Accuracy and Readability in Bible Translation
What Makes a Readable Bible Readable?
Most people agree that making a Bible translation readable is a good thing. Achieving readability, though, takes far more than simply pressing the right translation button. An arduous but satisfying process goes into making sure the final text is one that readers can understand. And it’s critical to avoid an overly casual approach just to attain a form of readability.
A Few Choice Words
Although word usage is not the only measure of a text’s readability, it is the most basic. And in that regard, three issues rise to the top when it comes to finding the most readable way to render a biblical text.
First, there’s sentence length. Shorter sentences, generally speaking, are easier to understand than longer ones. Since sentences represent units of thought, a difficult passage such as the one, extended Greek sentence in Ephesians 1: 3-14 can legitimately become six shorter sentences—as long as the units of thought are reflected accurately.
Then there’s the issue of clarity. Here, the goal is to avoid ambiguity. A good translation makes sure there’s no doubt which words modify each other. This can be tricky since modifiers in Greek are determined by the structure of individual words while in English, modifying is most often determined by the order of words within a sentence. As an added measure of clarification, the HCSB makes generous use of footnotes (except in text-only editions) to explain the nuances.
Finally, there’s the necessity of applying the right idiom—to use the linguistics term—through which to express an idea. In Matthew 21:42, the Greek expression “head of the corner” is the most literal, word-for-word way to render the Greek, but HCSB translators used a simple test here and elsewhere to determine the final word choice: “Does anyone really talk that way these days?” Obviously, we don’t. But because the Greek idiom “head of the corner” meant to the original readers the same thing that the English idiom “cornerstone” means to readers today, the HCSB reads that Jesus “has become the cornerstone.”
Readability Versus Accuracy?
When people compare Bible translations, it’s common to hear remarks like, “This one’s readable, but that one is really accurate.” However, contrasting readability and accuracy presumes a dichotomy that doesn’t always exist.
To say one is readable but the other is accurate suggests that readability and accuracy are inherently at odds with one another. But they are not at opposite ends of the Bible translation spectrum. In fact, they don’t belong on the same continuum at all. A polarized scale implies that more of one means less of the other. Readability and accuracy—far from being enemies—can actually be allies in rendering a Scripture passage.
We noted above three components of translation strategy that produce a readable Bible. Other factors also come into play to enhance the ability of a reader to understand Scripture. In some editions of the Holman CSB, subheads included within the text clarify subject matter of the section that is to follow. Although not part of the original manuscript itself, these subheads provide cues to readers so they’re prepared to understand the passage. Luke 8:40-56 in The Holman Illustrated Study Bible begins with the simple heading “A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed.” HCSB translators were careful not to offer any interpretation in our subheads, only a statement of what is to come.
The Holman Christian Standard Bible also uses formatting to signal the reader that “something special is here.” First Corinthians 15:3-8 recites an ancient creedal statement. The text’s indentation and typesetting help the reader recognize the source of the words.
Holman’s desire to help readers understand the Bible has driven HCSB translators to use many means to make Scripture accessible, except this: We’ve never compromised the meaning or dignity of God’s Word for any reason.
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Do We, Do We Not, or Don’t We?
Translators Face the Contraction Conundrum
Do angels use contractions when they speak? Would Paul have written them in a letter? It’s a point Holman Christian Standard Bible translators had to ponder, and one that underscores the fine line they’ve walked between preserving the majesty of inspired Scripture and producing a text that’s accessible and inviting to modern American readers.
The King James Bible avoids contractions—they were rare in any kind of written communication in the seventeenth century and would have been considered far too informal for biblical text. Contemporary translations based on the King James, such as the Revised Standard and New King James, shy away from contractions as well, though the NIV, Living Bible, and other modern versions have allowed them.
Frank Carmical, who was a senior member of the Holman CSB translation team, observes, “‘Don’t’ and ‘do not’ are the same translation, so the contraction issue isn’t
a matter of accuracy. It’s a matter of giving the text weight and authority without making it sound stuffy.”
The HCSB translation team developed some basic guidelines, the fruits of which you’ll now see in the smoothly styled text of each edition of the Holman CSB: Contractions are allowable in direct quotations and in personal writing like the letters of Paul, but not generally elsewhere. And there has been considerable leeway within the guidelines, using contractions where they help the text flow more smoothly, but avoiding them in poetic passages or moments of high drama where they might lessen the impact.
“We don’t envision somebody shaking his finger and saying, ‘Don’t do that!’ But in dialogue—especially the words of Jesus—contractions humanize the speakers in a very powerful way,” says HCSB associate editor Ray Clendenen. “When contractions would have robbed the text of any intensity, we didn’t use them.”
Ultimately, an intelligent and respectful use of contractions in the biblical text has proven to be one of the great ways the HCSB has achieved high levels of both accuracy and readability.
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Confessions of an English Stylist
by John Perry
Of the 100 or so people who translated, reviewed, and edited the Holman Christian Standard Bible, I’m one of only a handful who can’t read Greek or Hebrew. If I could, I might never have been able to do my job.
As an English stylist, it fell to me to make sure that something from a translator in England through an editor in Chicago was consistent with another Bible section from California that was edited in Texas. I was a stylistic funnel of sorts—which wouldn’t be so hard except that I had to change things without changing anything.
By the time a translation text made it to me, Bible scholars and language specialists had hammered out hundreds of decisions about meaning and nuance, syntax and grammar. But that still left personal variations in word choice, sentence structure, and application of the project translation guidelines. My challenge was to conform various sections from different translators without compromising the accuracy of the wording.
You might be surprised at what simple tools I used to achieve significant results: primarily word order and punctuation. In styling a text, moving words and clauses around a little often brought big improvements. And subtle differences in how sentences were broken up or how various sections were connected could dramatically improve readability. Of course, when I wanted to change a word or verb tense—or anything else that might affect the meaning of the text—I talked it over with one of the translators first.
Although I never got caught up in scholarly arguments, many times I brought up questions about consistency and ease of reading. How easy is the translation to memorize? How does it flow when read aloud? Are there obscure words American readers might stumble over or misunderstand?
One more crucial element was what I call the “guffaw factor.” Even if a translated phrase is clear and accurate, I asked: Is it appropriate for Scripture? What about an irritated speaker saying, “Who are these guys?” or an Old Testament patriarch referring to someone as a “jerk”? Based on contemporary American English, these were probably the most accurate renderings in some places. But could a seventh grader get through them without snickering? Could a layman read them from the lectern without hesitation? Probably not. So we settled on alternatives to make sure we preserved the dignity of God’s Word.
Above all—though the emphasis in my editorial role was readability—the meaning and the message always came first. Give the Holman CSB a good read-through, and see if you think I’ve done my job.
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The Message in the Medium
There’s more to the message of Scripture than the words on the page: the page itself. Type style, margin size, even characteristics of the paper all convey a message along with the text.
Our culture is the most visually oriented in history. That’s a challenge to the people who decide how each edition of the Holman Christian Standard Bible looks in print. The format has to be visually stimulating, conveying the contemporary feel of a new translation for the 21st century while reflecting the majesty and power of the Scriptures.
Two special features of the Holman CSB are its use of dynamic prose and inscription boxes. Dynamic prose is set like poetry, with each line containing a complete thought or phrase. Especially familiar passages, dramatic moments, and lyrical writing is set this way for heightened emphasis. Inscription boxes—found in no other translation—indicate signs such as the one in Acts to the unknown god (Acts 17:23), or the one hanging over Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:37, Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38, John 19:19).
When the original work was done, these features—as well as paragraphing, footnotes, subject heads, and every other visual component—were tagged by editors with a software code so typesetters could treat that particular text appropriately: indented, double-spaced, footnoted, all caps, or some other distinctive form. Now, this greatly facilitates creating multiple user-friendly editions targeted to the needs of various market segments. For example, there are four types of footnotes in the HCSB: 1) textual variants, 2) alternate translations, 3) supplemental information, and 4) scriptural cross-references. A study Bible might have all four while an evangelism Bible might not have any.
Visual variety is essential for today’s computer-oriented audience. The full-color interior of The Holman Student Bible demonstrates exactly what a dramatic and inviting Bible this text-setting strategy makes possible. The design allows readers to easily find the elements that interest them, yet the overall effect is harmonious—as contemporary yet reverent as the words themselves.
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