List of categories of translation issues
for clearly communicating the Christian worldview
by means of the text of the New Testament
There are many ambiguities in the New Testament. It is important that translators be alert to those occurrences in which the ambiguities of the original text do not match with the ambiguities of a message in the receptor language. We hope that these indexes will facilitate translators in knowing how they can best communicate the message that the authors intended everyone to understand.
The development of this research is motivated by the desire to help translators recognize and communicate the intended meaning of the speakers or authors. It assumes that those communicators were not purposely ambiguous. Even in those places where it seems that a speaker might have intended the listeners to choose between two possible meanings, he or she intended ONLY those two choices, not several (as the commentaries seem to want us to suppose or accept).
When this research is completed and its worth has been proven, it might be well that someone conduct a similar research on the Old Testament. Such a task will be of monumental service to translators in many languages.
The following will demonstrate the form of the categories and sub-categories:
Issue 1 Citations and allusions in the New Testament
We list the occurrences in which the communicator referred to sentences from someone else, either directly or indirectly
1a—Occurrences in which the communicator cited a whole sentence or more from the Old Testament.
1b—Occurrences in which the communicator cited a clause without its context or a fragment of a sentence without its context.
1c—Occurrences in which the communicator cited some sentences, but he intended that they communicate a different meaning from the original meaning.
1d—Occurrences in which the communicator cited only alluded to a passage.
1e—Occurrences in which the communicator spoke his own teaching.
1f—Occurrences in which the communicator cited some writing that we do not know.
Issue 2 Questions in the New Testament
We list the occurrences in which the communicator used a question form. (Most questions are what people traditionally call “Rhetorical questions”, though some are requests for information or for items.)
2a—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED INFORMATION.
2b—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED FOOD OR DRINK.
2c—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED PERMISSION from someone.
2d—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED SOMEONE'S OPINION.
2e—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED A FAVOR FROM SOMEONE OR REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE SHOULD DO A SPECIFIC ACTION.
2f—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE AGREE TO AN IMPLIED AFFIRMATION OR TO A PROPOSAL.
2g—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED THAT THE LISTENERS/READERS DEDUCE A CONCLUSION OR ACCEPT AN IMPLIED APPLICATION.
2h—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT A NEW TOPIC.
2i—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT A NEW FOCUS ON THE SAME GENERAL TOPIC.
2j—Occurrences in which the communicator INVITED SOMEONE TO BEGIN A CONVERSATION.
2k—Occurrences in which the communicator INVITED SOMEONE TO TELL SOMETHING VOLUNTARILY.
2l—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE FOCUS HIS OR HER ATTENTION ON A FACT THAT EVERYONE CAN EASILY SEE OR UNDERSTAND.
2m—Occurrences in which the communicator INDICATED HIS SURPRISE.
2n—Occurrences in which the communicator INDICATED INDICATED THAT HE OR SHE WAS UNCERTAIN ABOUT A PAST EVENT, ABOUT A FUTURE EVENT OR ABOUT WHAT TO DO NEXT.
2o—Occurrences in which the communicator INDICATED THAT HE OR SHE WAS HOPEFUL ABOUT A FUTURE EVENT.
2p—Occurrences in which the communicator IMPLIED HIS OR HER POSITIVE OPINION OF ESTEEM OF A PERSON, OR THE ESTEEM OF MANY PEOPLE.
2q—Occurrences in which the communicator STATED INDIRECTLY A GENERAL PUBLIC OPINION.
2r—Occurrences in which the communicator STATED INDIRECTLY HIS REASON FOR AN ACTION.
2s—Occurrences in which the communicator CHALLENGED SOMEONE TO CHANGE HIS OR HER ATTITUDE OR OPINION.
2t—Occurrences in which the communicator POINTED OUT SOMEONE’S ERROR IN HIS THINKING OR THAT HIS ATTITUDE WAS WRONG.
2u—Occurrences in which the communicator POINTED OUT SOMEONE’S MISBEHAVIOR.
2v—Occurrences in which the communicator REPRIMANDED SOMEONE HOLDING A DISAPPROVED ATTITUDE, FOR THINKING A MISTAKEN IDEA OR FOR DOING A WRONG ACTION.
2w— Occurrences in which the communicator DISDAINED OR RIDICULED AN IDEA BY SEEMINGLY REQUESTING THAT SOMEONE TELL A REASON FOR SUCH AN IDEA.
2x—Occurrences in which the communicator IMPLIED HIS DISAPPROVAL OF SOME EVENT THAT HAD HAPPENED BY SEEMINGLY REQUESTING THAT SOMEONE TELL A REASON FOR SUCH A SITUATION.
2y—Occurrences in which the communicator DISDAINED, REJECTED OR RIDICULED A PERSON or a SITUATION.
2z—Occurrences in which the communicator REJECTED AN IDEA OR OPINION THAT HE ASSUMED SOMEONE MIGHT BE HOLDING.
2aa—Occurrences in which the communicator REJECTED SOMEONE'S SPOKEN PROPOSAL.
2bb—Occurrences in which the communicator REFUSED SOMEONE'S REQUEST.
2cc—Occurrences in which the communicator COMPLAINED TO SOMEONE.
2dd—Occurrences in which the communicator BEGAN A RITUAL BY REQUESTING SOME GENERAL INFORMATION
2ee—Occurrences in which the communicator REFUSED SOMEONE'S ACCUSATION AGAINST HIM.
2ff—Occurrences in which the communicator REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE CHOOSE AN ALTERNATIVE SITUATION OR OPPORTUNITY.
