Day: November 15, 2009

Bible Translations and Mistranslations

Q&A: On the Sons of Gods

From the about page comes this question: Here is something I ignored when I translated Job and I don’t think I should have. In chapter 1 we get the b’nei ha-elohim. In chapter 38 we get the b’nei elohim without the definite article. I am thinking that the first should be the children (or sons)…
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November 15, 2009 3

Thinking About Translation In Just One Language

It’s often pointed out that actually knowing more than one language is helpful for intuiting how translation works. But I think many of the same intuitions can come from thinking about just one language. Here are two examples from English: 1. Jim West recently wrote that “Bob Cargill has penned” something. What role does “pen”…
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November 15, 2009 0

Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man?

Clayboy has a short post in which he describes an experiment he ran. He told an audience, “I like to ask my fellow men to stand.” Only the men stood. This is pretty convincing evidence that, at least where he was, “men” doesn’t mean “men and women.” I wonder if there is any context in…
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November 15, 2009 9

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives

Recent posts from my Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives:

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