Translation – To move from one place to another; The transfer from one language to another by literal or formal equivalency, what has been written or spoken.
God used the word translate in its various forms 5 times in Scripture: Once to Israel in their Masoretic Text Old Testament; Once to the Body of Christ in the Gospel of Grace (Romans thru Philemon); and 3 times to Israel’s Little Flock in their tribulation books (Hebrews thru Revelation)
In all 5 usages, God employed the first sense of the word, “To move from one place to another”.
But in practice, with many examples, having Scripture available in another language employs the second sense of the word, “The transfer from one language to another by literal or formal equivalency, what has been written or spoken.”
The key here is “literal equivalency”, or the state of being literally or formally equal.
The first question is whether translations are even valid. The answer is definitely a resounding YES!
Moses takes the message he received from God in Hebrew
Exodus 3:18-20 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. [19] And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. [20] And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
Exodus 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
Exodus 4:22-23 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: [23] And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Moses then translates God’s words verbally to Pharaoh from Hebrew into mdu neter (Egyptian, which later became Coptic). Then Moses hears the response back from Pharaoh in mdu neter (Egyptian, which later became Coptic) and records it (translates it back) in Hebrew.
Exodus 5:1-5 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. [2] And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. [3] And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. [4] And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. [5] And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
It is essential that you understand what “translating” is. By definition, translation is the transfer from one language to another by literal or formal equivalency, what has been written or spoken. The key here is “literal equivalency”, or the state of being literally or formally equal. In the Authorized Version King James Bible of 1611, the translators used italics to indicate that the translated word did not have a single corresponding literally equivalent word in English. Therefore, all additional words required in English to produce the exact literal equivalent from the translated word are in italics.
The problem with italics is that it gives the impression that the translators have added their own words, which is not true. If the use of italics were necessary for the purpose of translation, the passage in Daniel 5:25-28 would be entirely in italics.
You cannot discount or ignore the italicized words; they are valid and necessary for the extraction of meaning in the provision of literal equivalency. The fact of the matter is that the italicizing of words is just as slanderous and unnecessary as coloring the letters.
One of the new attacks on Word of God is the employment of ignorance of the English language; they say that the English sentence structure, specifically the use of prepositions, renders the translation invalid. That statement is blatantly false; it is simply an attack on the Word of God used to justify their private agenda.
See also Corruptions of Scripture, Transliterate, Interpret, Paraphrase