Abstracts
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to describe the issues and trends facing the next generation of Bible translations. The paper starts with a description of the state of art of Bible translation before exposing features of the recently published Contemporary English Bible (1995), Das NeueTestament (1999), The Schocken Bible, Volume 1 (1995) and the Nieuwe Bijbel Vertaling (New Dutch Version) (2004). In the second part of the twentieth century a primary concern for meaning and readability has influenced the trend to produce translations which are more reflective of dynamic equivalence than formal equivalence. Examples are the Bible in Today’s English (1976), the Groot Nieuws Bijbel (Bible in Today’s Dutch) (1983) and the Nuwe Afrikaanse Vertaling (New Afrikaans Version) (1983). At the turn of the century translations with communication as their primary function were created (normally a rewriting of an existing translation in a modern vernacular by a single translator/editor), for example The Message in English (2000) and Afrikaans (2002). However, all these translations depend heavily on the reader’s ability to understand a written text. A new trend in Bible translation will take into consideration the requirements of the hearer, as well as those of the reader (the translation has to be read out aloud, heard and listened to). A shift away from the typical language usage of the Bible translations in the second half of the 20th century is the offing i.e. by instilling a new awareness in the minds of the readers to the sociocultural distance between them and the source culture.
Keywords/Mots-Clés:
- Bible translation,
- Great ages of Bible translation,
- generations of Bible translation,
- cultural knowledge,
- socio-cultural distance
Résumé
Le but de cette communication est d’examiner les problèmes et les tendances ayant trait à la nouvelle génération de traductions de la Bible. La communication commence par décrire la situation actuelle de la traduction biblique, avant d’examiner de plus près les éditions de la Bible publiées récemment : la Contemporary English Bible (1995), Das Neue Testament (1999), The Schocken Bible , Tome 1 (1995), et la Nieuwe Bijbel Vertaling (2004). Dans la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, le sens et la lisibilité des textes dominent dans la production de traductions reflétant davantage l’équivalence dynamique que la formelle. La Bible in Today’s English (1976), la Groot Nieuws Bijbel (1983), et la Nuwe Afrikaanse Vertaling (1983) en sont des exemples. Au tournant du siècle dernier on assiste à la création de traductions ayant comme fonction première la communication (il s’agissait de la réécriture, dans une langue vernaculaire, de textes bibliques, généralement par un seul traducteur ou éditeur), par exemple The Message en anglais (2000) et en afrikaans (2002). Toutefois ces traductions dépendent de la capacité du lecteur de comprendre le texte écrit. Une nouvelle tendance dans la traduction de la Bible devra tenir compte des besoins de ceux qui entendent et de ceux qui lisent. On peut s’attendre, aussi, à ce que la nouvelle traduction biblique s’éloigne du langage typique des traductions de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle; cela peut se faire, par exemple, en resensibilisant les lecteurs à la distance qui les sépare de la culture source.
Appendices
References
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