Bases and Models Revisited: The Importance of Using Different Types of Reference Translations

Abstract

In a 1979 article in The Bible Translator, Harold Fehderau developed a basic theoretical outline for what subsequently became common practice in many Bible translation projects—consulting both a formal “base” translation and a functional “model” translation in the language(s) of wider communication in the region. The starting point for this approach is the fact that most translation projects worldwide did not (and still do not) work directly with the source languages, but rather work(ed) with the biblical text by way of a single intermediate translation in the language(s) of wider communication within the local context. The clear advantage of this practice is that translators will by definition be translating from the text they are best able to understand, which presumably gives them the best chance to represent the original text well. But there are pitfalls to this method, some of which Fehderau alluded to in his article. One such pitfall will now be examined, from a consultant visit to the Tojolabal translation project being carried out in southern Mexico.