Contextual Frames of Reference in Translation: A Coursebook for Bible Translators and Teachers

Bible translation theory and practice rightly tend to focus on the actual text of Scripture. But many diverse, yet interrelated contextual factors also play an important part in the implementation of a successful translation program. The aim of this coursebook is to explore, in varying degrees of detail, a wide range of these crucial situational variables and potential influences, using a multidisciplinary approach to the task. Thus, in order to expand and enrich the field of vision, a progressive study of this complex process of intercultural, interlinguistic communication is carried out according to a set of overlapping sociocultural, organizational and situational cognitive orientations. These contextual factors provide a broader frame of reference for analyzing, interpreting and communicating the original Scriptures in a completely new, contemporary setting of transmission and reception. The three dimensions are then applied in a practical way to explore the dramatic "throne-room" vision of the Apostle John (Revelation 4-5) with reference to both the original Greek text and also a modern dynamic translation in Chewa, a southeastern Bantu language of Africa. A variety of exercises and assignments to stimulate critical and creative reflection as well as to illustrate the theoretical development of Contextual Frames of Reference is provided every step of the way. Not only is translation per se discussed, but the teaching and evaluation of translated texts and versions are also considered from several points of view in the final three chapters. An Appendix offers a foundational essay by Professor Lourens de Vries on the subject of primary orality and the influence of this vital factor in the crosscultural communication of the Bible.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1. Contextual frames of reference: The mind's construction of meaning Analogy of an onion The interaction of frames Prominence, perspective, perceptibility 2. The context of the mind: Cognitive frames of reference Dimensions of world-view: Cultural orientations Cognitive filters Cognitive environment A grid-group perspective 3. Why we do things the way we do: Sociocultural frames The constraint of custom High-context versus low-context communication Mental representations Semantic domains Discerning the fitting frame Gender bias Signs make meaning in context 4. The rights and responsibilities of allegiance: Organizational frames What is an organization? Empowering the organization Competing organizations 5. Situational frames: Communicating in different circumstances A sociolinguistic model: S-P-E-A-K-I-N-G Speech-act analysis Addressing the audience The underlying text of a situational context 6. Textual frames of reference: The pervasive influence of intertext Intertextuality and genre markers Examples of intertextual influence The intertextual pressure of a prior translation Primary versus secondary (and tertiary) translations Which text? The need for textual criticism Textual support of the canon 7. Intratextuality: A text's internal frame of reference Literary hermeneutical clues Genre specification Compositional disjunction Patterned recursion Artistic-rhetorical accentuation Phonic enhancement Formatting the textual form 8. Framing John's vision of the heavenly throne room (Rev. 4) The general cognitive environment of Revelation 4 The ANE milieu of Revelation: Its sociocultural and organizational frames The situational setting of John: Apostle, pastor, prophet The conceptual context presupposed by the throne room vision The formal representation of Rev. 4: Textual frames Co-text: Demarcating the pericope beginning at 4:1 A literary analysis of the text Categorization: What is the genre of Revelation? Articulation: How was the original text proclaimed? Disjunction: How is the discourse demarcated into segments? Recursion: What syntagmatic and paradigmatic patterns appear? Accentuation: How is the text artistically and rhetorically heightened? Varied intertextual notes and chords resound in Revelation 4 (5) 9. Sharpening John's vision for contemporary Chewa text auditors The current communication setting of the text Textual techniques: Contextualizing the translation from within A comparison of versions, old and new (Rev. 4:6b-11) A literary rendition for oratorical equivalence Paratextual and extratextual tools for enriching one's frame of reference 10. Evaluating the overall quality of communication via translation Applying a multiple framework for qualitative assessment Assessing a specific conceptual context of text reception Problems with the powers: A case-study of recontextualization An idiomatic translation of the biblical text The provision of a situation-specific conceptual context The need for a relevant contextualization 11. Framing the text of Revelation 5 for its analysis and translation Identifying the cotext and context of Rev. 5 Analyzing the source language text Providing an appropriate and relevant paratext Specifying, composing, and assessing the translation 12. Creating a contextualized framework for teaching and learning Towards a more setting-sensitive pedagogy Interactive Inductive Indigenized Communal Developmental Comparative Applied The power of dialogue-based, student-centered education A process model for translator training Expanding the teaching-learning context through networking Appendix: Bible translation and primary orality Introduction Primary orality according to Ong Primary orality in transcribed texts from New Guinea Oral genres and Bible translation Conclusion

About the Author :
Ernst Wendland is a Translation Consultant for the United Bible Societies, based in Lusaka, Zambia, where he also teaches at the Lutheran Seminary. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Ancient Studies at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and is also affiliated there with the Centre for Bible Interpretation and Translation in Africa (CEBITA). His research interests include structural, stylistic and rhetorical studies in biblical texts and the Bantu languages.

Review :
Contextual Frames of Reference in Bible Translation shows both the daunting complexity of Bible translation and ways to deal with it, to reduce complexity and make it manageable. By doing so the book is a tremendous help in teaching students of Bible translation to make informed and balanced decisions. (From the Foreword by Lourens de Vries