William D. Mounce, a.k.a. Bill Mounce, is a reputable Greek scholar. He is author of Basics of Biblical Greek, the standard introduction to biblical Greek grammar used in seminaries across North America. He received a question regarding Tagalog translations. Because it has something to do with the Philippine national language, I thought my Filipino readers would find this of interest. I the broader audience will also find some value in his perspective because it has to do with translations at large.
The question regarded the grammar of the two major Tagalog translations—Ang Biblia (The Bible) and Ang Magandang Balita (The Good News)—and their method of translation. Although they are translated by some sort of Bible society, both translations seemed to follow the English word order. The inquirer makes the following observation:
As I try to further learn the Greek language, it inspired me to probe on the Tagalog (my countries native tongue) translation of the Bible. I discovered that we had two versions: Ang Biblia (1905) brought by the Evangelical Union Missionaries and the newer ones , Ang Magandang Balita (1970) translated by our very own Philippine Bible Society. Now both translations, as stated in their prefaces, claimed to have based their translation work from the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts but as I work my way through the translation, I began to notice that our Tagalog translation of the Bible may have based it’s work not on the Hebrew and Greek themselves but actually on the English Bibles (KJV and NIV). . . . It seems to follow the same rules of the English grammar while it should have been following the Greek or Hebrew.
Mounce makes a few points in response. Perhaps the most helpful point is that translators consult other translations. The point is that there is value in finding agreement with other translations. He notes that
. . . translators are always looking at other translations, and it may be that the Tagalog translators relied somewhat on English to help them understand the Greek. If you are making a new translation, and if you have two or three English translations that all agree on a specific translation, that consistency can have a strong influence on how you translate. It isn’t that you are copying; you are wanting to be careful and right, and there is a perceived safety in numbers.
This is good news for aspiring Greek (and Hebrew) scholars and translators, who often consult with a translation in their native language as they learn the language. As far as I can recall, virtually every English translation has relied upon other translations. It is uplifting to know that for any translation from a reputable group of translators, the translators have done their best to make sure what is in one’s Bible is accurate. Part of this is accomplished by the translators’ comparing theirs with others who have come before them.
Read Mounce’s response in its entirety in his post Are translations really based on the Greek and Hebrew?.
