The VOICE Bible Translation
Why did we choose to use the VOICE translation?
The title of our fortnight of reflections "Our Voices Matter" meant that the VOICE translation was always going to be top contender for the Bible passages. But it also has the advantage of unfamiliarity, meaning that well known passages come to us with a freshness that we might have lost over time.
What's the background to the VOICE translation?
The VOICE Bible is the result of multiple collaborations between scholars who are experts in the original languages, and modern writers, musicians, and poets who are skilled in their use of English.
It is based on the earliest and best manuscripts from the original languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic).
The VOICE represents a hybrid of the word-for-word and thought-for-thought approaches to Bible translation.
In general, no attempt has been made to make The VOICE gender neutral or gender inclusive. Instead the translators have tried to follow the sense of the text. This means that where it is obvious that a text would have been addressed to women as well as men, the original text has been translated e.g. 'brothers and sisters'. However, if the original text could only have been addressed to men and would make no sense addressed to a woman, the original has not been amplified.
Whilst The VOICE is a new approach to Bible translation, the use of trendy language has been avoided. The goal of the translation team was to capture the beauty and brutal honesty of the Scriptures in language that is timeless and enduring.
Why does some of the text appear in italics?
Here's an explanation from the preface to The VOICE, although you first need to understand the use of standard type:
Standard type denotes the dynamic translation that is the foundation these elements are built on. It translates the many imprecise words that English translations have borrowed in their renderings, including LORD, Christ, baptism, angel, and apostle. The translation process for each book began as negotiation between a gifted writer and scholars working in the original language. After that first phase, a few selected scholars carefully read the manuscript, compared it to the original language, and evaluated the faithfulness to the text and the theological and historical nuances of the translation. At the same time a publishing team ran consistency checks, copy edited the manuscript, and compared the rendering with the major existing English translations. A final acceptance process included each of the three groups—biblical scholarship, English writing competence, and publishing expertise—impacting the translation.
Italic type indicates words not directly tied to the dynamic translation of the original language. These words bring out the nuance of the original, assist in completing ideas, and often provide readers with information that would have been obvious to the original audience. These additions are meant to help the modern reader better understand the text without having to stop and read footnotes or a study guide.
Why does some of the text read like a play script?
Again, an explanation from the preface to The VOICE:
Screenplay format is used to identify dialogue and to avoid the repetition of conjunctions, articles, and certain verbs. The speaker is indicated, the dialogue is indented, and quotation marks are avoided. This helps greatly in immediate comprehension of the situation for the user and in intensification of the dramatic presence during the public reading of Scripture. Sometimes the original text includes interruptions in the dialogue to indicate the attitude of the speaker or of who is being addressed. This is shown either as a stage direction immediately following the speaker’s name or as part of the narrative section that immediately precedes the speaker’s name.