Translation as Interpretation
By Dr. Eliyahu Lizorkin-Eyzenberg
Those of you, who know me, know that I am not someone who decries the very ideal translation, or believes that all translations are wrong and unuseful. Far from it. I believe that translation work, into vernacular languages of various people groups, is in fact extremely important.
I am also persuaded that no matter how good any given translation is and no matter by what group of people or individual/s it is accomplished, it is still an interpretation of the original text we call the Word of God and not the Word of God itself. Most people think that because the majority of Bible translators are committed to God individuals they would never introduce anything of “their own” into the text of translation. But the truth be told that it is impossible to do, no matter who does it. Translation is in some way an act of interpretation of the original Scriptures, because knowing original languages does give you the ability to know exactly what the original words and sentences mean, instead they give the ability to determine the range of possible meanings.
My point is simple: Everyone involved in translation of the Bible has to make translation decisions every time when various meaning possibilities present themselves in the text. That happens more often then you realize. That, in and of itself, should not discourage you or scare you in anyway, instead it should encourage you to learn how to use the simple tools such as Interlinear Bible, Dictionaries, perhaps, or Bible study software, to be able to see for yourself what other translation options are there in the text (sometimes you will be amazed and puzzled as to why the translators opted out of better ways to say it, and at other times you will see their logic quite clearly).
Another thing is important to state at the start. Sometimes the issue is not that the translators have followed “a wrong” trail, pursuing an erroneous trajectory of meaning, but that something that is said in Hebrew sometimes simply cannot be translated into any other languages clearly. So by learning how to read in Hebrew and use Bible Study tools you will be able to go into the original Hebrew text and discover for yourself the rich treasure that lies beneath translation. You will be able in some way to experience and feel the language in which these sacred texts were once penned down.
