Bible Journaling - Translation Issues & the NLT

It is time to take a detailed look at some of the translation issues that the NLT Bible translators were confronted with. There are numerous terms and terminology that time has rendered beyond our grasp and understanding, which still occurs in the older translations of the Bible. Do we keep those, or do we render them in more modern equivalences? This is an issue that every modern translator of the Bible is confronted with. Here is a list of the issues that needed to be dealt with by the translators of the NLT:

• Weights and Measures;
• Currency;
• Dates;
• Time;
• Meanings of names;
• Idioms and phrases;
• Metaphors;
• Poetry that differs widely from the poetry used in our culture and language;
• Terminology;
• Gender;
• Pronouns;
• The gender of God.

Another factor which needed to be addressed was Lexical consistency in terminology in texts that were produced over centuries, but in later years, compiled into a single volume. Do translators stick to a common term, or do they translate original terms, scattering the intention of the original authors? Whichever choice is made, readers need to be informed in every instance. The NLT explains how it dealt with this issue.
At the bottom of page A15, a discussion is started on the spelling pf proper names, but we will look at that in more detail in the next blog.

The pages that confronted us today, were packed with interesting and relevant information, but they were not in any way visually appealing. Something drastic needed to be done to improve their appearance.

I started off by coating both pages with Zellen Clear Gesso.

I allowed it to become touch dry. Then I slipped a protective shield between the two pages and weighted the pages down to straighten them out.

This is what they looked like when I opened the Bible up again the next day.

I decided to use cutouts from a pretty serviette I had.

I removed the backing paper from the serviette.

Then I cut the motifs from the serviette.

I decoupaged the motifs onto the Bible with Dala Acrylic Matt Glaze Medium. Once it was touch dry, I also sealed it with the same medium.

I then weighted the Bible down again to keep the pages straghtened out, after the medium had dried to the touch.

The final layout of the two pages. I decided not to add anything else to these pages, not even a background colour, as I liked the clean fresh look of the layout. It gave the eyes a place to rest of the busy pages that had preceded it.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/5MJZBOpySi4

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
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