“I must speak to you plainly”: A history of English Bible translations, independent of the King James Version (1611) tradition

Abstract

The dominance of the King James Version (1611) began to fade in the late 19th century, when its language became too remote from standard English, leading to various revisions in both Britain and the United States. However, numerous English translations that are independent of the King James Version tradition and its revisions also emerged, specifically with the goal of producing translations in contemporary, accessible English. This article provides a historical narrative of the Bible translations in English, by focusing on the most important (authoritative, influential, or innovative) translations, independent of the continuing King James Version tradition, in order to explain how and why they were produced. Special attention is paid to the translational context within which the translations are produced, the translation process, and the strategies for rendering the cultural terms of the source texts in contemporary English.