Why the ISV®?
Is a new English
translation of the Bible really needed?
If so, how should it be developed?
And for what readership?
Statement of Philosophy and Procedures
by the Committee on Translation
for the International Standard Version®
Before any Bible translation project is
undertaken, it is essential that the need for such a translation project be investigated.
Although several widely used translations already exist in English, none of these seems
fully satisfactory.
Excessively Literal vs. Excessively Idiomatic
In some cases, the translation is excessively
literal, many of the phrases are unnatural and heavy, and the language is archaic. In
other cases, the general language and style of the translation are fully adequate, but the
level of paraphrasing is so high that people have difficulty using the translation in
preaching, teaching, and personal study.
In both cases, the need is for a translation
that is both accurate and readable, dignified and literary. In other words, it is the
coherence of the text as a whole and the accuracy of information provided to the reader
that need to be corrected. This can never be done on a piecemeal or haphazard basis.
In view of this situation, a new translation
of the Bible in contemporary English seems to be justified. This new translation will be
called the International Standard Version (ISV®). The ISV will embody the best results of
modern scholarship as to the meaning of Scripture, and will express this meaning in clear
and natural English.
It will be intended for liturgical and pulpit
uses as well as for devotional reading, Bible study, and reading in the home. The ISV will
be a moderately literal translation and will seek to avoid the paraphrasing tendencies of
some modern versions.
It will seek a compromise between formal
equivalence and functional equivalence by attempting to stay as close to the source text
as possible without losing communication. The target reading level in English will be
7th-8th grade.
Practical considerations of committee
organization and procedures for carrying out the work of translating are treated below.
The plan of operation given here is designed for a situation in which a team, rather than
a single individual, is given the task of translating the Bible.
Committees and Editors
All of the participants in the project should
be appointed by the sponsoring organization. It is by this same procedure that agreement
should be worked out on the conditions of employment and remuneration. The sponsor will
provide for the actual work of translating by appointing:
-
A Committee on Translation, who will
oversee the work of translation from beginning to end, including the supervision of all
translators and consultants. The ideal number of Committee members will be between six and
eight. These individuals will be selected primarily for their competence in biblical
studies, rather than on the basis of denominational representation of the total spectrum
of the Christian community. It is essential that all members of the Committee on
Translation be of such outstanding ability that they are acceptable to the constituencies
involved and that they have a mutual respect for one another.
A General Editor, who will be responsible
for organizing and directing the work of the Committee on Translation and who will be
selected from among the members of that Committee. It will the task of the General Editor
to continually evaluate the project in terms of the quality of the translation and the
efficiency with which the work is pursued. The General Editor should be able to give a
major part of his or her time to the translation, including the following aspects of the
undertaking:
Associate Editors for the Old and New
Testaments, who will be especially capable in the biblical languages and exegesis and who
will coordinate all Committee procedures related to their areas of expertise, including
the formation and oversight of Old and New Testament Subcommittees and (eventually) an
Apocrypha Subcommittee.
The Committee on Translation, under the
direction of the sponsor, will in turn appoint:
-
A select group of Contributing Scholars,
who will be representative of competent biblical scholarship and fully committed to the
authority of Scripture, and who will prepare draft translations of the individual books of
the Bible.
-
An English Review Board, who will be
responsible for checking the translation for its adherence to modern literary and
communication standards and who will suggest more felicitous phrasing for the
consideration of the Committee on Translation. While all of the members of the English
Review Board should be fully competent in English, some may be selected especially for
their excellence as creative writers and communicators to the general public.
A Board of Reference, who will review the
translation for use in preaching, teaching, evangelism, Sunday School materials, etc. This
Board will be as broad as possible in terms of geography, denominational representation,
and ability to give promotional help. Its members are sharply distinguished from the
translators and English reviewers, who are selected primarily for their linguistic
competence. Accordingly, the Board of Reference should include any persons who by virtue
of their position or influence should be related to such a major undertaking, and whose
good will is necessary to the public approval of the translation. Such persons will be
chosen from three basic categories:
Officials of national Christian
organizations;
Administrative officers of institutions of
higher education; and
Individuals who have rendered significant
Christian service on regional, national, or international levels.
These leaders will offer counsel and advice,
make the project known, give technical assistance, pray for the work, and agree to lend
their names to the promotion of the translation. Membership on these Boards will not be
limited to a fixed number, and members will be free to terminate their relationship at any
time.
Three Levels of Review
Three levels of review will be established.
The Contributing Scholars, who will agree
to follow the principles of translation set forth below and to a deadline for the
completion of their work, will submit their work to the Committee on Translation. The Old
and New Testament Subcommittees will then check the initial drafts in detail and with
constant reference to the original languages, and will incorporate all corrections of
obvious minor errors and all changes that are so evidently within the scope of the
statement of principles that they do not require further discussion. When the entire
Committee meets, discussion will focus on matters relating to substantial changes and on
checking for consistency. Differences of opinion will be resolved either by the
Committee’s reaching a consensus or, in serious cases of disagreement, by the
adoption of alternative readings to be published as footnotes to the text. It is not
necessary, however, that in their first discussion of a passage the Committee members
attempt to make final and binding decisions. Many of the same issues will reappear when
the consultative groups have had opportunity to study the drafts.
Second drafts of the work will be sent to
the original translators, who will have the opportunity of commenting on all changes
incorporated by the Committee on Translation. Here again, to avoid delay, the translators
will be given deadlines for completing their comments on the work. All suggestions should
be made in writing and sent to the General Editor. At the same time, second drafts will be
submitted to the English Review Board and Board of Reference, who will be asked to
criticize the translation and offer suggestions with a view to improving its readability
and usefulness in the church. From time to time members of these Boards may be called
together to discuss specific items, but they will not meet as committees to discuss in
detail all that the translators have done. The members of the English Review Board will
concern themselves with the level of English employed in the translation, i.e., that it be
idiomatic but not idiosyncratic, contemporary but not dated. Their aim will be to make the
final product consistently dignified yet appropriate to the genre being translated:
poetry, law, narrative, etc. All comments made by the Boards are to be communicated in
writing to the General Editor within a stipulated period of time.
A final review will be conducted by the
Committee on Translation before the completed translation is issued. For the Committee to
receive the greatest value from the contributions of others, the comments received from
the Contributing Scholars and the Review Boards will be carefully studied and classified
by the General Editor. In this way the Committee members can consider systematically and
at one time all the comments on a particular verse, or all suggestions relating to a
particular type of wording or syntactic construction. On matters pertaining strictly to
either Hebrew or Greek, it may be necessary to convene the Old and New Testament
Subcommittees to ensure the most efficient use of time in resolving such questions.
An International Version
The International Standard Version®, to be
truly "international," will actively seek the participation of translators and
consultants from both the United States and other English-speaking countries such as
Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. The translation work will be regularly
reported to the sponsor, who will have the opportunity of inspecting the work and of
making detailed comments and criticisms for the consideration of the Committee on
Translation. Draft translations will be assigned according to the following sections (a
Contributing Scholar may be assigned more than one section):
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy
6. Joshua, Judges
7. Ruth
8. 1-2 Samuel
9. 1-2 Kings
10. 1-2 Chronicles
11. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
12. Job
13. Psalms 1-50
14. Psalms 51-100
15. Psalms 101-150
16. Proverbs
17. Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations
18. Isaiah
19. Jeremiah
20. Ezekiel
21. Daniel
22. Twelve Prophets
23. Matthew
24. Mark
25. Luke
26. John, 1-3 John
27. Acts
28. Romans
29. 1-2 Corinthians
30. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians
31. 1-2 Thessalonians, Philemon
32. 1-2 Timothy, Titus
33. Hebrews
34. James, 1-2 Peter, Jude
35. Revelation
In assigning these sections to the
Contributing Scholars, the Committee on Translation will take into consideration their
individual preferences, aptitudes, and the amount of time they will be able to devote to
their task. It will also consider their reputation as biblical scholars and denominational
affiliations, in order to have a fair representation of the leading scholars and
theological institutions. It is essential that each Contributing Scholar understand and
accept the principles of translation set forth below. Agreement on procedures at the
beginning will avoid a great deal of misunderstanding and will facilitate enormously the
progress of the undertaking.
In summary, the following factors need to be
clear at the outset of the project. Among types of translation, the version will be a new
translation as opposed to a revision of an old one. With respect to level of language to
be used, the translation will represent the present-day literary language, which will
reflect traditional usage and be used in the churches, and which will at the same time be
known and used by common people and be acceptable as a standard for published materials.
Finally, in terms of organization and procedure, the project will be guided by the
statements included in this document, with the hope that a truly accurate and readable
translation of the Holy Bible can be produced.
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