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Paratext in Bible Translations with Special Reference to Selected Bible Translations Into Beninese Languages

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Paratext in Bible Translations with Special Reference to Selected Bible Translations Into Beninese Languages DigitalResources SIL eBook 58 ® Paratext in Bible Translations with Special Reference to Selected Bible Translations into Beninese Languages Geerhard Kloppenburg Paratext in Bible Translations with Special Reference to Selected Bible Translations into Beninese Languages Geerhard Kloppenburg SIL International® 2013 SIL e-Books 58 2013 SIL International® ISSN: 1934-2470 Fair-Use Policy: Books published in the SIL e-Books (SILEB) series are intended for scholarly research and educational use. You may make copies of these publications for research or instructional purposes free of charge (within fair-use guidelines) and without further permission. Republication or commercial use of SILEB or the documents contained therein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder(s). Editor-in-Chief Mike Cahill Compositor Margaret González VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT AMSTERDAM PARATEXT IN BIBLE TRANSLATIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SELECTED BIBLE TRANSLATIONS INTO BENINESE LANGUAGES THESIS MASTER IN LINGUISTICS (BIBLE TRANSLATION) THESIS ADVISOR: DR. L.J. DE VRIES GEERHARD KLOPPENBURG 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 The phenomenon of paratext............................................................................................ 3 1.2 The purpose of this study ................................................................................................. 5 2. PARATEXT: DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION.............................................................. 7 2.1 Definition ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Paratext in translations ................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Paratext in Bible translations.......................................................................................... 11 2.4 Characteristics of paratext.............................................................................................. 13 2.4.1 Spatial............................................................................................................... 13 2.4.2 Temporal .......................................................................................................... 13 2.4.3 Substantial........................................................................................................ 14 2.4.4 Pragmatic.......................................................................................................... 14 2.4.5 Functional......................................................................................................... 15 2.5 Functions of paratext...................................................................................................... 16 2.5.1 Presentation...................................................................................................... 16 2.5.2 Legibility.......................................................................................................... 17 2.5.3 Disclosure......................................................................................................... 18 2.5.4 Informative function......................................................................................... 18 2.5.5 Expressive and appellative function................................................................. 19 2.6 Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 20 3. PARATEXT IN BIBLE EDITIONS PUBLISHED BY BIBLE SOCIETIES.................... 22 3.1 The attitude of the Bible Societies towards paratext...................................................... 22 3.2 An inventory of paratext in standard editions of Bible translations............................... 27 3.3 Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 56 4. PARATEXT AND SKOPOS THEORY.............................................................................. 59 4.1 The relation between a text and its paratext................................................................... 59 4.2 In search of a comprehensive theory.............................................................................. 61 4.3 Skopos theory................................................................................................................. 62 4.4 Preliminary questions in applying Skopos theory to Bible translation .......................... 68 4.5 Skopos theory applied to Bible translation .................................................................... 71 4.6 Skopos theory and paratext ............................................................................................ 76 4.7 Conclusion: skopos theory applied to paratext in Bibles ............................................... 80 4.8 Elements for a model of a Bible translation project including attention for paratext .... 82 4.8.1 The commission ............................................................................................... 82 4.8.2 The Manual of translation ................................................................................ 84 4.8.3 Review and testing procedures......................................................................... 85 4.8.4 Research ........................................................................................................... 87 1 5. PARATEXT IN TWO BENINESE BIBLE TRANSLATIONS.......................................... 88 5.1 Bible translation in Benin (West Africa)........................................................................ 88 5.1.1 Bible translation ............................................................................................... 88 5.1.2 Benin: Context of translation ........................................................................... 90 5.2 The Fon Bible Translation project ................................................................................. 92 5.2.1 Description of the Fon project.......................................................................... 92 5.2.2 Paratext in the Fon translation.......................................................................... 95 5.3 The Aja Bible translation project ................................................................................... 97 5.3.1 Description of the Aja project.......................................................................... 97 5.3.2 Paratext in the Aja translation.......................................................................... 99 5.4 UBS and SIL guidelines with regard to paratext.......................................................... 101 5.5 Evaluation..................................................................................................................... 102 5.5.1 The procedure................................................................................................. 102 5.5.2 Publishing limitations..................................................................................... 103 5.5.3 Publications and research............................................................................... 104 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 106 2 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The phenomenon of paratext Reading a book is a multifaceted encounter. When someone takes a book in his hands in order to read it, he 1 will not just read a text, but will also be confronted – consciously or unconsciously – with a number of marginal phenomena that surround, accompany or envelop that text. Among these phenomena are always elements like the cover, the typeface and the layout. The reader will probably also encounter elements like page numbers, a chapter division and an index. And he might possibly come across elements like a preface, footnotes and illustrations. The French literary theorist Gérard Genette formulated his theory about paratext in order to give a comprehensive approach to these phenomena. His view is that a reader does not understand a book merely by taking note of the ‘plain’ text, but that his understanding is influenced by the paratext, that is: all the information containing elements that surround and accompany the text. The paratext, mainly originating from the author or an editor, is influencing the way a text is read. What Genette said about literary texts in general, is also true for a book like a translation of the Bible. Such a book can be described as the translation of a classical text based on a text edition, and its paratext has its own specific characteristics. An example of a translation specific paratextual phenomenon is a footnote presenting an alternative translation. The author’s role in creating the paratext is now more or less taken over by the translator. But, translation or not, the paratext still guides and influences the reader in his perception of the text. 1 I am not assuming that only male people read. When I use the word ‘he’ in a generic sense, one is free to replace it by ‘she’. 3 Genette introduced in 1982 in his book Palimpsestes the term ‘paratext’ as a comprehensive term to refer to all the phenomena surrounding a text. 2 The terminology was elaborated in 1987 his seminal study Seuils that was completely dedicated to many of the phenomena. 3 The term ‘paratext’ is composed of the term
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