Reading dozens of renderings alongside their ancient Hebrew and Greek antecedents, John Barton traces the migration of biblical words and ideas across linguistic borders, illuminating original meanings as well as the ways they were recast. 'Translators have been among the principal agents in mediating the Bible's message,' he writes, 'even in shaping what that message is.' At the separation of Christianity from Judaism and Protestantism from Catholicism, Barton demonstrates, vernacular versions did not only spring from fault lines in religious thinking but also inspired and moulded them. The product of a lifetime's study of scripture, The Word itself reveals the central book of our culture anew—as it was written and as we know it.

©2022 John Barton (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Excellent explanation of Bible Translating

This is an excellent book about translation principles and a great aid to understand the history of this process and how we got to where we are with different English versions and their worth. It was also narrated suberbly.

The story of the Bible's reach trough translation

Prof John Barton has written an important overview on the Bible in translation. In "The Word" he explores the story and the impact of the Bible through translation. He brings some of the most recent opinions together and provide an important overview of the Bible's translation history, He successfully situates it in the discipline of Translation Studies.

I found his observation that the translation preferred by someone often tells us something of how they experience God interesting. What is clear from his analysis, is that one ought to read different translations as it brings different aspects of the underlying Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek to the fore.

Neil Gardner who narrates the book has done a fair rendition of the text. However, I think there are parts of the audio that needs to be re-edited, especially where he reads Hebrew words, placing the accent wrongly and creating non-words such as Yahw' for Yahweh. When reading Latin, it feels like a school master reciting paradigms and his German renderings is barely understandable. He clearly doesn't understand the Greek he read, probably in transcription. I actually felt sorry for him at times. (His French is the best of all the languages he had to read.)

However, Gardner generally reads well when not reading technical terms. I think what negatively affects the reading is that the editor probably didn't worry about "getting it right" and didn't bring in expertise to guide the narrator.

This book is an important popularisation of the story and the current state of Bible Translation. John Barton's tremendous knowledge shines through. If you are not bother by correct pronunciation of technical terms and Ancient Languages, you will definitely find this recording worthwhile. I recommend the book, but hope that the recording will be improved and re-edited in future. There is still some work to be done.