And God Said

And God Said: How Translations Conceal The Bible's Original Meaning
Joel M. Hoffman
Thomas Dunne Books, 2010

Review:
I'm just testing out my wings when it comes to non-fiction that isn't strictly university related, but as I've cultivated an interest in several of the book's central themes in the last couple of years (Biblical studies, Hebrew, translation) I felt compelled to read it and am glad I did. Even for someone with little knowledge in the field, the book provides a good overview to some important issues in Bible translation, taking the reader by the hand and moving forwards at a steady pace. Hoffman mainly highlights the importance of translating not only the literal, but also the implied and poetic meanings of phrases, showing how certain passages have been terribly mistranslated, and offering better options. My only issue with this was that I sometimes found the suggestions too simplistic, even though the reasoning behind them was sound. Overall, however, it's a deeply interesting work, relevant both to classical language studies and modern translation, and it makes me eager to start translating again.

Rating: Outstanding