Translation is Treason? Tradition? – What Does This Mean?

St. Jerome was born into a wealthy Italian family just a few decades after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. As a young man, he became a Christian and was baptized in his twenties. He devoted himself to study and became a devoted to the monastic life. He was ordained a priest in Constantinople in the 380s and came to serve as the personal secretary of Pope Damascus I. The pope commissioned him to revise the Old Latin translations of the Bible to produce an accurate version of the Scriptures in the common (Vulgatus) language. The finished translation became known as the Vulgate, and eventually became used as the universal translation of the Bible in the Western Christian Church. He is respected as the father of the art of translation and the patron saint of librarians.

St. Jerome, known for his wit, is often given credit for a Latin pun: translatio traditio est. The phrase can mean “translation is treason” or “translation is tradition.” It captures the truth that no translation can perfectly capture the meaning of its original text in another language. A translator simply cannot avoid interpreting the text he or she expresses in a new language. So, in a sense, every translation betrays its original author. Yet without translations, readers would need to learn Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and to some extent Latin to understand the Bible. A good translation “hands down” the text to speakers of other languages.

This is why Lutherans insist that their pastors learn at least Greek and Hebrew. For the most part, the Bible was written in Koine (common) Greek and Biblical Hebrew. This allows them to see what God said without the filter of 2000-3500 years of interpretation. The result is much like watching a TV in high definition color after watching programs in standard black-and-white. It is the same text, but another dimension opens when you see the text as it was written down. They, in turn, have been sent to us by God to “hand down” his word to us.

So, if a person does not have the time or skills to learn these languages, how can you tell if the translation you use is accurate or whether to some extent it is colored by the translator’s views? For English speakers, who are blessed with hundreds of translations in their language, it helps to have several respected versions available. ([http://biblegateway.com)] puts many versions at your fingertips.) When your reading a passage, compare several to each other. If they say more or less the same thing, you know the passage is very clear in the original language. If they differ, ask your pastor to help with it. That way translation will pass down the word of God to you and not lead you astray.