WHAT is WRONG with Wycliffe ?
Did you know . . .
This is true if they are trained and sponsored by Wycliffe Bible
Translators or their affiliates, like the Summer Institute of Linguistics (
SIL).
Wycliffe Bible Translators is the largest association of Bible
translators across the earth today. It
has about 7,000 people and several "institutions" and resource groups
affiliated with it, like the well-known Summer Institute of Linguistics and Jungle
Aviation And Radio Service.
Sounds good, doesn't it ?
Its website is a very up-scale, promotional wonder of modern
internet know-how and is very inviting. However, much factual information,
other than historical, about its function is hard to unearth on its
website.
Pastor David Cloud, a Baptist missionary-church planter in Asia,
has compiled a well-documented article concerning several serious issues
regarding Wycliffe. See the link below
for these details.
Today’s post, however, is concerned with the INACCURATE
translations being done and promoted by the SIL / Wycliffe translators. WE MUST UNDERSTAND, though, that
this is NOT due to a lack of education or training, sincerity or even
sanctification on the part of the missionaries. GOD forbid!
No, rather, the inaccuracy of the translating work is the
function of SIL / Wycliffe itself, which is, in reality,
attempting to destroy the Word of GOD going forth to other peoples.
The error stems from its basic training in the PHILOSOPHY
of translation --- called “dynamic equivalency” --- which
is promoted, taught, and insisted-upon by SIL / Wycliffe. According to Pastor
Cloud, this philosophy has been with Wycliffe for decades.
Here is an example from his article about the Wycliffe-sponsored
Arabic translation to Muslim people.
“Another example of Wycliffe’s dynamic equivalency error was reported in 2012. It was reported that they were promoting“Muslim-friendly” Bibles that change references to God as the Father and to Jesus as the Son of God. These terms, of course are anathema to Muslims.In an Arabic version of the Gospel of Matthew produced by Frontiers mission with input from the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Matthew 28:19 is changed from “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.to “cleanse them by water in the name of Allah (?) , his (??) Messiah and his Holy Spirit.” ( ???) [ Ed. Note: question marks MINE ! ].“Of the roughly 200 translation projects Wycliffe/SIL have undertaken in Muslim contexts, 30-40 remove the terms Father and Son (”New Bible,” WorldNetDaily, Jan. 30, 2012).“In reply, Wycliffe claimed that they haven’t actually “removed” the terms Father and Son of God, but that is a quibble . . .”
NOW you
know . . .
that Modern Bible translators do NOT translate as per the meaning
of a word.
[Ed. Note: This information is documented in
Pastor Cloud's article on-line, plus my own personal experiences.]
Herein is the difficulty.
Instead of "translating" the words of the WORD of GOD
into a tribal language, the translators are taught to reduce the WORD of GOD
into an equivalent item of that foreign culture. It deals
with transporting concepts and remaking them into
another culture’s concepts instead of translating the actual words.
This is the "dynamic equivalency" promoted
by the SIL / Wycliffe method of translating.
SIL / Wycliffe uses the "dynamic equivalency" model to
train its translators when making Bibles in a foreign or tribal area.
For instance, this "dynamic equivalency" will use
"seal pup" instead of
"lamb" for readers of a tribe
in Alaska, according to Pastor Cloud. It may use "coconut" for
"snow", in a tropical area, he reported.
This kind of "putting the Word of GOD
into the language the people can understand" is the
philosophy behind The Living Bible and Today's English Version . . . both very
inaccurate Modern Versions. [ Oddly enough, both of these
versions are written in English to readers of English who would NOT have a
cultural issue. Hmmm... ]
The DANGER, of course, with this philosophy
of translation comes from the wide range of language used as the translators struggle
to learn a tribal language.
They must seek to put it into print and oftentimes, must first
teach the people how to read their own language. Then, they labor to transmit
HOLY TRUTHS of The WORD of GOD into that culture.
It is a
formidable task.
However, SIL and Wycliffe go beyond their authority.
Promoting such license to translate to the
culture instead of from the WORD of GOD is, in effect, NOT giving the WORD
of GOD to the people.
It seems a short footnote to explain concrete items not seen in a
foreign culture would be sufficient.
For the tropics: Snow could be white flakes like dust coming from
the sky. Cold, like the spring waters. It turns into rain when hot enough. [ Every
culture understands sky, hot, cold, water, and rain.]
For those without a dove: A small white bird, usually peaceful. [ Every
culture understands bird, small, white, peace. ]
For those without lambs: A baby animal with four feet, much like a
little dog, with curly white hair. Often endearing to watch. [ Every
culture would understand: animal, baby, four-footed , dog, white,
hair, and curly or twisted, and some term for “cute.” ]
+ + +
He that rejecteth ME+,
and receiveth not My+ Words,
hath ONE+ that judgeth him:
The Word that I+ have spoken,
The Same shall judge him
in the last day.
John 12:48
+ + +
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