Of Wine and Women: Examples of Misleading Concordance in the English Translation Tradition

One of the hindrances to quality translation is adherence to patterns of concordance in the English translation tradition, which began with concordant translations of the Latin Vulgate. A further complication is that certain English words have changed in meaning while the tradition has remained the same. In some passages the concordant translations lead to incoherence or inconsistency, and this can be confusing to readers. As an example of this, the presentation focuses on the meanings of two Greek words: οἶνος (oinos), usually translated as “wine, and γυνή (gunē), usually translated as “woman,” with attention to the confusion caused by traditional translations in particular contexts. Instances of both are found in the story of the wedding at Cana in John 2, so that forms the framework of the paper. The research takes account of the cultural and physical background to these terms, lexical descriptions of their usage in the broader Greek corpus, a comparison of the terms to their paronyms, hyponyms, and coordinate terms, and the contexts of usage. More accurate renderings are suggested, both in general and according to context, to improve accuracy and coherence. The conclusion is that translation consultants and exegetical consultants can improve the quality of translations by undertaking careful studies of the semantics of Greek words and of their referential meanings in each context and not rely too heavily on tradition-bound English translations.