Comprehension Contributes to an Accurate, Clear, Natural and Acceptable Translation

Accuracy, Clarity, Naturalness and Acceptability are the four criteria used in the Bible Translation world to judge a translation as good. Everyone wants a good translation. No one does a bad translation on purpose. Though there are several reasons why a translation in ‘bad,’ the most common reason encountered by consultants is the lack of comprehension of the source text by the translators. With increased focus on Mother Tongue Translators, the issue of lack of comprehension needs to be addressed. If a translator, especially a mother tongue translator understands the text well, an accurate, clear and natural text can be expected. The lack of comprehension could be because of linguistic and/or cultural interference, or even just not having enough of the second language to comprehend the text well.

This paper aims at examining the various ways in which this lack of comprehension is addressed in written as well as oral translation, including the ways in which I overcame the issue in the project I helped with. Irrespective of the nomenclature followed by the proponents of various methodologies (e.g., exegesis, understanding the text, internalization etc.), this is a very important stage in the process of Bible Translation. This paper also will look at how a competent and well-trained Translation Advisor can help the Mother Tongue Translators produce an incarnational translation, transforming lives.