Changes

The '''Bible Retranslation Project''' recognizes that a modern language changes and devolves quickly.  There are several reasons for this, including attempts by non-believers to dilute and distort powerful religious concepts for political ends, the corrosive effect of cultural changes on language, and the impact of politics on the meaning of terminology.  Terms that were clear and meaningful to one generation are often unclear and less meaningful to the next.

The '''Bible Retranslation Project''' recognizes that a modern language changes and devolves quickly.  There are several reasons for this, including attempts by non-believers to dilute and distort powerful religious concepts for political ends, the corrosive effect of cultural changes on language, and the impact of politics on the meaning of terminology.  Terms that were clear and meaningful to one generation are often unclear and less meaningful to the next.

The rate of [[devolution of language]] may be increasing as communications increase.  If a word inevitably alters its meaning after an approximate number of uses, then the time period for the change in meaning will shorten due to improved technology, just as the length of a [[sound bite]] likewise shortens.  In the [[internet]] era, combating the effect of language degradation on the understanding of the [[Bible]] becomes more important.

The rate of [[devolution of language]] may be increasing as communications increase.  If a word inevitably alters its meaning after an approximate number of uses, then the time period for the change in meaning will shorten due to improved technology, just as the length of a [[sound bite]] likewise shortens.  In the [[internet]] era, combating the effect of language degradation on the understanding of the [[Bible]] becomes more important. 

 

There is an economic obstacle to developing a translation of the Bible that remains current with changes in language.  Book sales have been declining sharply due to the internet, and it is probably not easy to recoup the substantial costs ($10 million for the [[Holman Christian Standard Bible]]) that are required to bring develop a new translation.  With that reality, translators are probably overly cautious in changing familiar terminology despite erosion in their meaning, in fear of criticism.  A lower-cost and more dynamic approach is needed to combat the effects of degradation in language.

As a first step to the Bible Retranslation Project, it is useful to identify modern terms having changing, unclear or altered meaning, which appear in important passages in translations of the Bible into the corresponding modern language. This will help avoid cliché and the repetition of culturally-familiar but suboptimal passages while producing a superior rendition from the original Hebrew and Greek into idiomatic modern English.

As a first step to the Bible Retranslation Project, it is useful to identify modern terms having changing, unclear or altered meaning, which appear in important passages in translations of the Bible into the corresponding modern language. This will help avoid cliché and the repetition of culturally-familiar but suboptimal passages while producing a superior rendition from the original Hebrew and Greek into idiomatic modern English.