Where do we ask for best translation of a passage?

Question

Should that happen here or at Biblical Hermeneutics?

Say, "This passage is important to me, and I think its more literal translation of blah, blah would help smooth over some historical controversies, etc....."

Answer 1

Translation is definitely the purview of Hermeneutics.

You can ask about interpretation here, but it should be in the context of a doctrine or denomination. We are pretty relativistic here where you may get a more truth based answer over there.

Answer 2

I'm glad you asked and I'm glad wax eagle answered first. ;-)

If you want a good answer on Biblical Hermeneutics, it will help to ask a good question. Here are some hints:

• Don't use translation, which is deprecated on BH.SE. Rather tag with the source language (hebrew, greek, or aramaic) and the book of the Bible the passage comes from.

• Define what your translation question is clearly. The terms "best translation" or even "literal translation" are not very useful without qualification. Translation is at least as much an art as a science and there are many possible goals. Be sure to explain which goals are important to your question.

• When all the mainstream translations agree on a passage, there probably isn't much of a question about it. More productive are questions about why two or more professional translations materially disagree on a passage.

• Please take a moment to include the text of the passage in a blockquote with citations and a link rather than just listing a verse references. (This goes for all questions about specific Bible passages on any Stack Exchange site where such questions are on topic.)

• Avoid including any doctrinal elements in your question. Assume that the person answering your question is an atheist (though most answers are from Christians and Jews as it turns out).

• While not necessary, it can help to do some research to discover the original Greek or Hebrew wording. I find the NET Bible website (classic edition) invaluable for this purpose. The Blue Letter Bible is a worthy alternative if you care about copying the original script.

We are always looking for more insightful translation questions!