I have been considering the varying philosophies of translation that biblical scholars are employing to produce the most recent versions of the Bible and have begun to wonder about the shift in focus.  The translations that come from the Tyndale line followed a formal-equivalence philosophy of translation.  The reason for this seems to be a respect for the nature of the task.  The Scriptures are not just some ordinary letter being translated for just any people.  The Scriptures are God-breathed.  This led the translators to be very cautious in their renderings of the original languages into English.  They were reluctant to over-translate or paraphrase the text because it is God’s Word.

Today, it seems that translators have learned so much that they are more inclined to put more of their interpretive ideas into the translation of the original languages of Scripture.  The thought that keeps coming to my mind is that the modern translators are not nearly as cautious about using a dynamic-equivalence translation philosophy because they do not seem to be as awestruck about the task they are undertaking.  The thought of translating the inspired Word of God for a contemporary audience is a huge and scary responsibility.  In my opinion, I think there needs to be more awe in the hearts and minds of some translators.  I believe that this would cause the translators to not be so free in their renderings but reverently translating the text as clearly as possible without sacrificing the accuracy of the original languages.

These are just some thoughts.  Does this seem to make any sense to anyone else?