The rhetoric of Christ in a Bantu language
An often neglected, but extremely important dimension of past and present "hermeneutics in Africa" involves the practice of Bible translation. Vernacular Scriptures tend to be taken for granted, with little or no reflection devoted to how and why they originated or what are the communicati...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
NTWSA
2001
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| In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 2001, Volume: 35, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 1-33 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | An often neglected, but extremely important dimension of past and present "hermeneutics in Africa" involves the practice of Bible translation. Vernacular Scriptures tend to be taken for granted, with little or no reflection devoted to how and why they originated or what are the communicative implications of the published result. Thus in many cases some standard translation in the local language is simply considered to be the source and basis for current interpretive and theological activity. The present study reveals why this is an inadequate perspective and indicates the various ways in which either deliberate or unintentional hermeneutical action begins with the actual process of translation. Any proper evaluation depends then on the nature or type of version being prepared in the sociocultural and ecclesiastical context concerned, that is, how literally or freely it represents the original text in a modern language and setting of communication for a particular target audience. I describe a number of options in this regard and briefly evaluate the pros and cons of several translation techniques in terms of a continuum that ranges between formal correspondence (foreignisation) and functional parity (domestication), with comparative reference being made also to a "relevance theory" approach. The illustrative material for this case study is selected from several of the prominent Greek rhetorical features of Christ's discourse as found in the so-called "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt 5-7) and with respect to some possible renderings in Chichewa, a major Bantu language of south-central Africa. To what extent is it possible - or even desirable - to duplicate the dynamics of kuriostic rhetoric in translation today, that is, with a special concern for the emotive impact and esthetic appeal of his life-challenging and changing message? Any assessment of this complex issue of text-contextualisation will depend on a critical set of interrelated factors that pertain to perceived situational "relevance" (efficiency - effectiveness) and appropriateness - such as fidelity, clarity, idiomacity, and proximity. My overview concludes with several recommendations that suggest how a more proactive, yet also situationally sensitive hermeneutical approach might be encouraged in contemporary African Bible translations, depending on the predetermined project skopos. |
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| ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.10520/EJC83095 |