A Sample from the new translation of Calvin's Institutes

Status
Not open for further replies.

RaderSDG00

Puritan Board Freshman
This was posted quite a while ago and I'm sure many of you have already seen it but I'm curious to know what you guys think. I don't know anything about translation but already I see that this guy is translating things like "man" or "men" as "all people" or "every person" or "human" etc. Not sure if the original allows for that or if that's the result of a particular translation philosophy of his. But on the whole, what do you guys think? Are you impressed? Excited? Gonna buy it?

Here's the link: https://uploads.crossway.org/excerpt/calvins-institutes-translation-project.pdf
 
Last edited:
Here is my own translation of that section, from an upcoming publication, in case once Blacketer's done, someone wants to hire me to make a sixth translation of the Institutes. But in all seriousness, I don't like the style he exhibits in that section. I think it's less weighty than any of the others, and his attempts to shorten Calvin's sentences loses some of the connections between his ideas. We should have stopped at Beveridge, not even a fourth translation was necessary.
"Therefore, that radiance which is supplied to the eyes of everyone in heaven and on earth does sufficiently and beyond all defense strip bare absolutely any ingratitude of men, just as God, that he might entangle mankind in the same guiltiness, presents to all creatures without exception the delineation of his divine authority. Yet, another and better help must be joined to it, which properly leads us to the very Creator of the world. And so, it was not in vain that he added the light of his word, by which he makes himself known unto salvation. But he granted this privilege to those whom he willed to more properly and with greater familiarity gather unto himself."
 
Practically:
Beveridge's language is quite antiquated for the modern reader. McNeil is not cheap. This should be cheaper.
I am all for it if it helps new readers get into Calvin.
If we can 'tolerate' translations like the CSB, surely we can do so with Calvin?
To those who say 'Do we really need another translation'... well who is the 'we' here? Just don't buy it.
 
Practically:
Beveridge's language is quite antiquated for the modern reader. McNeil is not cheap. This should be cheaper.
I am all for it if it helps new readers get into Calvin.
If we can 'tolerate' translations like the CSB, surely we can do so with Calvin?
To those who say 'Do we really need another translation'... well who is the 'we' here? Just don't buy it.
The difference is there's only one bible to translate, but there's a huge amount of untranslated reformed literature we could be doing instead.
 
Here is my own translation of that section, from an upcoming publication, in case once Blacketer's done, someone wants to hire me to make a sixth translation of the Institutes. But in all seriousness, I don't like the style he exhibits in that section. I think it's less weighty than any of the others, and his attempts to shorten Calvin's sentences loses some of the connections between his ideas. We should have stopped at Beveridge, not even a fourth translation was necessary.
"Therefore, that radiance which is supplied to the eyes of everyone in heaven and on earth does sufficiently and beyond all defense strip bare absolutely any ingratitude of men, just as God, that he might entangle mankind in the same guiltiness, presents to all creatures without exception the delineation of his divine authority. Yet, another and better help must be joined to it, which properly leads us to the very Creator of the world. And so, it was not in vain that he added the light of his word, by which he makes himself known unto salvation. But he granted this privilege to those whom he willed to more properly and with greater familiarity gather unto himself."
I agree that it seems less weighty. It's only a small snippet but if the rest follows in the same vein I think it will end up being quite a let down. I liked your translation though!
 
The difference is there's only one bible to translate, but there's a huge amount of untranslated reformed literature we could be doing instead.
Works like these (see the sold out Charnock republication) may be the works that help fund translation projects of other materials for Crossway (which may not sell as well)
 
Practically:
Beveridge's language is quite antiquated for the modern reader. McNeil is not cheap. This should be cheaper.
I am all for it if it helps new readers get into Calvin.
If we can 'tolerate' translations like the CSB, surely we can do so with Calvin?
To those who say 'Do we really need another translation'... well who is the 'we' here? Just don't buy it.
Honestly, after reading the translation from the 1541 French Edition that BoT did, I would point any and every new reader to Calvin to that particular one. I think that translation was absolutely fantastic. I probably won't buy this one from Crossway, but if that same guy who did the BoT version ever translated the final French version, I would be all over it!
 
Honestly, after reading the translation from the 1541 French Edition that BoT did, I would point any and every new reader to Calvin to that particular one. I think that translation was absolutely fantastic. I probably won't buy this one from Crossway, but if that same guy who did the BoT version ever translated the final French version, I would be all over it!
Spot on. Great typeset as well.
 
The difference is there's only one bible to translate, but there's a huge amount of untranslated reformed literature we could be doing instead.
Not a pro on this, so please forgive me for my ignorance. Of what I read somewhere about translation, is depends on the languages themselves. There are tons of people who speak French (Calvins works) and Dutch (Dutch Reformers,) but when it comes to Latin, now you are getting into people being fluent in a dead language. So there is a catch, even if Catholicism corporately has the most Latin speakers, will they voluntarily translate Protestant literature? And if Protestant Latin speakers/translators are rare; they are going to go where the money is. To be honest, DeepL can almost perfectly translate Dutch and French. I had most of the Bavincks Reformed Dogmatics vol. 1 translated, but gave up on the project because it is also littered with Latin, and it was becoming unintelligible for the intended audience (including myself.) There really is no good program that can translate the Latin. But I was able to translate Bavincks Magnalia Dei for Monergism using DeepL, and have done some of Kuypers works that are not so flooded with Latin, Greek, or Hebrew like Pro Rege, etc. Convincing people who can do Latin, to do Reformed works seems to be the hard part. But the common languages, Dutch, French, etc. can currently be done computer generated. So while people like Crossway, I doubt will go the route of computer generated translations, most people can translate an older work, in the PD, using a program (if the foreign language text is properly formatted.) Below is the translation I did for Pro Rege vol.1 using DeepL (which is $12 a month.) I will probably go back to those projects, especially Vos' Reformed Dogmatics, since I was able to hunt down all the public domain typed 1910 version. I just have to finish my Puritan stuff first. I am also interested in doing most of Kuypers PD works, and would love to tap into his Dogmatics, but again, flooded with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin.
 
Last edited:
Not a pro on this, so please forgive me for my ignorance. Of what I read somewhere about translation, is the languages themselves. There are tons of people who speak French (Calvins works) and Dutch (Dutch Reformers,) but when it comes to Latin, now you are getting into people being fluent in a dead language. So there is a catch, even if Catholicism corporately has the most Latin speakers, will they voluntarily translate Protestant literature? And if Protestant Latin speakers/translators are rare; they are going to go where the money is. To be honest, DeepL can almost perfectly translate Dutch and French. I had almost the entire Bavincks Reformed Dogmatics translated but gave up on the project because it is also littered with Latin. There really is no good program that can translate the Latin. But I was able to translate Bavincks Magnalia Dei for Monergism using DeepL, and have done some of Kuypers works that are not so flooded with Latin, Greek, or Hebrew like Pro Rege, etc. Convincing people who can do Latin, to do Reformed works seems to be the hard part. But the common languages, Dutch, French, etc. can currently be done computer generated. Below is the translation I did for Pro Rege vol.1 using DeepL (which is $12 a month.) I will probably go back to those projects, especially Vos' Reformed Dogmatics, since I was able to hunt down all the public domain typed 1910 version. I just have to finish my Puritan stuff first.
See Polanus' translation project still waiting after 8 years.
 
Honestly, after reading the translation from the 1541 French Edition that BoT did, I would point any and every new reader to Calvin to that particular one. I think that translation was absolutely fantastic. I probably won't buy this one from Crossway, but if that same guy who did the BoT version ever translated the final French version, I would be all over it!
Looks like Ligonier sells the 1541 version, might have to grab that. I've only a digital version as of yet, wanted to wait and find a proper physical copy of institutes before pulling the trigger, maybe it ought to be this one.https://www.ligonier.org/store/institutes-of-christian-religion-1541-edition-hardcover
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top