Christians who make Bible reading a part of their everyday life prefer word-for-word translations of the original Greek and Hebrew over thought-for-thought translations, according to a new study released by LifeWay Research.
In the study using 2,000 Bible readers, people were asked whether they prefer “word-for-word translations, where the original words are translated as exactly as possible” or “thought-for-thought translations, where the translators attempt to reproduce the intent of the original thought rather than translating the exact words”.
Sixty-one per cent chose word-for-word, according to Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
Bible readers in the study participated with the help of a demographically representative online panel. To qualify for the study they had to read the Bible in a typical month either by themselves or as part of a family activity and not merely in a church or corporate group setting.
“They definitely wanted a translation to stay close to the original text and the actual words used in the text,” LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer told The Christian Post. “People want readability and they want word-for-word translation which is a difficult thing to combine.
“I don’t think there are really a lot of bad translations. I think what people are trying to figure out is what’s the best translation for where they are (spiritually),” Stetzer added.
In regards to accuracy, respondents were asked, “In general, what is more important to you in a Bible: total accuracy to the original words, or easy readability?” Three out of four people (75 per cent) chose total accuracy, with 43 per cent saying accuracy is much more important and 32 percent saying it is somewhat more important.
Fourteen per cent said easy readability is somewhat more important, and eight per cent said it is much more important. Three per cent said they are not sure.
“It is interesting to note that Bible sales do not necessarily follow these preferences,” said Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research. “Those reading the Bible each month represent only a portion of all Bible purchasers."
“Bible readers can share their preferences for different translation principles but may not be aware of which characteristics are present in specific translations – even the ones that they own,” McConnell said. “Without specific instruction most readers will not notice when a translation moves away from a literal or word-for-word translation.”
The study showed that people have varying opinions about the style of language they prefer in a Bible translation for personal reading. They include:
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