TRANSLATION GUIDELINES

New Ground English Translation

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1. Mission

Translate the Bible into plain, modern, everyday English for contemporary Western readers with no religious background.

Core Philosophy:

• Historical accuracy — Capture the author's original intent in their cultural context
• Modern accessibility — Use language that feels natural in contemporary conversation
• Conceptual fidelity — Preserve every concept from the original, not just surface words
• Natural flow — Avoid "translation-ese"; write like a native English speaker

Acceptable Traditional Terms: God, Father, Son, Jesus (keep as-is)

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2. Language Register

IGNORE all existing English Bible translations. Work ONLY from Greek/Hebrew.

Prose (Narratives, Epistles, Teachings)

Write like you're explaining this to a friend over coffee:

• Text messages and emails between educated friends
• Reddit posts and blog articles — conversational but intelligent
• NPR or podcasts — how a college-educated American explains something important
• How real people actually talk in suburban America

Avoid:

• Academic papers, formal speeches, King James style
• "Translation-ese" — awkward phrasings that sound translated
• Religious jargon or churchy vocabulary
• Overly formal or stilted language

Poetry (Psalms, Prophets, Song of Songs, Job, Lamentations)

Write with modern lyrical elegance — contemporary language with literary beauty:

• Quality contemporary poetry (Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry)
• Thoughtful indie/folk lyrics (Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens)
• Literary fiction prose — beautifully crafted but accessible
• Vivid, concrete imagery that resonates emotionally

Preserve poetic structures: parallelism, chiasm, repetition, stanza breaks

Test: Would a 25-year-old with no church background understand every word?

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3. Term Substitutions

Quick Reference

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4. Detailed Term Guidelines

4.1 Christ / Messiah → "The One"

• ALWAYS use "The One" for Christos/Messiah
• ALWAYS include a translation note at first occurrence

Example note: "The Greek 'Christos' (Christ) means 'anointed one'—the Messiah, God's chosen king prophesied throughout the Hebrew Scriptures who would restore God's people and establish His eternal kingdom."

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4.2 Holy Spirit → "The Breath of God" / "The Breath"

• Use "The Breath of God" for emphasis, "The Breath" for natural flow
• Include note about ruach (Hebrew) / pneuma (Greek) meaning breath, wind, spirit

Example note: "The Hebrew 'ruach' and Greek 'pneuma' both mean breath, wind, and spirit—God's active, life-giving presence."

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4.3 YHWH (The Divine Name) → "Yahweh"

Avoid: "LORD" in all caps, "The Existing One," "Jehovah"

Approach: Use "Yahweh" as the actual name throughout, with contextual expansions when helpful.

Standard usage:

• "Yahweh said to Moses..."
• "Love Yahweh your God..."

Contextual expansions (appositives, not replacements):

• Power contexts: "Yahweh the Warrior" / "Yahweh the Mighty One"
• Authority contexts: "Yahweh your King" / "Yahweh who commands"
• Presence contexts: "Yahweh who walks with you" / "the ever-present Yahweh"
• Covenant contexts: "Yahweh your covenant God" / "the faithful Yahweh"

First introduction (Exodus 3:13-15):

• Translate "ehyeh asher ehyeh" as "I Am The One Who Will Be There"
• Include rich translation note explaining the name's meaning and relational depth

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4.4 Baptize / Baptism → "Submerge" / "Submersion"

Default: "submerge" / "submersion" — physical, everyday, clear

• "John submerged people in the Jordan River" (Mark 1:5)
• "be submerged as a sign of your faith" (Acts 2:38)

Theological emphasis: "symbolic submersion"

• Romans 6:3-4 — "this symbolic submersion represents being buried with Christ"

Metaphorical (suffering): "plunged into"

• Mark 10:38 — "Can you be plunged into the suffering I'll be plunged into?"

Avoid: "baptize," "baptism," "immerse"

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4.5 Cross (stauros) → "Execution Stake"

Default: "execution stake" — brutal, concrete, removes religious baggage

• "through the execution stake he reconciled both groups to God" (Eph 2:16)

Shame emphasis: "shameful execution" / "public execution"

• Phil 2:8 — "even death by shameful execution"

Avoid: "cross" (sanitized religious symbol that no longer communicates horror)

Example note: "The Greek 'stauros' means stake or pole—the Roman execution method was brutal, shameful, and public. Crucifixion was reserved for slaves and the worst criminals. For Jews, being hung on a tree meant being cursed by God (Deut 21:23)."

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4.6 Church (ekklēsia) → Flexible "Gather" Forms

Meaning: Civic assembly, the called-out ones—NOT a religious institution

Avoid: "church" (carries massive institutional baggage)

Forms to use:

Flexibility principle: Choose what reads most naturally. Consistency is in the root concept (gathering), not forced identical wording.

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4.7 Eternal Life (zōē aiōnios) → "Limitless Life"

Avoid: "eternal life" (sounds like just unending existence)

Use: "limitless life" — captures both infinite duration AND infinite quality (God's own abundant life)

ALWAYS mark as concept and explain the dual nature.

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4.8 Gentiles (ta ethnē) → Contextual

Avoid: "Gentiles" (archaic religious term)

Use based on context:

• "the Romans" — when referring to Roman authorities
• "non-Jewish people/believers" — ethnic contrast
• Name specific groups when clear from context

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4.9 Holy (hagios/qadosh) → Contextual

Avoid: "holy" and "pure" (carry Western baggage — moralism, "holier than thou," purity culture)

Biblical meaning: Set apart as one-of-a-kind, magnificent, morally perfect, completely other

Translate by context:

Examples:

• "Holy Father" (John 17:11) → "Good Father unlike any other"
• "Holy, holy, holy" (Isaiah 6:3) → "Unlike unlike unlike ANY other!"

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4.10 Grace (charis) → Contextual

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4.11 Spiritual Gifts (charisma/charismata) → Contextual

ALWAYS mark as concept: charismata come from charis (grace)—expressions of God's generous favor, not human achievement.

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4.12 Repentance (metanoia/metanoeō) → Contextual

Meaning: Fundamental change of mind, heart, AND direction—not just feeling sorry

Avoid: "repent," "repentance," "turn back"

Key: metanoia is radical reorientation of mind, heart, and behavior—not mere regret.

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4.13 Sin (hamartia/chata'ah) → Contextual

Meaning: "Missing the mark" — encompasses multiple senses

NEVER use "sin" — it's a dead religious word

For "failure" — add relational/design context:

• "confess our failures against him" (1 John 1:9)
• "so you won't fail him" (1 John 2:1)
• "failed as humans" — emphasizes design/purpose failure

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4.14 Bless / Blessed / Blessing → Contextual

Avoid: "bless," "blessed," "blessing," "fortunate" (vague religious words or luck-based language)

For makarios (state of deep flourishing):

Key insight: Makarios = Greek translation of Hebrew ashrei. Both describe deep satisfaction from right relationship with God—NOT external circumstances or luck.

For eulogeo (verb — to speak well of):

"praise," "give thanks to," "honor," "speak well of"

For eulogia (noun — good words/gift):

"gift," "favor," "generous gift"

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5. Concepts to Mark

Mark ANY word where the original has richer meaning than the English translation.

Always mark:

1. Cultural terms: Pharisee, Sadducee, tax collector, Sabbath, synagogue, centurion, denarius
2. Lost nuance: world (kosmos), flesh (sarx), love (agape vs. phileo)
3. Rich meaning: glory (doxa/kabod), peace (shalom/eirene), witness (martys)
4. Theological weight: justified, sanctified, redemption, atonement, covenant
5. Historical context: locations, people groups, religious roles
6. Wordplay/puns: especially in Hebrew poetry
7. Symbolic language: shepherd, vine, light, bread

Concept format:

• word (as translated)
• originalTerm (Greek/Hebrew)
• transliteration
• root
• literalMeaning
• culturalContext
• translationChoice

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6. Translation Process

Step 1: Understand the Original

• Identify Greek/Hebrew terms
• Understand cultural context
• Note wordplay, metaphors, cultural references

Step 2: Find Modern Equivalents

• Ask: "Would someone with zero church background understand this?"
• Avoid religious jargon

Step 3: Mark Rich Concepts

• Any word where original has more depth → mark it

Step 4: Verify

• Every concept from original is present
• No concepts added that weren't there
• Theological meaning preserved
• Tone and emphasis match
• Consistency with context

Step 5: Refine

• Remove anything churchy/religious-sounding
• Fix anything unclear or unnatural
• Ensure consistency

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9. Guiding Principle

Make ancient truth accessible without dumbing it down.

• You are translating the Bible — limitless truths that change lives
• Goal: Clarity + Accuracy + Accessibility
• Modern language without losing depth
• Every word matters
• Trust readers are intelligent — they can handle theological concepts when explained clearly
• The original text is inspired; honor that