Sacred Text, Human Choices: An Ethics of Difference for Bible Translation

Abstract

This article explores an ethics of difference for Bible translation, drawing on Lawrence Venuti’s work. I contrast the instrumental view, which conceptualizes translation as neutral meaning transfer, with the contextual view, which recognizes translation as interpretive and culturally embedded, involving both representation and transformation. I advocate for the contextual paradigm. Through examples from biblical texts, such as Hebrew אֱמוּנָה “faithfulness” and Greek πίστις “faith,” I demonstrate how translation choices reflect cultural and theological frameworks. I therefore propose viewing Bible translations as cultural testimonies: unique articulations of God’s revelation within specific cultural contexts. This challenges the historical dominance of European Bibles and calls for greater appreciation of diversity among Bible translations. An ethics of difference requires transparency about operative frames, accountability for translation choices, and critical awareness of power dynamics. Finally, the contextual view reveals a problem with AI-based drafts: Human translators must remain primary decision-makers in this deeply interpretive, culturally embedded task.