Four Myths About Translated Scripture

Still a powerful player in the world at large, religion - and therefore religious texts - takes on quite a bit of scrutiny. And it should, as a sphere of influence. But regardless of whether it affects the globe or the individual, religion (at least in the mainstream) tends to revolve around sacred texts. 

Translated books - even scriptures - are far
more complicated than you think!

Among the Abrahamic religions, we have the Torah, the Bible, the Qu'ran. Hinduism has an even wider variety, among the most important are the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita (one book out of the Mahabharata). Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Shinto - you'll find a central text, perhaps among many others, within each of these sects.

However, it's important to remember that religious scriptures must often be translated in order to be understood - especially for those with an ancient origin. Most people understand the necessity of this - after all, not everyone can understand ancient Greek or Aramaic, Arabic or Sanskrit. Still, it's not something we often think about.

But can you really just pull a Bible from the bookshelf and read it?

My answer certainly shouldn't surprise you, given my past articles. The fact is this: Any translated text contains more context, more culture, and more history than we are aware of as the recipient. A religious text is no different. If the stories read "easy", it's because the translator worked hard to make it so. But don't get comfortable and let yourself be slipped up by these myths:

It doesn't matter which translation I read, because X is universal!

Even religious architecture has its
own history and meaning.

This misconception is something I've seen from Christians more so than anyone else, but perhaps that's only because it's the majority religion in America, and the biblical stories are common.

Yes, the Bible does contain many parables. Jesus taught primarily in parables, as it was accessibly to the masses. This, however, does not mean it's entirely universal. The stories feel familiar, understandable if you know them.

Famous and popular literature, from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to the Veggie Tales are heavily influenced by Christianity, so if you are a Christian in the Western world, it makes sense that the Bible might seem universal. Likewise, I have a feeling reading the Qu'ran in Saudi Arabia feels universal. But here's the thing: it's not.

Translators do the hard work of finding what to make idiomatic. What should be simple, what should be complicated? For religious scriptures that have spawned hundreds of thousands of pages of commentary, with events that take place 1400+ years ago, there's a huge gap between simple meaning and context.

My first reading of the Qu'ran, for example, made no sense. Without context, I had no idea what was going on - I even struggled with familiar stories, like that of Moses or Mary. Why? Because there's context and form. Because that translation might have been more literal. 
Similarly, reading the New American Study Bible vs. the NIV Study Bible vs. the King James is a completely different experience - in the next, the notes and the annotations. 

Religion X is backward because Y, Z is in their scripture!

One of many books on
the subject.

Many people like to criticize religion based on certain verses, while others will prop up their own ideas using other chapters of their holy book. 

The fact of the matter is, if you're not reading the context that goes with that line, you're probably not understanding it. Think about this:
The Bhagavad Gita is only a selection of chapters from book 6 of 18 of the Mahabharata, a 100,000 verse epic, with the immediate context of the Gita being philosophy in the midst of war. If one of the most important scriptures in Hinduism today is merely one small section of a larger work, think about how much you can miss by not studying the commentaries, the notes, the history. By not reading the whole thing.

However, unless we're all going to be religious scholars, that's not quite possible. What you can do is:

• to read a quick summary from a legitimate source
• read 10 verses up, 10 verses down
• understand the basic history of what was going when the verse was written
• buy an annotated version with notes about the translation and historical context - not one that's analyzing it for you.

Growing up in religion X, I can understand X's translation without context.

This myth ties in with the first. You may have grown up with the stories. Those stories may inspire you, and that's great. But with context, you can learn about topics such as:

• Who edited the Bible (or at least, what were their views)
• What are the conflicted translations for certain words and phrases
• Possible conflicts in schools of thought
• Geographical misconceptions or ideas
• What would have been a concern for X people at X time.

And I'm not saying this to stray you from your faith in your holy book. If anything, I've seen people grow in their faith from knowing more about it. And if you find yourself doing the same for other faiths, you'll grow stronger in your respect for them.

Culture and religion define our rituals and traditions.
A good translation can help you figure out which is which.

I can understand a whole religion based on one translated scripture.

There are really two things to say about this:

If you stick the one translation accepted or encouraged by your religious sect, yes, you will learn quite a bit. But it's important to remember that it is a specific translation, meant to suite the needs of your church/school of thought. Which mean it won't necessarily contain contradictions, certain historical notes and the like.

And then there's the fact, that religious knowledge doesn't really stop at reading one translated scripture - even if you lock yourself in your room for a year with a multi-volume annotated edition.

After all, there are, as you might have guessed, hundreds of commentaries and supplemental essays and letters. There are books that weren't included in the Bible, for example. Or there are books by religious leaders or philosophers, like those by Al-Ghazali. All of which inform not only your interpretation of your scripture, and the translator's, but also various other sects.

Conclusion

In reality, religious studies is extensive - whether you are looking at it from the perspective of the faithful or a scholar (or both). Again, this article isn't to detract those who are interested in scripture, but I hope it will be a small exclamation point for when you go to read your scripture, a little lightbulb reminding you of what can lead to a finished translation - and perhaps what you should look for.