Spring 2010 MGVHoffman Class meets Mondays, 1:30-3:00 Valentine 308

The slogan attributed to Jehuda ben Ilai still stands: "One who translates literally, lies; one who adds to the text, blasphemes." Translators carry out their perilous assignment between those two poles. (Walter Harrelson, "What Translation Is")

February 1

• Be sure to bring your NET Bible to class, preferably on your notebook computer.
• If you have BibleWorks8, you do not need to get the Wallace book. It's already included and integrated in BW8.
• You can go ahead and get: Translating the New Testament: Text, Translation, Theology by Stanley Porter and Mark Boda (eds.) (Eerdmans, 2009)
• For fun! Learn how to "Talk Greek"! (This is actually a very nice site from the BBC teaching modern Greek.)
• One of the requirements for this course is that you subscribe and regularly scan one of the blogs devoted to NT Greek grammar or translation issues. Go ahead and start looking around at the following. (You will want to 'subscribe' to one or more of these blogs using RSS. If you don't have a RSS reader--such as Google Reader--you will want to do so.
  • Better Bibles Blog
  • ΕΝ ΕΦΕΣΩ
  • Rico Blog
  • NT Discourse
  • Another option is to join the B-Greek mailing list. This is kind of an old-fashioned listserv deal, but a lot of the 'big boys' of NT grammar hang out here...
• Introduction to Koine (also check here)
• Romans 1.16-17: text.DOC / handout.PDF
• GWave: Introductions (supply a response to introduce yourself)

February 8

• Read: TNT: 1-9; 13-26, 93-113
• In GGBB: skim Preface & Approach; read “Language of the NT” 
• Translation text: Mark 1.9-11 // Matt 3.13-17 // Lk 3.21-22 - Translate the texts and answer the questions on the handout.
• GWave: Luke 16.19 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Come across something interesting on the blog(s) you are following that relates to this class? Start a wave!

February 15

• TNT: read one section from Part 2 (Porter or Gignac or LTJ) 
• Mark 3.1-6 & Matt 12.9-14 & Lk 6.6-11: Parallels / Coded
• GWave: Luke 16.20-21 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Wallace GGBB: Nominative, Vocative, Genitive
• Which blog are you following?

February 22

• TNT: read 185-211
  • Porter refers to: thebibletool.com (comparative model) and OpenText.org (discourse model: cf. here for Luke 16)
• GWave: Luke 16.22-23 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Mark 4.35-41 Translation Exercise: Directions are on the sheet. Once you have completed your 'paraphrase,' post it here on Google Docs.
• Which blog are you following?
• Where do we go from here? Please take the quick survey.

March 1

• TNT: read one section from Part 3: Watson (215-250: George) or Humphrey (251-270: Dan)
• GWave: Luke 16.24 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• We are going to follow up on the Mark 4.35-41 exercise from last week. Go here on Google Docs where each of you posted your translation/paraphrase. Directions for commenting are now included there.
• We need to catch up on the Mark 3.1-6 translation from Feb 15 also, so no additional translation this week. Here are the survey results.

March 8: NO Class - Spring Recess

March 15

• TNT: read one section from Part 3: Yeo (271-289: Brian) or Tamez (290-304: Ron)
• GWave: Luke 16.25-26 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Take Home Midterm Exam due
• Respond to Dan's questions on the wave he posted regarding the Humphrey reading.

March 22

• TNT: (finish from 3/15) read one section from Part 3: Yeo (271-289: Brian) or Tamez (290-304: Ron)
• GWave: Luke 16.27-28 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Translation: Work on either Mark 2.1-12 or Luke 5.17-26. (What does this mean? Compose your own study aids for working on the text in Greek and English.) These are the accounts of the healing of the paralytic, and we will be comparing them in class. HERE is a parallel text you can use.
• BibleWorks Search Exercise: Steps are provided to work through everything, but let me know if you have questions.

March 29

• TNT: Read 307-326
• GWave: Luke 16.29-30 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Translate Genesis 22.1-8. (HERE is a parallel text you can use.) This exercise will be particularly interesting if you know some Hebrew. Even if you don't, be sure to not places where your translation of the LXX (use the LXE version to confirm you are getting the Greek) differs from the TNK or NET Bible.

April 5

• TNT: Read 327-346
• GWave: Luke 16.31 - Go to GoogleWave and respond to the various questions.
• Translate (note that all the texts are in BibleWorks in Greek and English)
  • Genesis 22 in the Apocrypha
  • Genesis 22 in the Apostolic Fathers
  • Genesis 22 in Josephus  (this is rather difficult Greek; try simply to figure out syntax structure and find the indicative verbs)

April 12

• Read: Differences Between Classical and Hellenistic Greek and complete this exercise.
• Read the four brief articles linked on this American Bible Society page.
• Work on translations of:
  • Romans 8.31-32
  • Hebrews 11.17-19
• In class, we will start reviewing our work on Luke 16.19-31.

April 19

• Read: Eugene Nida on ‘Personal Problems’ in Translation
• Read: Eugene Nida on ‘Criteria to be Used in Judging Translations’
• Read: “Dynamic Equivalence” in Practice
• Work on translation of:
  • James 2.20-23
• In class, we will start reviewing our work on Luke 16.19-31.
• The class will be divided into two groups to start working on translating Luke 16.19-31.

April 26

• Have Summaries completed (assigned in class)
  • vv22-23 and vv27-28: Sarah & Ron
  • v24 and vv29-30: Dan & Mary
  • vv 25-26 and v31: Ursula, George, Brian
• Work on Luke 16.19-31 translation in class
• Start work on take home Final Exam (worth 30% of course grade). DOC / PDF 
  You may print and return a hard copy or return a DOC file by email. 
  Final Exam grade is calculated thus:
  • Pre-final Midterm you took in March: 25%
  • Take home portion of Final: 65%
  • In class portion of Final on May 10: 10%
• BTW, have you been doing the blog reading...?

May 3

• Continue work on Luke 16.19-31 translation in class
• Translation Considerations
• Continue work on take home final exam
• You will enjoy this!

May 10

• COURSE EVALUATION - PLEASE complete this evaluation. I do review them thoroughly. Since I taught this class differently than in the past, I am especially interested in hearing what you dis/liked, what was most un/helpful, etc. Thanks.
• Continue work on Luke 16.19-31 translation in class
• Take home portion of Final Exam DUE
• In class portion of Final Exam