Customer Reviews

Word-for-Word Translating of the Received Texts, Verbal Plenary Translating

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As a missionary linguist and Bible translator (TR into Japanese), I ordered this book with anticipation. However, I was to be sadly disappointed. It is deeply flawed in the areas of linguistics, translation theory, translation methodology, etc. A good book is needed on word-for-word translating for fundamentalist translators. This is not that book.

First of all, I found many linguistic errors. This is understandable, though, since the author, Dr. H. D. Williams (a retired physician), admits he has not had formal training in Hebrew or Greek and is fluent in no foreign languages. He says that he "would never attempt to translate the Scriptures into another language without the proper experience and training in a specific culture and language-group for many years (viz. 15-20 years)" (p. 8), which experience he lacks.

Among his more egregious linguistic errors are: he misunderstands the perfect tense in both Hebrew and Greek (p. 69), mixes up such basic terms as figure of speech, metaphor, etc. (pp. 114, 123, 128); he is considerably negative against semantics (pp. 14, 18, 24, 80, etc.), yet semantics is simply the study of meaning, and is a very necessary field of study for linguists and translators. Many more examples could be given.

Secondly, I found grave misunderstandings of translation theory. For example: in his glossary the author doesn't mention reader response in his definition of Eugene Nida's theory (p. xvii); he doesn't appear to know of the existence of the optimal equivalence method of the NKJV and HCSV (not listed on p. 13 when he discusses theories); he thinks Nida's 1947 book Bible Translating is an attempt to "justify the method" of dynamic equivalence even though it was written long before Nida developed his theory (p. 5; for the record, I believe Nida's method is gravely in error). Many more examples could be given.

Thirdly, I found many examples of the author's failure to understand the process of translation itself. He claims formal training in Latin, Spanish and French, but never uses these languages for examples in the book. One must conclude from his errors that he has forgotten even that formal training. For example, in Chapter 10 he gives seven examples purporting to show how to translate by his method (Verbal Plenary Translation, or VPT). However, four of the seven examples are strictly about problems of textual criticism, not translation, and another of the examples is partly about textual criticism. When he does give an example that actually deals with the Greek (Example 1), he gets the grammar wrong. When he gets an example right in commenting on the Hebrew of Micah 5:2, he is giving the conclusions of another--once again showing his own lack of expertise. In Example 6 he shows no understanding of how the Greek word logos was translated throughout the beloved King James Bible (his and my version of choice).

I do not recommend this book to any aspiring translator or any layman who wants to understand translation. Instead, I recommend that the author follow his own advice. He writes, "The work of translating God's words should not be attempted by inexperienced individuals" (p. 7). If this be so (and it is), then surely it should also apply to those who write books on translation, thus setting themselves up as teachers of translators. I recommend that Dr. Williams take his book off the market, spend a few years more in concentrated study, then rewrite the book with a real live linguist and translator at his side. (I am not volunteering for that task.)