I must admit that when words *do* exhibit a logical progression in their actual usage, it does provide a nice memory aid, and a satisfying sense that “there is a touch of order in the universe!”

I agree. Another way of thinking of this is that eymology doesn’t tell us what a words means, but things work better in the other direction: Once we know what a word means, etymology can help us remember it.

My question is whether thinking of the word “commit” as “send with” would help someone learning English understand sentences like, “I committed the material to memory” or “I committed enough funds to cover the program’s expenses.”

I’m still without phone/Internet at home (Day 5 — thank you Cablevision), so it’s difficult for me to provide exact references, but I have an annotated list of suggested reading in an appendix to And God Said, which, if you’re already ordering the book, is a great place to start.

Umberto Eco has written about the power of the translator and the line between interpretation and translation, for example in The Limits of Interpretation or Interpretation and Overinterpretation.

More generally on translation, classic books like Andre Lefevere’s Translating Literature and Translating Poetry will give you a sense of the field; so will Newmark’s Textbook of Translation.

I don’t know of a good book on the history of translation theory (anyone?), though I know people have given the matter a lot of thought for at least 2,000 years. Cicero, for example, writes about translating Greek.

Regarding the complexities of Bible translation, obviously I recommend my And God Said, which was written to address that exact issue. I would also recommend that you at least look at Ryken’s Understanding English Bible Translation and my review of it. I don’t agree with Ryken, but contrasting my book with his will give you a sense of the debate. (Reading my review may be enough.)

Good luck with your work.

But, sometimes it is definitely all fact, and no reason; Often things are the way they are, and there is no (discernable) “because.”

Here’s a fun example…

In Argentina, (where I lived for a while), they have an expression similar to our “way kewl” that essentially means “bearded.” If something is “way kewl” they say “Barbaro!”

Bearded? Hello?!

Suggestion…

If you have a specific translation concern, post it on the About page. Is there a particular passage that you think has been mistranslated, for which you might suggest a better translation?

I hope I’m not being rude, but I’m concerned that this discussion could suddenly veer off topic.

Cheers.

Ha! I like that! You use “bear,” which itself has many meanings, to “bear” your analogy. Ya gotta love it…