The First Translation of the Bible Among Indigenous Islamic Peoples Using a Mediating Approach

Abstract

Bible translators among indigenous, Islamic people groups face difficult decisions when translating key biblical terms. Translators may use a word-for-word approach which can leave the reader with little meaning or the wrong meaning. Others attempt to use Islamic idioms which can blur the meaning or reinforce Islamic beliefs. A corresponding analogy can be observed in Bible translation spectrums which demonstrate formal equivalence on one side and functional equivalence on the other. For first-time translation work among these indigenous, Islamic people groups, I suggest using a mediating approach. In chapter 1 of this dissertation, I begin by examining the country where I have lived many years, and evaluate the amount of Christian influence present today. I also briefly analyze a unique language hierarchy that heavily influences the translation process. Translation teams evaluate this information so they can better understand the audience for whom they are translating. Chapter 2 presents a brief history of English Bible translations and how the translators balanced between form and meaning. I examine Bible translation spectrums and the theories behind essentially literal, highly paraphrastic, and mediating translations. Chapter 3 considers two essential concepts which affect the entire translation process. The first idea is the importance of a balanced contextualization approach in translation. In David Hesselgrave’s work, he outlines crucial aspects of contextualization which influence Bible translation. The second concept looks at Ernst-August Gutt’s work on relevance theory and the implications for Bible translators. Chapter 4 presents a new rubric that combines John Travis’s CP model and the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament grade-scale for variants. This rubric allows translators among indigenous, Islamic people to test their key biblical terms more objectively to determine where their translation falls on a Bible translation spectrum. Chapter 5 utilizes several indigenous words in the rubric in order to demonstrate how one may visualize key biblical terms and the benefits of a mediation approach. Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation.