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NIV to be updated as Christians divide over Bible translation
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In 1984 the editors of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible decided to halt any future attempts at updating or correction. Now they are reconsidering that decision, having announced today that they will begin work on a re-worked translation on the original work.
This would not be the first time the editors have decided to update though. The recently released Today's New International Version (TNIV) began the process of modernization of the Biblical text. The largest, and most controversial changes came in the way the editors decided to translate some of the masculine pronouns. They chose to use gender-inclusive language, changing "brothers" to "brothers and sisters" and "men of God" to "children of God." They argued that this reflected the natural meaning within the text anyways, and that within a society which no longer uses a masculine pronoun to refer to both genders of a group it would be archaic to retain the older forms.
This move was not without controversy. Some conservative Christians saw this as overstepping the bounds of translation. It would tear the Biblical text from part of its cultural heritage, a needed element of interpretation. Also it might disrupt instances where God deals with a individual personally by replacing a singular pronoun with a plural reference.
As someone who sought out an academic program to help with Bible translation, this author can affirm that the practice is wrought with difficulties. Not only must an interpreter know the content of the passage he or she is translating, they must also recognize its message. Interpretation plays just as much a part in translation as sitting down with a lexicon or dictionary. I look forward for the work produced by these talented and diligent scholars.
See also: http://www.koinoniablog.net/2009/09/exciting-announcement-about-the-niv-translation.html
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