Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>]

At 02:52 PM 1/5/2005, you wrote:
> What about, however, when I sit down with the original Hebrew and in
> addition to using the dictionaries (BDB and HALOT), I also refer to a 
> variety of
> English translations (including Alter, Fox, NJPS, AB, etc.)?  Does that not
> count as an actual "translation from the original Hebrew" because I've 
> used  other
> translations?
>
> If it is, how do we draw a clear line between working from translations but
> referring to the original and working from the original but referring to
> translations?

I think it depends entirely on how dependent you are on the English 
version.  If, for instance, you translate your sentence from Hebrew to 
english and then check it against an existing translation - thats one 
thing.  If you take an English translation and you look at the Hebrew text 
in order to, as it were, view it interlinearally, then thats another.  The 
more dependent you are on English versions to verify your own work, the 
less translating you end up doing and the more paraphrasing.

Lets take two hypothetical students.  One sits with his Hebrew text- a 
dictionary, and a grammar and slogs through the tough work of 
translating.  When hes done, he picks up an english version and says "wow, 
they are pretty similar"!
That person has translated.

One, however, sits with an english version, a hebrew text, and a dozen 
"helps" including an interlinear, a computer program with which to look up 
words, and two or three phone numbers of hebrew scholars.  he take his 
hebrew text and without taking an eye off the english he "renders" what the 
hebrew appears to say.  That person has paraphrased.

Jim


++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD

http://web.infoave.net/~jwest Biblical Studies Resources
http://biblical-studies.blogspot.com Biblical Theology Weblog