[b-hebrew] Alter's translation (Was: Daniel 6:27 (time indefinite) II)
Bill Rea
bsr15 at cantsl.it.canterbury.ac.nz
Mon Nov 21 14:22:06 EST 2005
Peter wrote:-
>The trouble with Alter's attempt to fill this lack, from what I remember
>from a brief look some time ago, is that the English in it is so
>unnatural that it must also be rejected as "bad English".
Alter's translation and commentary has won much critical acclaim from
scholars. You ought to acknowledge that your view of what consistutes a
good translation is a very narrow one and not shared by many. I'm
gradually chugging my way through it. I think anyone who can read a
newspaper should have no problems reading it. It has its quirks, but
I think its a welcome addition to the range of English translations
available.
If list members haven't seen it, it is a translation and commentary of the
five books of Moses. The comments are not as extensive as you would get
with something like the Anchor Bible series. The work is formatted to try
to keep the comment on the same page as the text in question. On most
pages the comments take more space than the text. The comments are written
in very good English not Alter's slightly quirky translation style. There
is an extended essay on translation at the front which is well worth
reading. Taking everything together, as they clearly should be, it is a
work which every serious student of the Bible ought to consider adding to
their resources.
Bill Rea, IT Services, University of Canterbury \_
E-Mail bill.rea at canterbury.ac.nz </ New
Phone 64-3-364-2331, Fax 64-3-364-2332 /) Zealand
Unix Systems Administrator (/'
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