To the Question of an Ethics of Bible Translation: Some Reflections in Relation to Septuagint Isaiah 6:1 and 19:25

Abstract

The essay discusses two texts from Septuagint Isaiah—6:1 and 19:25—in dialogue with some concerns of recent discourses of Bible translation ethics. The main focus of the essay is the question of a translation’s “loyalty” vis-à-vis source text, target language and culture, and other actors involved in the translation process. It is argued that the two case texts from Septuagint Isaiah offer different solutions; whereas 6:1 accentuates a concept already present in the Hebrew text, 19:25 thus offering a competing plot to that of the Hebrew text.

Keywords

• Ethics
• Isaiah
• loyalty
• Septuagint
• translation