Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <ButhFam AT compuserve.com>]

shalom Moshe,

>All translations involve compromises and 
>hard decisions, knowing that you are doomed to err because the two 
>languages, Hebrew and English are so different. (BTW this is not the case 
>with Arabic, or other Semitic translations.)
<

I would prefer to say "all translations". I am always disappointed with the

Arabic translations. A related language is still a different language, a
different
network of 'spaghetti'. And the culture is different. And history. A
language 
encodes a culture, a culture is encoded in a language. You cannot truly 
know one without the other.

To what may this be compared?
English and German are sister languages like Arabic and Hebrew.
German Shakespeare is good,
English Shakespeare is Shakespeare.

blessings,
Randall Buth, PhD
Director, Biblical Language Center
www.biblicalulpan.org
and Lecturer, Biblical Hebrew
Rothberg International School
Hebrew University