Scripture Engagement

I was recently asked what the main translation theories are at the moment. These are the ones mainly discussed in departments of translation studies in universities around the world: The Code Model. This is the first modern theory of translation, developed by Eugene Nida in the 1960s. It focuses on the meaning of the translation, and suggests translations should have 'dynamic equivalence', that is, the same meaning as the source text. It wants translations to be accurate, clear and natural, often with a focus on naturalness. Skopos Theory. This was developed Hans J. Vermeer and Christine Nord has written a lot on this. This emphasises the purpose of the translation, putting the audience more in the driving seat than the Code Model. With Skopos Theory, the expected change in the audience is more important than fidelity to the source text. Translations do something, they have an affect, and not only on the translator, but on the target audience. An obvious example would be the tr...