Chao-Chun Liu

Although Bible scholars have generally acknowledged that theology plays an important role in Bible translation, affecting it from beginning to end, no studies have been done to date to offer a systematic, theoretical explanation of this phenomenon, thus leaving this subject a largely unmapped territory for study. As an initial attempt to fill this gap, this paper explores theological influence in Bible translation in terms of its theoretical foundation and seeks to find suitable theoretical concepts from both the fields of translation studies and Biblical translation studies in order to construct a theoretical framework that can be used to sharpen and enrich the study of this phenomenon. The paper first addresses the generally negative or fearful attitude toward the subject and then explores the possibility of applying the theoretical concepts of norms (Toury and Chesterman), narrative (Baker), constraints (Lefevere), "Skopos" (Nord), "contextual frame of reference" (Wendland), and "Bible translation polysystem theory" (Kerr) for developing a theoretically-sound, disciplined, and comprehensive study of theological influence in Bible translation. Convinced that Bible translation is inherently a theological task and it is important to enhance our understanding of the theological nature and dimension of Bible translation for theoretical, pedagogical, and translational purposes, this paper proposes that with these five theoretical frameworks at our disposal, it is possible for the multifaceted theological influence involved in Bible translation to be studied in a more objective and systematic way in order to achieve a greater awareness and understanding of their profound and consequential interrelationships.

Translation Studies as an academic discipline has been around for close to half a century, yet the theological dimension of translation has remained an underexplored territory, partly owning to the long-established secular-sacred divide that has turned the study of translation into a primarily secular enterprise. Yet, hidden underneath the most fundamental concepts of translation are theological presumptions that have too often gone on unnoticed and unchallenged. This paper thus offers a critical review of the current state of Translation Studies on this matter and especially of the secular-sacred divide, and then offers an introductory exploration of the theological dimension of translation in the cases of ideology and equivalence. It then particularly focuses on the theological dimension of Bible translation and its theories, taking Eugene Nida's theory as a case study. Overall, it argues that theology plays an important role in translation and particularly in Bible translation, affecting not only its practice but also its theories. It hopes to draw more research efforts on this topic and thereby lead to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of translation.

Over the last one hundred years, the Chinese Union Version of the Bible (CUV)—translated by Western Protestant missionaries—has enjoyed an unparalleled status as the Chinese Bible or the “Authorized Version” of the Chinese Bible. However, despite such towering significance, no scholarly works to date have systematically examined the influences of Protestant missionary theology on the translation of the CUV and, in turn, on Chinese Christianity. As an introductory attempt to explore this question, this paper first highlights this gap in current scholarship and the importance of filling this gap. Then, it presents four factors and two limitations in examining the theology of the CUV and conducts a case study on the theological topic of dichotomy versus trichotomy in the translation of the CUV along with four other Chinese Bible translations. After examining how the translators’ theology might have influenced these translations, it suggests how such influence through the translation of the CUV might have shaped Chinese Christianity both past and present, thereby demonstrating how the understanding of Chinese Christianity can be deepened by examining the relationships between missionaries’ theology, their Bible translations, and the development of Chinese Christianity.