KSV (Khmer Standard Version)
The newest Khmer Bible translation - it is the Protestant edition of Today's Khmer Version Bible. This new edition has been renamed the Khmer Standard Version.
posted by Nathan Wells @ 7:47 AM
4 Comments:
At 8:01 AM,
Nathan Wells said…
This version, like the other Khmer translations mis-translates the Greek word "ουτως" in John 3:16
The useage of "so loved" in English Bible translations (where most likely this mis-translation finds it's origin) does not mean "loved so much" but means, "loved in this way"
So when the KSV translates it "ស្រឡាញ់មនុស្សលោកខ្លាំងណាស់" it is not true to the original text.
At 1:39 PM,
Nathan Wells said…
I agree!
I personally do not know much Greek (I am in the process of learning), but sometimes it does seems like some of the passages in the Khmer Bibles has been directly translated from English (like the example in John 3:16) and therefore is not faithful to the Greek.
Translation is a very difficult task, and even more so with the Word of God.
Thanks for posting - I hope to hear more from you in the future.
-Nathan
At 8:35 AM,
Nathan Wells said…
Hello translationguy,
Thanks for posting! It is always great to know someone else is interested in taking a look at Khmer Bible translation.
I have become aware (after my original post) that your interpretation of “oὕτως” does exist (some Greek scholars have stated it) which at the time of writing I was unaware of. So my argument is not as strong as I once thought it to be (I got this arguement from William Mounce, a Greek professor who is quite well known).
But I would still like to talk about this based on English translations (not based on my own knowledge of Greek, but based on the knowledge of those who have translated the Greek into English).
You gave two other references to the word. Let's look at those.
First:
Galatians 3:3
"Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"
Is this talking about degree? I do not believe it is.
I believe it is as Vincent's Word Studies puts it, "Has your folly reached such a pitch as to reverse the true order of things?"
Or John Gill, "Is it possible you should be so stupid? and do you, or can you continue so?"
The key here is not degree, but in the way in which they are being foolish.
"Are you are foolish like so as to think that you are saved by human effort?" (my own words).
Hebrews 12:21
"And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling."
In this example I believe you have shown yourself to be right because the English versions do seem to translatate it as the Khmer translates it. A good translation would be, "គួស្ញែងខ្លាចនាស់"
as it is rendered in the Khmer Old Version or "គួអោយស្ញែងខ្លាចនាស់" as it is in the KSV
But could it not also be rendered in the English, "And the sight was fearful in this way: Moses said, "I am greatly afraid"?
The part after the colon tells us the degree, not the word, “oὕτως”
I still don't totally see that the Greek word, “oὕτως” ever tells us the degree in itself (as "so much" does in English), but rather, whatever follows the word explains to us the degree.
Regarding John 3:16 I would say this: why does every major English version not include the word "much" if they believed it should be translated as the Khmer has it? Is it for tradition only (keeping with the King James and Tyndale)?
I still hold that there is still an argument as to the faithfulness of the Khmer to the Greek.
The English, as I pointed out in my main post about John 3:13 does contain the meaning, "in this way" - and most English translations that are respected do not include the word "much" along with the "so" - why is that?
Look forward to hearing from you,
Nathan
P.S.
My original post about this topic is here: http://bkbb.blogspot.com/2006/03/kov-john-316.html
At 11:01 AM,
valeria filgueiras peres said…
Do you know anyone in Cambodia that has the whole bible in the computer or has a bible program in khmer.
please e mail valeria_peres2000@yahoo.com
thanks,
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