Translation Committee Meeting: Personal Reflections
We asked Crossway webmaster Stephen Smith to share his reflections on attending some of the recent Translation Oversight Committee meeting:
On Thursday, June 2, 2005, I had the unique opportunity to sit in on part of a Translation Oversight Committee meeting and observe the ESV translators at work. Afterward, at a dinner for the translators, I was able to share some of how we’re using the Internet to spread news about the ESV—and in particular how this blog is helping to forge new relationships worldwide on behalf of the Standard Bible Society (SBS).
My first reaction when I walked into the conference room where the translators were meeting was to marvel at the sheer number of books and papers arrayed about the conference table: commentaries, concordances, dictionaries (Greek, Hebrew, and English), and of course Bibles. That’s not even counting the reference works available on the notebook computers that most people had. (Four of the computers were Macintoshes, for those of you keeping track.)
It soon became apparent how the wealth of reference material facilitated the efficient operation of the committee. Each person intimately knew the reference books he had in front of him and often consulted them when the discussion turned, for example, on an obscure detail in the original Greek. (I was observing some of their New Testament deliberations.)
But at the same time, I couldn’t believe how much knowledge each of the translators could share without even having to consult anything written. The depth and breadth of their understanding of the issues they were discussing was amazing—evidence not just of extensive preparation for this meeting but also of their mastery of the Bible in both English and the original languages.
I’ll most remember not the specific translation issues the committee discussed but the camaraderie they shared and the love and respect they showed for the Word of God.
The meeting concluded at 5:30 with prayer and adjourned for an hour until dinner at a local café, where I had a presentation to make following the meal.
But first to dinner. (I had chicken.) Sitting next to some of the translators let me get to know them a little bit on a personal level. Did you know that Australia is home to many of the world’s deadliest creatures? That in England a car’s trunk is called a “boot?” That the meaning of maranatha is mildly in dispute? I do now.
After dinner we had two brief presentations from Standard Bible Society and Crossway executives. (Readers of this blog already know most of what was said, and what we haven’t shared with you yet will be forthcoming soon.)
The Crossway executive read an excerpt from this Christianos blog entry as an introduction for me, and then it was my turn. I talked mostly about this blog and how it presents us a way to communicate that was impossible only a few years ago. Having a blog on which we can be open and transparent also fits well with the ESV’s translation philosophy of trying to be transparent to the original text as much as good English will allow.
After I finished speaking and dinner had concluded, I talked with a couple of the translators about some exciting ideas for this blog. Watch for these ideas to come to fruition in the coming months.
In all, I expect that I will never again have a similar experience. I’m thankful to the SBS for letting me experience it in the first place and for allowing me to share my thoughts on this blog.
