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 (qadosh / hagios) → By Referent

Avoid: "holy", "holiness", "sanctified", "consecrated", "saints", "hallowed", "pure". They carry baggage the original never had: moralism, "holier than thou", purity culture, and canonised dead people.

What the word means: it belongs to God. Leviticus 10:10 is the Bible's own definition, telling the priests to separate the qodesh from the chol, the ordinary. That is a two-bin sorting system, and almost everything the word touches is being put in the first bin rather than praised.

The traditional etymology of "cut off" or "separate" is no longer secure, so read the sense off usage rather than off the root. Incomparability is a real biblical theme, but Hebrew usually carries it with mi kamokha, "who is like you", which is the phrase sitting NEXT TO qadosh in Isaiah 40:25 and 1 Samuel 2:2. Do not make the English say it twice.

Translate by what the word points at. Decide per verse, never by book habit.

Mirror verses. Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 11:44 and 1 Peter 1:16 put the same word on God and on people inside one sentence, and the sentence only works because it is the same word. One word on both sides. Never add a clause to God's half; it breaks the quotation.

Fixed recurring forms. Do not reinvent these.

Greek keeps four words apart that English collapsed into one. Keep them apart.

Watch for the reverse error. These are different words that also surface as "set apart" in English, and letting them keep that phrase makes one English expression mean several things: herem (the war-ban), aphorizō, badal, nazir, terumah, mil'u yedkhem, prothesis, mishchat, shimmurim. Give each its own wording.

Examples:

• "Holy Father" (John 17:11) → "Good Father unlike any other"
• "Holy, holy, holy" (Isaiah 6:3) → "Unlike unlike unlike ANY other!"
• Isaiah 40:25 → "So who will you compare me to? Who is my equal?" says the One Like No Other.
• Exodus 3:5 → "The ground you're standing on belongs to God."
• Leviticus 19:2 → "Be set apart, because I, Yahweh your God, am set apart."

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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