First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

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Old-Timer
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First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by Old-Timer »

The Church has translated the four accounts of the First Vision into nine languages. :clap:

The link below is to an article about it. It is the Salt Lake Tribune, so, just like with the Deseret News, I would suggest NOT reading the comments. :evil:

http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith/2 ... r-versions
I see through my glass, darkly - as I play my saxophone in harmony with the other instruments in God's orchestra. (h/t Elder Joseph Wirthlin)

Even if people view many things differently, the core Gospel principles (LOVE; belief in the unseen but hoped; self-reflective change; symbolic cleansing; striving to recognize the will of the divine; never giving up) are universal.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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SamBee
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by SamBee »

Amazed they hadn't already done this earlier.

However as the Italians have it "traduttore, traditore", which means "to translate is to betray", i.e. no translation properly captures the original. You can see that even in the proverb itself, where the two word wordplay is lost.
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
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nibbler
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by nibbler »

No real way around that one though, it just comes with the territory.

I'm happy to hear this. It places a greater number of people on equal footing. :thumbup:
I kept a diary right after I was born. Day 1: Tired from the move. Day 2: Everyone thinks I'm an idiot.
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DarkJedi
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by DarkJedi »

I'm happy to hear it, too. I hope the essays follow soon.
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

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mom3
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by mom3 »

I would like the essays published in the Ensign. I need english speaking, church attending members to read them. That's the common ground I want.
"I stayed because it was God and Jesus Christ that I wanted to follow and be like, not individual human beings." Chieko Okazaki Dialogue interview

"I am coming to envision a new persona for the Church as humble followers of Jesus Christ....Joseph and his early followers came forth with lots of triumphalist rhetoric, but I think we need a new voice, one of humility, friendship and service. We should teach people to believe in God because it will soften their hearts and make them more willing to serve." - Richard Bushman
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LookingHard
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by LookingHard »

SamBee wrote:...However as the Italians have it "traduttore, traditore", which means "to translate is to betray", i.e. no translation properly captures the original.
So are you talking about translating the essays, or the BOM? :-)
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DarkJedi
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by DarkJedi »

LookingHard wrote:
SamBee wrote:...However as the Italians have it "traduttore, traditore", which means "to translate is to betray", i.e. no translation properly captures the original.
So are you talking about translating the essays, or the BOM? :-)
It could apply to anything. Muslims only believe the Qur'an to be correct in Arabic. Likewise, one of the things we use as an argument of the superiority of the BoM over the Bible is that it was a direct translation (supposedly). However, it is not a direct translation into the many other languages it has been translated into. While I do believe there can be inspiration in such translations (and I believe the same for the KJV and newer translations of the Bible), I do not believe these translations to be perfect. Sometimes words or meanings of words just don't have exact enough equals in other languages.
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

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nibbler
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by nibbler »

We've got our very own concept of English being the "language of the restoration." I've heard that exact argument being made for the BoM, learn English so you can read the BoM in its purest form.
I kept a diary right after I was born. Day 1: Tired from the move. Day 2: Everyone thinks I'm an idiot.
— Steven Wright
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SamBee
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by SamBee »

I think the problem is with the old accounts not the commentary. We can't ask the writers the exact meanings.

Greek and Hebrew don't translate well to English all the time; poetry never does.

The BoM was translated by divine inspiration.
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
Roy
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Re: First Vision Accounts Translated into Multiple Languages

Post by Roy »

DarkJedi wrote:Sometimes words or meanings of words just don't have exact enough equals in other languages.
I remember reading the BoM in Spanish and gaining insights that were not quite as apparent in the English version. The words for the translation were likely chosen by a team of translators. Could they have been inspired in their selection? More importantly, could I have been inspired to see something important hidden within the words?

In English class ages ago we were talking about the metaphor of a particular chapter in a book. As a surly teenager at the time I was wondering aloud why a tree can't just be a tree. My teacher was explaining how the body of metaphors associated with a particular work can grow over time and can include metaphors that the original author may have never intended. It was quite a concept to be able to add meaning to what originally could have been just a coincidental word choice. In a way it invites each reader to be part of the creative process.
"It is not so much the pain and suffering of life which crushes the individual as it is its meaninglessness and hopelessness." C. A. Elwood

“It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status.” TPC: Harold B. Lee 223

"I struggle now with establishing my faith that God may always be there, but may not always need to intervene" Heber13
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