Biblical scholar, Bible translator and essayist Andrey Desnitsky presented his book “People and Phrases” and met with readers. This was reported by Religa on 15 March 2011.
According to Desnitsky, the book grew out of his work with biblical texts and out of reflections on how translation and understanding of ancient phrases relate to modern speech. He spoke about translating biblical books and about the difficulties that arise in conveying meaning into Russian.
Translation as a Conversation about Meaning
Desnitsky spoke about the translator’s work: in his words, behind every word there is a choice, and the translator must decide how to convey the meaning without distorting it. He gave examples from biblical texts, including the Second Book of Samuel and the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, showing how different translations change the perception of an episode.
(John 15:22).In Desnitsky’s view, it is important for the reader to see that translation is not a mechanical replacement of words but a work with context and meaning. He noted that biblical texts contain passages that require explanation and that the translator must provide these explanations.
Meeting with Readers
At the meeting there was also talk about the book “People and Phrases” itself: Desnitsky described how he gathered the material and answered readers’ questions. According to him, the book is addressed to those interested in biblical texts and their translation, but who do not necessarily have specialized training.
Desnitsky spoke about the fact that work on translations continues and that he sees in it an opportunity to discuss difficult passages of biblical books with readers. The meeting concluded with a conversation about further plans related to translations and publications.
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