Gd n da hse – God in the House

As part of my studies I have been directed to the Ship of Fools website – let me say early on – I like these guys – a lot. You and I both know there is a but coming….ready for it?


I have been asked to comment on the use of text message language used to translate the Bible, or bits of the Bible; apparently something which the Ships of Fools guys have done. I have been asked to consider how the text speak translation compares to my translation of the Bible.


My observations are as follows:

The Bibles I use attempt to translate from the Hebrew and Greek text trying as best they can to convey the full meaning of the text in its original language while maintaining readability. This is a balancing act which is never completely satisfactorily achieved by any translation.


The “text” translate takes this translation, and attempts to reduce it to its most simplified reduced form in an attempt to be “cool” and communicate with young people. In doing so, they lose not just a little of the context and meaning, but reduce it to almost complete insignificance. Even if we were to believe, which I don’t, that this reduced message, this "Bible lite", was still of value if it connected with young people, we face a further difficulty; it *doesn’t* connect with young people.


Anyone who has ever actually asked young people what they think of this kind of thing will know the reactions are far from positive. In the same way that nothing is more embarrassing to a child than a parent who attempts to use “cool” phrases or dress in teenage clothes, the same is true of middle age people attempting to adopt “text” language. Each generation creates or reclaims certain phrases and ways of communication to distinguish them from the generations that have gone before, the desire is not that others adopt this method of communication; in fact, if people do it ruins the whole point.


On a positive front it has made me think about one phrase that is in current usage “Oh My God” shorted to “OMG” as an explitive in texts. I think that a youth discussion group called OMG would be a great reclaiming of the phrase! Beyond that I am afraid I find the whole thing rather cringe worthy.


There is a middle ground. "The Street Bible” or “word on the Street” (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Word-Street-Rob-Lacey/dp/0310932254) by Rob Lacey (of blessed memory) is fantastic. It does not claim to be “The Bible”, hence Rob Lacey renamed it from "The Street Bible" to "word on the street" to avoid confusion. It is the author's own retelling of the bible in a contempary manner. It was not written initially with the plan of publication and so was written as a meditation on the texts using the terms the author felt most comfortable with, not attempting to second guess what anyone else would find “cool”. It’s a book for reading, not studying, but at the same time by using contempory languge it brings to life the richness and meaning of much of the Bible texts, and is a book I have recommended to many people – young and old – as a bedside read.


Urs as evr

da Brkn mn